The expectations around actor Nikhil’s Kirrak Party are growing by the day. The 32-year-old actor explains what caught up his attention to work in this film, a remake of Kannada blockbuster Kirrik Party. “When I watched the original, I instantly connected to the story and the lead actor’s characterisation. In hindsight, I haven’t worked in a proper college drama after my debut film Happy Days (2007).
Even though I get to play a student in a few films, this is quite different from them. And in terms of characterisation, I feel my earlier films are no match to what you see me in Kirrak Party.”
He adds that the film has evoked his campus memories. “The film reminded me of my engineering college life, of how I used to involve in enraged arguments and pick up fights with other students (of mechanical department) to organise college events. The narration brings back those memories, the feeling of joy and all of the incidents in my college life found a place in the narration. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this film and I must say, for the first time, Kirrak Party has given me a scope to play two distinct shades – as a young boy and a student leader. Personally, it was challenging as I have to bulk up my look for the student leader’s part.”
And if that wasn’t enough, the campus drama is also special to Nikhil as the screenplay and dialogues are provided by directors Sudheer Varma and Chandoo Mondeti. “Chandoo and Sudheer are my close buddies and their contribution to this film is priceless. Everything went well because of my director Sharan Koppishetty who showed any signs of ego and apprehension.” To those familiar with the Kannada version, Nikhil’s film is a faithful remake as the filmmakers didn’t take any chance to amend the story or do away with some characters.
“It’s a frame to frame remake. We never wanted to tweak the story and retained all the characters. That way, we have seven leads in the film including myself, Rakendu Mouli, Viva Raghav and others who were roped in after the audition process. With the exception of few comedy scenes and an item number which we felt may hamper the narration, it’s a likeable remake with a run-time of 145 minutes,” avers Nikhil.
Except for Shankarabharanam, five films of his were declared super hits and Nikhil has emerged as one of the promising young stars of the industry.
He is reasonably confident of Kirrak Party’s success. “My last projects Ekkadaki Pothavu Chinnavada and Keshava were box office hits. While the former released during demonetisation time and raked in `20 crore at the box office, the latter was a break-even. So, the success of these films have increased my responsibility as an actor, reinforced my belief to choose different scripts and stay focused. Keeping these in mind, we have spent over one year on Kirrak Party’s script. I’m pleased with the output and hoping to start this year with a success,” says Nikhil.
As for his upcoming films, Nikhil explains, “My next project is a remake of Kanithan and I’ve also committed to work in the sequel of Karthikeya under the direction of Chandoo Mondeti.”