Director C Prem Kumar, who made his directorial debut with '96 and backed it up with Meiyazhagan last year, has revealed that he is joining hands with Fahadh Faasil for his third directorial. Speaking to popular TV host Gobinath, the filmmaker also shared details about his upcoming film.
On the Fahadh Faasil film:
Speaking about his film with Fahadh Faasil, Prem Kumar said, "The genre of my film with Fahadh Faasil will be completely different from what I’ve made so far. But the emotional depth that resonated with audiences in '96 and Meiyazhagan will still be present. This is a thriller—a story I’ve been carrying with me for the past four years. Many advised me not to venture into an action thriller since I’ve established myself as someone who tells heartwarming stories. But that was precisely the reason I wanted to make this film.
When I narrated just 45 minutes of the story to Fahadh sir, he was visibly excited, and that gave me the confidence to move forward. This will be a direct Tamil film and mark his first Tamil outing as a solo lead. We’ll be going on floors this January."
On Chiyaan 64:
Meanwhile, it was earlier announced that Prem was directing a film with Vikram. That project is now being postponed. "I am still writing the script for my film with Vikram sir, and I’ll take it up only after completing this project with Fahadh sir. I had initially hoped to start a new film within a year of Meiyazhagan’s release, but the timeline has shifted to January. That said, I don’t intend to let such long gaps occur between my films again," he shared.
On his writing process and upcoming ideas:
Apart from the film with Fahadh Faasil, Prem Kumar has a few more stories in his kitty and opened up about his writing process while also shedding details about these stories.
"I’ve always been fond of solitude, and perhaps that’s why it feels natural for me to write stories with fewer characters. But I’m also exploring beyond that. For instance, I have a survival-adventure drama with nine characters in the pipeline. Similarly, the Fahadh film has pushed me into a different zone, and audiences will soon see that on screen.
I’m also working on a love story where the heroine never appears in the film. I don’t consciously try to ‘think out of the box’. These stories come to me organically. The moment I start manipulating a narrative for the sake of uniqueness or commercial value, I feel the originality is lost."
C Prem Kumar started his career as a cinematographer with films such as Pasanga, Sundara Pandian, and Nadula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanum. After receiving praise for his directorial debut, '96, he remade the film in Telugu as Jaanu. Last year, his Meiyazhagan opened to critical acclaim. Meanwhile, he also previously announced that he is working on a sequel for '96, with no further updates on that front.
Fahadh Faasil was last seen in Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira in Malayalam and Maareesan in Tamil. He made his Tamil film debut with Sivakarthikeyan's Velaikkaran, playing the antagonist. He also starred as part of an ensemble in Super Deluxe, Vikram and Maamannan. In Maareesan, he shared the screen with Vadivelu. Coming up, he has Don’t Trouble The Trouble, Karate Chandran, and Patriot.