Paul Yadav: I am working on subjects with young filmmakers in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil

Parul Yadav, who has starred in Tamil and Malayalam films, made her debut in Kannada with Pavan Wadeyar’s Govindaya Namaha. The 17-film-old actor has come a long way since then. Along with Manu Kumaran, she has donned the producer’s hat for the remake of Queen in the four south Indian languages, made under the banner of Mediente International Films.

The film has been directed by Ramesh Aravind in two languages, titled Butterfly in Kannada, starring Parul Yadav, and Paris Paris in Tamil, featuring Kajal Aggarwal. The Telugu version, titled That is Mahalakshmi, stars Tamannaah Bhatia, while Zam Zam, the Malayalam remake, features Manjima Mohan. The Telugu and Malayalam versions have been directed by Prashanth Vama and G Neelakanta Reddy, respectively.

Although all four versions have been completed, their release has been delayed. According to Parul, they are keen to release all the remakes on the same day and await clearance for the Tamil and Telugu versions. “Since the project took off around the same time in all four languages, we are looking to have a simultaneous release. While we have received certificates from the censor board for the Kannada and Malayalam versions, we are yet to receive it for the Tamil and Telugu versions. We will not be able to release them until we get these two certificates as well,” says Parul, adding, “It is frustrating, but there isn’t much we can do. Now that the entire world is under lockdown, due to COVID-19 pandemic, we are waiting for the quarantine period to end, after which we will work towards getting the clearance and releasing the films.”

Ask Parul why she hasn’t been signing projects after Butterfly, and about the rumours that after turning producer, she is bidding goodbye to acting, and she replies, “Who says so? I am working on a bunch of subjects with a few young filmmakers in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. These films will be produced under our own banner, and will also see me playing the lead.” She goes on to elaborate, “One of my projects will be a bilingual made in Kannada and Telugu, while the other one will just be in Tamil. More details will be revealed once I have the script in hand, and we are ready to go. I am open to working with other production houses, and am even holding discussions with a couple of other production houses.”

Parul adds that her current focus is on movies where she can play the protagonist. “Although I am happy to be part of hero-centric movies, what I don’t want to do at this stage of my career is to be in a movie where my character is just a prop for the hero.”

Not content with just acting and producing, Parul is now exploring yet another talent — writing. She is making using of this lockdown period to pen a story. “This is an industry which gives one a lot of opportunities to explore many skills,” says Parul, shedding light on the script she plans to write. “I had a one-liner in mind. It struck me a couple of years ago. Now that I have time, I am doing a little research before I write the story.” Hinting that her subject will be close to reality, Parul adds, “I will give further details about the film and the storyline once I complete it. This will be yet another project that I will be producing and acting in.”