Now, a Kannada Pokkiri

Thursday will see 'Challenging Star' Darshan's Porki in the theatres. And it's not only the fans who are eagerly awaiting the release of the Kannada movie; the film's cast and crew are eager too.

Porki is a remake of the Telugu flick Pokkiri (starring Mahesh Babu) which ran for 25 weeks after it was released in Karnataka. The Tamil (Pokkiri with Vijay) and Hindi (Wanted with Salman Khan) remakes have gone on to become hits. Naturally, expectations are high from the Kannada remake as well.

Why did you opt for a remake yet again?

See, it's not about remakes or straight subjects. What matters is how relevant the story is to a given environment. The film carries a universal appeal and the role is tailor-made for Darshan. If anything, it was the budget that made me think twice before accepting the project and not the remake aspect. I was not sure if the producers were ready to spend lavishly on the movie.

Reports say that the movie has been made on a Rs 7 crore budget. Did that ensure that there were no compromises?

Porki was backed by a grand script. It required a big budget and both Darshan and me signed on the dotted line only after the producers assured us complete support. They were sure of Porki's success given the response that the original and the other remakes had gotten.

Anyway, talks for TV rights are already on and the best theatres are being booked across the state. The producers are happy with the output. In fact I can boldly say that Porki has turned out to be crispier and more polished than the original.

In what way does it stand out from the original?

While the storyline has been retained, we have not repeated the shots. Lengthy scenes have been cut short. Even dialogues have been modified to connect with the local audience. Nowhere will you find Darshan aping Mahesh Babu. He has added his own style and flavour to the character. In fact he even sports a new look.

The fight sequences are something to watch out for. Coming to songs, except for one score, the other four are original. We have one item song with Zubein Khan (Mumaith Khan's sister. Mumaith is in the original version). Harikrishna has composed the music.

Tell us more about the action scenes...

There are three lengthy fights and two small ones. The climax fight extends to about 11 minutes. We have hardly used doubles. Both the fighters and Darshan have performed most of the stunts on their own, be it the jumps or glass breaking scenes.

But Darshan's insistence on jumping off from the second floor of a building in Chennai, gave me the jitters. Thank God, he pulled it off without any problem! I must add that he is very professional.

Take us through the technical aspects of the film...

We have used a 435 camera to shoot the movie. Songs and fights were shot using the Super 35 camera. 500 frames have been used too. We kept the use of special effects minimal.

So you shared a good rapport with Darshan...

This is my first film with him. I had heard he was moody, but he is exactly the opposite. He is the no-nonsense kind of a guy. He is very easy to work with and is just like a child; like an open book.

Darshan is ready to report on the set as early as you want him to. But he prefers to pack-up by four in the evening. But he gelled so well with our team that he would hang around till 10 pm on many occasions. I definitely look forward to working with him again.

You are introducing a new female face to the Kannada industry...

I was very particular that we cast a Kannada-speaking girl in the movie. When we were on a hunt, director Indrajeet Lankesh suggested that we audition Pranita. Five minutes into my conversation with her, and I knew that she would be apt for the role.

She is a model-turned-actress with big dreams. Pranita is a fast learner and would take only one or two shots to perform. Little wonder that she has already bagged a Telugu film. She will be playing lead to Sudeep in a Kannada film soon. I also plan to cast her in one of my upcoming projects also.

What next?

I want to direct a romantic comedy. And it'll surely be a straight subject, I don't want you to ask me why remakes again? [Laughs]