Film buffs will recall the 2011 Malayalam romantic comedy Salt N Pepper, directed by Aashiq Abu. As the title indicates, food played a central role in this romantic comedy featuring Lal and Shwetha Menon, with Asif Ali and Mythili in supporting roles. This sleeper hit went on to win several awards, including the Kerala State award.
Borrowing this recipe for success, actor-director Prakash Raj is now ready to serve his remake, in not one language but in three — Tamil, Kannada and Telegu.
Titled Un Samayal Araiyil, (In Your Kitchen) in Tamil, Raj plays the lead role (played by Lal in the original). Sneha Prasanna takes on Shwetha Mohan’s character.
“This film is a celebration of food and love,” said Raj, during a freewheeling chat with tabloid!.
A foodie, Raj confesses it was his love for food that had him chewing over a remake of Salt N Pepper.
What about the difficulties in making the story in three different languages?
“This is a new experiment that has not been tried before. While the main leads remain the same in all three versions, the supporting actors have been chosen from local talent,” said Raj.
So there is Thambi Ramiah and Kumaravel in Tamil, the Kannada version has Achutha and Mandya Ramesh and M.S. Narayan and Brahma are in the Telegu version.
“It was interesting to watch these actors lend a different take to the same characters each of them portrayed,” said Raj, who began his acting career on stage and then moved into Kannada films.
A three-time National Award winner, Raj has played a wide gamut of roles including Tamilselvan, the writer in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar, and the aged father Vengadam in Priyadarshan’s Kanchivaram. A stereotypical villain of Hindi films, Raj’s performances boast a versatility that is hard to match.
Acting as well as directing did not pose much of a challenge for the actor who is fluent in all the three languages.
In the remakes, Raj plays an archaeologist who loves food. He has also introduced two newcomers, Kannada actress Samyuktha Hornad and Tejus who are paired opposite each other. Look out for Malayalam actress Urvasi in a significant role.
Fondly cherishing moments spent with his music director Ilayaraja, Raj said: “I learnt many things from him. I understood him better and why he is so pure.”
Qawali singer Kailash Kher has sung a song in the film.
Appreciating Sneha’s role as a dubbing artist in the rom-com, Raj revealed: “Be prepared to see a completely different Sneha. She has portrayed her character’s depth beautifully.”
“This is a delicious love story and I found it exhilarating to serve it in three different languages,” said Raj, who has also produced the remakes. It is titled Ulavacharu Biryani in Telegu and Oggarane in Kannada. Preetha is the cinematographer.
