Narthan, who is in the process of writing Shivarajkumar’s 125th film, Bhairathi Ranagal, is also getting ready to make his Kollywood debut. The director, who made his Kannada debut with Mufti, will be helming its Tamil remake, which will feature Simbu and Gautham Karthik.
Made under Studio Green, this yet-to-be-titled film will go on floors in the first week of June. Narthan will start shooting Simbu's introductory scenes in Ballari.
“This Tamil project was not something that was planned. In fact, I was working on another story with actor Suriya in mind. However, he is busy for the next two years. Since I had directed the original version of Mufti, the production house felt I would be able to do justice to the remake too. They are confident that I can pull off the film in Tamil, and this will give me an opportunity to prove myself in another language,” he says.
The director has planned a 14-day schedule in Karnataka, while the rest of the portions will be shot in Tamil Nadu. Narthan has made a few changes to the script to suit the actors’ personality. “While Shivarajkumar and Sriimurali were the faces of Mufti, the Tamil version has Simbu and Gautham Karthik. So I have made changes in the first half considering Simbu’s age. However, his character is still similar to Shivanna’s,” he says.