Petromax director Rohin: Remakes are not easy at all

After tasting decent success with his debut film Adhe Kangal (2018), director Rohin Venkatesan is back with his second venture, Petromax, which is a remake of Kannada movie, Anando Brahma. Cinema Express caught up with the young director, who opens about the Tamannaah-starrer.

When asked why he chose to do a remake for his second venture, Rohin says, “I didn’t plan to do this project. It happened. I signed up for an original script with the producer (A Kumar). As we were finalising the last stages of the script, the option to remake Anando Brahma came up. It was a fun film, and I thought we should try the horror-comedy genre, which is currently everyone's favourite.”

Rohin shares that making a horror-comedy is not as easy as people think. “Making a film, of any genre, is not easy. Initially, I thought remakes would be a cakewalk but when you have seen the original film innumerable times and want to do it differently in your own style, it becomes hard. For me, a remake is more difficult than working on an original idea.”

Talking about the USP of Petromax and what it brings to the table during the age of redundant horror-comedies, Rohin says, “The writing here is more intelligent, and there is a backstory to all the comedians involved. Each one has a character trait, which all comes together to form the story.”

Rohin was initially worried about working with a star like Tamannaah in his second film. "But she meant business, and was extremely professional. It was very comfortable working with her. She also liked the small changes we made for her in the script."

Yogi Babu is in Petromax too, and when probed if he has yet again taken the self-deprecation comedy route, Rohin says, “He has played an interesting role, but not a lot of such comedy exists in this film.”

The director admits that there is a possibility of the idea of remake becoming obsolete as people across the country have started to enjoy films of other languages. He says, “Things are becoming pan-Indian and with an increase in audiences appreciating films of other languages, I think there will be lesser remakes in the future.”