Filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon is in the city to promote his film Courier Boy Kalyan with Nithiin and Yami Gautam playing lead roles. Gautham is producing this film, while Prem is the director.
“The Telugu version was completed long ago, but we had issues with the Tamil one. We wanted to release both the versions simultaneously,” Gautham explains about the delayed release.
The two versions were shot with different casts, and the Telugu version had a few changes. “For the Telugu version, we toned down the comedy and added a few romantic scenes. In the Tamil version, Jay is known for his comedy and with Santanam around, more comic scenes were included,” he says.
When Prem narrated the script to Gautham, he was looking to produce a Tamil film. “Later, we wanted to explore the subject in Telugu also, as I love both languages. Now the Telugu version has become a bigger project than the Tamil one, in terms of the market and business,” says Gautham.
He has given a free hand to Prem as a director. “I know how irritating it is when a producer puts his hand in everything. Moreover, Nithiin is a producer’s son, he knows how to control the budget,” he says.
Gautham is now directing a bi-lingual with two lead actors — Chaitanya in Telugu and Simbu for Tamil. Gautham had worked with both the actors for a bilingual earlier too. “No particular reason as such. Both are in touch with me and I share a good rapport with them,” he says.
He says that he always goes with a bound script. “I never write the climax in my bound script. But I am ready with 80 per cent of the script with dialogues and scenes, as I have to start shooting. I check the body language of the actor and many other aspects before writing the climax. Though I have an idea about the climax, it always changes when we start shooting,” he says.
If he doesn’t reveal the climax, are the lead actors willing to act? “I would like to work with actors who are willing,” he says. What if the lead actors suggest the climax, he immediately says, “So far thankfully, nothing like that has happened. But when it does happen, the project will be shelved,” he says.
Gautham announced that Courier Boy Kalyan is releasing on September 11, one week after the historic film Rudhramadevi. “My film will be refreshing for them after they watch the big historical film. It’s a love story and I don’t have any problem releasing my film one week later,” says Gautham.
