Samuthirakani spills the beans about Vinodhaya Sitham remake with Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej

Many were caught by surprise when rumour mills were abuzz with reports that Pawan Kalyan expressed his interest to headline the Telugu remake of the Tamil film Vinodhaya Sitham, starring Thambi Ramaiah and Samuthirakani, that released directly on ZEE5 last year. There was greater excitement when the film was confirmed to be a multistarrer with Sai Dharam Tej coming on board as well. Trivikram was roped in to adapt the screenplay and penn the dialogues for the remake. Samuthirakani, who helmed Vinodhaya Sitham, was said to be direcing the remake too.

Though the news was more or less official, none of the actors or the director had gone on record to confirm the Telugu remake. In a recent interview, Samuthirakani finally opened up on the Vinodhaya Sitham remake. When asked if the project was happening for real, the actor-director confirmed, "Yes, Vinodhaya Sitham's remake is very much on, we've commenced work on it and we'll wrap it up quickly."

On turning a director for Pawan Kalyan, with whom he also acted in Bheemla Nayak, he said, "I am very much a fan of Pawan Kalyan as well. I got time to observe the way he walks, talks, behaves, his body language and style (during the shoot of Bheemla Nayak) and I'll incorporate everything into the film, just like a fanboy. I'll make the film like a fan of Pawan Kalyan; watch out for me. It's too early to talk about it now, I'll open up more when the time is right."

While Pawan Kalyan will be reprising the role initially played by Samuthirakani, there's an element of suspense around how Sai Dharam Tej's character would be adapted for the Telugu version. Though reports have suggested that he'll step into the shoes of Thambi Ramaiah, it's likely that the characterisation would undergo a lot of changes according to Sai Dharam Tej's age. Vinodhaya Sitham is essentially about a man in his 50s who requests three months' time from God to sort out household matters before he dies.

It'll be interesting to see the changes that Trivikram and Samuthirakani would bring in the Telugu remake. The shoot is expected to commence shortly.