Sriram Venu: Pawan Kalyan can take ‘Vakeel Saab’ to the masses

Director Sriram Venu talks about balancing the star power of Pawan Kalyan with the core idea of ‘Pink’, in the Telugu remake ‘Vakeel Saab’

Director Sriram Venu is aware of the dual responsibilities on his shoulders — to deliver a film that will keep the massive fan base of Pawan Kalyan happy, given that the actor is returning to the screen after three years, and to stay true to the core idea of the Hindi film Pink (2016), which Vakeel Saab is a remake of. Taking time out for this interview amid overseeing the final leg of post-production for Vakeel Saab, which is scheduled to release in theatres on April 9, he says he has strived to his best to see that the content of Pink reaches the nooks and corners of the two Telugu States. The fact that the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Pink and its Tamil remake Nerkonda Paarvai starring Ajith Kumar have been widely viewed both in theatres and on digital platforms doesn’t bother Sriram. He reasons, “India is a country where the language and ethos change every 100 kilometres. As someone who has grown up watching Telugu movies, I’m aware of the need to reinterpret and narrate the story, appropriating it to the regional milieu.”