It was the biggest Malayalam hit in 2012 and broke all box-office records held in the state till then, and now Thattathin Marayathu is all set to release in Tamil as Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai.

The Malayalam original, a love story set in Thalassery, was a teenybopper romance between a young Hindu boy and a Muslim girl who unite against all odds. The Tamil remake directed by Mithran Jawahar, will also be a breezy love story but now set in Nagarcoil, with newcomer Walter playing the hero, while the actress from original, Isha Talwar plays the female lead again.

“I wouldn’t have liked to direct a remake if I hadn’t utterly loved the original,” says Mithran Jawahar, the director of Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai. “When I learned that it was directed by noted actor Sreenivasan’s son Vineeth, I felt immense respect for him. It’s a simple and realistic love story well told.”

Mithran is an expert of sorts on remakes having directed Dhanush in three successcul Tamil remakes so far - Yaaradi Nee Mohini (remake of Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule), Kutty (remake of Arya) and Utthamaputhiran (remake of Ready). His next is Saamiyattam starring Srikanth, a remake of the Telugu hit Swamy Ra Ra.

Though the original love story revolves around how members of two communities respond to an inter-religious love affair, the Tamil version has been tweaked to avoid the religious angle. Mithran also says a few changes have been made to the script to suit the Tamil audience. The shoot for Meendum Oru Kaahal Kadhai has been wrapped and the film is all set to hit the theatres this summer.