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Interview: Prithviraj on Bhramam, the benefits of OTT & more: ‘Malayalam cinema was always little handicapped’
In a candid chat with Pinkvilla, Prithviraj opens up about remaking Andhadhun, and how the OTT revolution has put Malayalam cinema on the National map.
While, Bhramam, the Malayalam remake of Sriram Raghavan’s thriller, AndhaDhun, is already streaming on Amazon Prime, very few are aware that the leading actor, Prithviraj was keen to remake the film in 2018 itself. “There is no denying the fact that it is a brilliant piece of cinema. Ever since I watched it, I felt that this subject should travel and it happens very rarely that a non-Malayalam film has the potential of having a Malayalam version. I tried to acquire the rights, but it didn’t happen. Finally, when the producers decided to make it in Malayalam, I am fortunate that they came to me,” says Prithviraj.
The actor informs that the Malayalam version has more humor as compared to the Hindi original. “Malayalam language lends itself to humor. There is a famous Mallu black satire that we are famous for and this film is actually a dark comedy. It’s a lot more wicked and deliciously evil. Even the ones who have seen Andhadhun will find Bhramam an interesting watch,” he insists.
He explains that very few subjects have the potential of being remade. “Subjects that are rooted in native aesthetics can’t be remade because India doesn’t have a uniform pop culture. What is popular and commercial in South might not be commercial in the North,” the actor shares, adding further that the regional boundaries are being bridged due to the advent of digital medium. “The first step of going to Pan India for any industry is to get people to watch the original work in native language. We should get the audience to think that these guys make great cinema.”
He adds, “Malayalam cinema was always a little handicapped because our diaspora is not as spread out as others. We have Kerala, the Gulf and maybe North America. Rest of India, outside Kerala is miniscule in terms of screen count. But suddenly, we have taken our cinema to the home of the audience and that has put us on a national map. Lot of cinema lovers are now looking forward to content from Malayalam cinema and this will help us in our theatrical collections too in the coming years.” Prithvi believes that no other industry has managed to put out as much content as the Malayalam industry has during the last 2 years on OTT platforms. “It’s a classic case of supply meeting demand,” he smiles.
Prithviraj has acted in multiple Hindi films in early 2010s, however, one hasn’t got to see him in Bollywood over the last 5 years. What’s keeping him away? “It’s nothing but a lack of great scripts coming my way. I read a lot of scripts from Hindi, but nothing has really made me break away from my work in Malayalam. In-fact, a couple of popular Hindi shows on Amazon Prime had come to me in the beginning. I knew they are fantastic, but I couldn’t do it due to time constraints,” he answers, and concludes, “I guess it will happen sometime soon. It’s not that actors in Malayalam are really looking out for Hindi films at the moment because a lot of great work is happening here.” Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates on Prithviraj, and the Malayalam cinema.
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