Veetla Vishesham, the official Tamil remake of the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Badhaai Ho, is backed by Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor's Bayview Projects in association with Romeo Pictures. Directed by RJ Balaji and NJ Saravanan, with the former playing the lead role, the film stars other prominent actors such as Aparna Balamurali, Urvashi, Sathyaraj, and KPAC Lalitha.
RJ Balaji spoke to The Quint about how he received the offer from Boney Kapoor to remake of Badhaai Ho, his take on ‘Pan Indian films versus Remakes’ and more.
On Juggling Multiple Jobs
Talking about juggling different careers as an RJ, VJ, podcaster, cricket commentator, actor and filmmaker, RJ Balaji said he feels blessed to be talented in a way.
He said, “Honestly, I would not call it multiple careers. My career is in the media and cinema. I take up other things to upgrade my skills and I don't find it difficult to juggle between careers".
He added, that every new work he does has been an extension of his previous experience. For instance, being a podcast host or giving cricket commentary haven’t been tough since he is an RJ.
Speaking about Veetla Vishesham the filmmaker said,
"The day starts at 7.30 am and ends by 4.30 pm for the 'Veetla Vishesham' team. We do this to ensure that we balance work and family time effectively".
On Being an Ardent Cinema Buff
RJ Balaji is known for his popular ‘120 Roobai’ radio show, where he reviewed films. When asked about whether the show inspired him to become a filmmaker, Balaji said his connection with cinema dates back to his childhood. He recalled watching Rajnikanth’s Thalapathi with his mother.
“I used to watch around three films a day, not with friends but with my grandmother and mother. We would lie to our grandfather that we are going to a hospital".RJ Balaji, Filmmaker
He added, "Coming from family that is crazy about cinema, I learnt about films by watching films. I have never been to a film school, but while shooting my debut film LKG, I drew references from Selvaraghavan’s Pudhupettai".
Balaji further said that even during his cricket commentary he borrows from films. "I always include snippets from films to make it more relatable to viewers. My ‘120 Roobai’ radio show is extension of the honest conversations we have about films with our friends and families. Also, the 25 films I have worked on as a comedian/supporting actor before making my directorial debut helped me to learn about cinema".
On The Challenges of Being funny
When asked as to how difficult it is to make comedies Balaji told The Quint, “Yes, It is very difficult to be funny as well as politically correct. I’m trying to get there. When I make mistakes, I don’t hesitate to apologise. I have performed in roles I did not agree with during the early days of my career. However, after becoming a writer/director, I have the liberty to choose what I like to show. I try to refrain from writing jokes that may hurt someone's feelings".
'Wanted to Remake Badhaai Ho Right After I Watched The Trailer'
Speaking about acting and co-directing Veetla Vishesham, Balaji said,” I wanted to make the Badhai Ho remake right after I saw the film’s trailer. Around that time, I hadn't even made my directorial debut. Since the film was a huge success acquiring the remake rights was expensive. So I moved on to make LKG and Mookuthi Amman, starring Nayanthara.
"Both were political satires, and I wanted to make a family entertainer. We were planning a spin off of 'Mookuthi Amman'. However, it was incidentally similar to Badhaai Ho’s plot. Around the same time, Boney Kapoor offered the opportunity to remake the Hindi film in Tamil. I jumped at the offer. However, we have only used the basic plot and incorporated our changes".RJ Balaji
Balaji went on to say that he spoke to the makers of Badhaai Ho when he was shooting for the remake. "We spoke with the makers of Badhaai Ho. We felt that the interval block in the original was not strong enough, so we have changed it in the Tamil version. However, with respect to the script, we never had any doubts”.
“We were also fortunate to have legendary actors like Urvashi and Sathyaraj. Sathyaraj (popular as ‘Kattappa’ from Baahubali) even said he will pick Veetla Vishesham as one of his top 10 films".
On the Future of Indian Cinema
Balaji said that both the OTT platforms and theatres will continue to have their own separate audiences. “We cannot generalise and say that OTT will kill theatres or pan Indian films will kill remakes. We need to factor in two things - ‘How popular is too popular?’ and ‘How strongly a film is rooted to the region it belongs to?" .
He continued, "For instance, though there are dubbed Hindi versions of Pushpa. It is essentially a Telugu film which is very popular and we cannot remake it in other languages".
"As long as there are people who make interesting stories in some corner of the world, there will be remakes in other regional languages. Remakes are not going to disappear".RJ Balaji
'Not Satisfied With a Lot of Roles I Played'
Balaji said that as a comedian/supporting actor, he was not satisfied with the majority of roles he played, and hence he chose to write stories and direct them himself.
On Directing Other Actors
Balaji recounted director Sundar C's advice to him.
“He said people like you and don't take it lightly. I cling on to this advice. People have accepted me as a hero in films that I write, and I think it is a big space that they have trusted me with. I would like to explore and experiment with my roles as a protagonist. Why would I halt it and direct someone else? But if I exhaust my options or feel someone else will be apt to play the lead, I might direct other actors”.
Veetla Vishesham is scheduled for a theatrical release on 17 June.
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