Singampuli is primarily known for his impeccable comic timing, a trait he has exhibited in his work as a director as well. Take the Suriya-Jyotika starrer Mayaavi, for example. Director Singampuli's 2005 film is a dark comedy about a gangster (Suriya) kidnapping an actress (Jyotika) so that he can teach the latter a lesson. However, the two fall in love when they become more familiar with each other. While Mayaavi did not become the type of success that its makers would have wished, it does have its cult following. Notably, the film's story impressed actor Sanjay Dutt to the extent that he even considered remaking the film alongside Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan. In an exclusive interview with CE for his upcoming film Kambi Katna Kathai, Singampuli recalled his old meeting with the Bollywood star.

The filmmaker-actor revealed that his Kambi Katna Kathai co-star Natarajan “Natty” Subramaniam introduced him to Sanjay when they were in Pune. He said that Sanjay asked him about the story of Mayaavi and that it impressed the latter. The Munna Bhai star considered the idea of him starring in a remake of the film in Suriya's role, as a gangster kidnapping Katrina Kaif's character and asking for a ransom. "He said, 'They would give me a ransom of 50 lakh, but I am asking 5 crore. Then, Salman Khan's character would contact me and tell me, 'Hand her over to me, and I would give you 10 crore instead.' His story went like that, and we thought for a moment that the film would materialise."

Interjecting the conversation, Natty revealed that he served as a translator for Singampuli and Sanjay Dutt for five minutes and that later, both of them spoke in their native languages. "He understood what Sanjay said in Hindi, and Sanjay understood what he said in Tamil. I wondered 'what magic is this!'"

While the remake did not materialise, the anecdote serves as a perfect example of Singampuli's ability to narrate a story with wit and hilarity.

You can watch his full conversation with CE here: