Could Queen's Tamil remake change the game down south?

By Latha Srinivasan

South movies being remade in Bollywood is no longer big news, but this time, it’s the other way round. Vikas Bahl’s Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, will soon be remade in Tamil as Rani. The rights to the four south Indian languages for Bahl’s hit film have been acquired by veteran actor and producer Thiagarajan and at present, he’s busy turning Queen into Rani.

The decision to remake Queen down south is news for a number of reasons. In the south, hero-centric movies have been the norm. Traditionally, the role of heroines was to add a little glamour to a film, appear in a few songs and up the emo quotient of the climax. The fan clubs, whistles, claps, garlands and milk abhhishekams (baths) on the day of release are reserved for the male stars. To choose to make a film that doesn’t really have a hero is quite a bold move.

However, Thiagarajan is not the only one who is ready to let the ladies into the spotlight. Recently, Vidya Balan’s Kahaani was directed by Sekhar Kammula in both Tamil and Telugu as Nee Enge Enn Anbe and Anaamika respectively. Top actress Nayanthara essayed Balan’s role but while in the original, Balan’s character was pregnant (a critical detail), Nayanthara’s was not. The emotional bond created with the audience by the ordeal this expectant mother goes through disappeared and the southern remake turned out to be yet another film about a wife searching for her missing husband. In this genre, Mani Ratnam’s Roja remains incomparable.

When Kammula was asked why he had not retained the pregnancy angle, he said he didn’t feel the need to make his film an exact copy of Kahaani. However, one doubts whether any top actress, including Nayanthara, would have played a pregnant lady (many actresses feel to appear pregnant is a risk that could cost them films and market share). As it turned out, the safe route wasn’t an inspired one. Kammula’s remake did not match Kahaani did in terms of business or otherwise. Aside from problematic tweaks, like removing the pregnancy angle, it didn’t help that in the comparisons between Nayanthara’s glam doll look and average performance and Balan’s brilliant acting, Nayanthara came off as less memorable.

Unfazed by the fate of Kahaani’s Tamil and Telugu remakes, Thiagarajan has decided to remake Queen. “I always look for something new,” he said, explaining his decision. “With my experience of over 40 years in the film industry, I have always strived to be different and do something different. When I watched Queen, I felt it was a movie that could not be rewritten. It was unique. Moreover, this is a story that can be remade in any language.”

Thiagarajan has more than 150 films under his belt in several languages and he also produced and directed films. Some of most his memorable roles are those with negative shades and he is most renowned for Malaiyur Mambattiyan (a Robin Hood character), one of his biggest hits. His filmography is synonymous with machismo, action and all that is stereotypically male. Considering this, it will be interesting to see how Rani, a heroine-centric movie, will turn out.

If Thiagarajan is to be believed, he’s not planning to make the mistake that his colleagues did with Kahaani. “Vikas Bahl has done a fantastic job in Queen,” he said, when asked whether he’d change the story in his remake. “The casting of everyone including the foreigners was brilliant. The movie was crisp, modern, trendy and nicely told. I want to retain its originality. Why experiment in a remake? The cultural aspects and sensibilities can be adapted but the core has to be retained. You have been given the GPRS (i.e. original film), so just follow it.”

Thiagarajan hopes Rani will connect as emotionally as Queen has with Hindi-speaking audiences, many of whom felt deeply inspired by the film. “Queen is very educational for women in the south and can teach them to be bold and confident,” said Thiagarajan. “Women there are more timid and don’t have as much exposure. Through this journey of self-discovery, they can get to know what life is all about.”

Considering the meaty role that Ranaut had in Queen, it’s not surprising that a number of Tamil actresses are rumoured to be vigorously pitching for it. But Thiagarajan has not zeroed in on his Rani yet. While he will retain the foreign actors of Queen and model/actor Lisa Haydon, he is clear he wants a lead actress who will come without baggage and tantrums. “I am also planning in to rope in a Hollywood actor,” he added.

There is widespread speculation that Thiagarajan’s son actor Prashanth (who starred opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in director Shankar’s Jeans) may play Vijay in Rani. Some names currently doing the rounds for Rani’s role are Trisha and Samantha but he himself is tight-lipped about whom he has shortlisted for the role. “I am getting Kangana Ranaut to announce who will play Rani. Just wait,” he said.

Latha Srinivasan is a Chennai-based journalist whose passion is all things movies and her twitter handle is @latasrinivasan.