Raghava Lawerence’s Kanchana series created a league of its own in Tamil cinema which inspired many, especially Upendra, who has tried to come out with his own creative imagination.
Working on the looks and characterisation in Kalpana and following it up with the sequel, Upendra is treading cautiously, keeping his image in mind, a challenge which Lawerence did not face. Explaining this aspect, director R Anantha Raju says, “Lawrence made the film with a casual attitude. He was just playing a character, without the burden of stardom. But with Upendra, the entire scenario had to be changed.”
According to him, balancing his image with the audience while merging him into the character is the main challenge. “The characterisation of the rest of the artistes is almost the same,” says the director and adds that he has made a few changes in the second half. “In the original, the director shows too many incidents happening in one day, which I think cannot be digested by our viewers. They expect logical scenarios and enough clarity. So, changes had to be made accordingly,” he points out.
The film has Priyamani playing the lead. She has been cast opposite the actor for the first time. Prakash Hebgod will be seen as the villain. Petrol Prasasanna and Victory Vasu are also part of the cast. “Right now shooting in Bengaluru, we are looking at another schedule which might take us abroad,” Ananth says.