Director C Premkumar: It is my ambition to direct Mammootty sir and Mohanlal sir

Tamil filmmaker C Premkumar, best known for his directorial debut 96 (2018) and his recent work Meiyazhagan (2024), has expressed a strong desire to collaborate with Malayalam cinema legends Mammootty and Mohanlal. In a recent conversation with Mathrubhumi during the recently concluded 2025 edition of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) in Thiruvananthapuram, he shared, "I grew up watching Mammootty sir and Mohanlal sir. I would call it my ambition to do films with both of them. It's a dream. Even among the current generation of stars, I like many of them, such as Fahadh (Faasil) sir and Dulquer (Salmaan) sir. That is the plan and very soon I will be working with them."

When contemplating a Malayalam adaptation of 96, Premkumar reflected on the casting challenges for the roles of Ram and Janu, originally played by Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha. He remarked, "I'm not sure if there are apt actors in that age group here in Malayalam right now," but added enthusiastically, "If it were in the 90s, I would surely have done it with Lalettan (Mohanlal) and Shobana ma'am, who would have made a great combination."

Premkumar also highlighted the influence of Malayalam cinema on his work, citing films like Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), a remake of the Malayalam film Aniyathipravu (1997), and Premam (2015) as personal favourites in the romantic genre. He acknowledged the inspiration drawn from veteran directors such as Fazil from Kerala, K Bhagyaraj from Tamil Nadu, and K Viswanath from Andhra Pradesh, noting, "Fazil sir has been a huge inspiration, and you can see it in my writing as well."

Addressing the decision to trim the runtime of Meiyazhagan, Premkumar expressed concerns about the current state of film criticism in Tamil Nadu. He observed, "The percentage of good reviewers in Tamil Nadu has come down to hardly one percent." While acknowledging that "the traditional media or press are still genuine and civilised," he elaborated that audiences increasingly rely on reviews before attending theatres and negative critiques significantly impacted the film's initial box office performance. This prompted the decision to shorten the film for the benefit of the producer. In contrast, he noted positive responses from audiences in Kerala and northern regions, even with the original runtime. He further extended an invitation to perceptive reviewers from other states, stating, "In fact, I will take this opportunity to invite good reviewers from other states to come to Tamil Nadu and make good reviews."

Meanwhile, Premkumar recently revealed that he is in the process of completing the script for a sequel to 96.