Hyderabad: Filmmaker C Prem Kumar, best known for his Tamil romantic drama 96, recently revealed an interesting behind-the-scenes story about the film's inception. Speaking at the 7th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC), hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA), the director shared that 96 was originally conceived as a Bollywood film with Abhishek Bachchan in mind for the lead role. However, due to a lack of industry connections, he couldn't pitch the project to the actor, eventually leading to Vijay Sethupathi stepping into the role of Ram.
Starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan, 96 (2018) became a massive success, winning hearts with its tender narrative of first love, nostalgia, and regret. The film followed the reunion of high school classmates from the batch of 1996, reigniting long-lost emotions between Ram (Sethupathi) and Jaanu (Trisha) after 22 years. While the film struck a deep chord with audiences, Prem Kumar originally envisioned it taking shape in Bollywood.
At the ISC event, Prem Kumar spoke to a film critic and shared his long-standing admiration for Hindi cinema. He revealed that he had written 96 with the Hindi film industry in mind and believed that Abhishek Bachchan would have been a perfect fit for the role of Ram. However, without direct industry contacts, he was unable to approach Bachchan, which ultimately led him to adapt the film for Tamil audiences instead.
"96 was originally written for Hindi cinema, and I wanted to pitch it to Abhishek Bachchan, but I didn't have contacts," Prem Kumar said during the discussion. Despite missing out on his initial vision, 96 turned out to be a defining moment for Tamil cinema and particularly for Vijay Sethupathi, whose performance was widely praised. The film's success even led to remakes in Telugu (Jaanu, starring Sharwanand and Samantha Ruth Prabhu) and Kannada (99, featuring Ganesh and Bhavana).
"I know Hindi very well, and my father grew up in North India so I was constantly exposed to Hindi cinema in my childhood. My favourite actor was Naseeruddin Shah," he shared. Prem Kumar further revealed that he has now completed writing a new script for a Hindi film. "The main reason for my interest in Hindi cinema is the diversity of the audience and not the scale," he added, hinting at his future plans in Bollywood.
Abhishek Bachchan's Missed Film Opportunities
Prem Kumar's revelation adds 96 to the list of films that could have featured Abhishek Bachchan but didn't. Over the years, Bachchan has been connected to a number of high-profile projects that never materialised for him or eventually came under other stars in the end. Some noteworthy films that were reportedly considered to be done with Bachchan but were turned down include:
Lagaan (2001) - Before Aamir Khan took on the role of Bhuvan, there were reports that Bachchan had been approached for the film.
Swades (2004) - While director Ashutosh Gowariker had first approached him, he eventually offered the part to Shah Rukh Khan.
Taare Zameen Par (2007) - Aamir Khan directed and starred in this film, while there were rumours of Bachchan being considered for the position of teacher.
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