I. Ahmad talks ‘Manithan’, remake of Bollywood’s ‘Jolly LLB’

Remember the satirical Bollywood drama Jolly LLB, which pitted Arshad Warsi against Boman Irani in the courtroom?

A telling commentary on India’s judicial system, this story of a small town lawyer Jolly, who in seeking justice for the common man finds himself face to face in court with Tejinder Rajpal, an eminent lawyer. Jolly LLB won the National Award for best feature film (2013) and Saurabh Shukla (who played the judge delivering the verdict) received the best supporting actor award.

Tamil film-maker I. Ahmed now returns with its Tamil remake titled, Manithan.

Reprising the lead roles of Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani are Udhaynidhi Stalin and Prakash Raj respectively. Veteran actor Radha Ravi essays Saurabh Shukla’s character from the original.

Ahmed’s last film was the commercial hit, Endrendrum Punnagai. Manithan is his third film.

In an exclusive with tabloid!, Ahmad talks about the making of Manithan.

What made you chose this story for ‘Manithan’?

Two days after Endrendrum Punnagai released, Udhay called me and said, “Let’s do a film.’ He paid me an advance and locked me in. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and make an intense love story with him. It was titled, Idhayam Murali and soon the script was ready. But it called for a huge budget and had to be shelved. I was at crossroads. That’s when I happened to watch Jolly LLB. It was a sensible film. I liked it. Its content was well researched and came with twists and turns. The court scenes were not cinematic and I liked the fresh treatment of this satire. After discussing with Udhay we got the remake rights from Fox Studios.

Have you tailored your script to suit the Tamil audience?

I thought there were some aspects in the original that could have been bettered. So while retaining the core of the story, I added more elements to it. It’s a courtroom drama in the Hindi version. In Tamil I wanted to make it a hero’s journey with lots of emotions. Arshad’s Jolly was cunning and this small town guy from Meerut harboured the dream of making it big with money. Jolly was clear about what he wanted in life and that was money. Udhay’s Shakti does not have money dreams. He belongs to a small family in Pollachi and is in love with his mama ponnu [uncle’s daughter], Priya. Shakti comes to Chennai due to some circumstances and not to make money. There is an innocence about Shakti and he does something bad but realises his folly and goes through a change of heart. That makes it believable. Hansika plays Priya, a simple schoolteacher with values. She loves Shakti for who he is. Priya knows that he is not capable of scaling great heights as a lawyer. She is the guiding force of Shakti. The Hindi version does not have this love track. I have introduced new characters that were not present in the Hindi version, including a journalist played by Aishwarya Rajesh.

What about casting Udhaynidhi Stalin in Arshad Warsi’s role?

Udhay has been constantly reinventing himself and has guts to experiment. I like that. Shakti is a mokka vakkil [lame lawyer] who struggles with the English language and cannot hold [forth] in court. Suddenly he has to deal with this big lawyer, Adiseshan in court. The courtroom scenes where Shakti faces Adiseshan, who dominates the scene with his thundering speech full of legal points were challenging. Shakti, on the other hand, is insecure but speaks from the heart.

Udhay understood the complexity of the situation. Being in the presence of veterans like Prakash Raj and Radha Ravi, he knew he had to deliver. He had pages of dialogues and he worked seriously. You will see Udhay like you never have before.

What was it like working with Prakash Raj?

While casting Boman’s role, I could not think of anyone else but only Prakash Raj wearing those shoes. His character Adiseshan is arrogant and one used to winning cases. Even the judges are scared of him. He belongs to the stature of Ram Jethmalini. His screen presence is impressive, and to make the hero good, the trick is to make the antagonist equally powerful.

Prakash Raj is an actor who comes and delivers. He is clear and he does not meddle with the script or the lines. But he gives inputs for his character and I always encourage my artistes to do that. It is finally about enhancing the story and I capitalise on that.

What about Radha Ravi?

I feel he has been underused. He is enthusiastic like a kid. He would call me up with suggestions on his look: ‘Can I wear this glasses and this moustache?’ He is tired of doing mundane roles and when challenging roles are offered he readily pounces on them. He was full of energy on the sets. He plays a judge who delivers the verdict. Apparently Radha Ravi had studied law. He did not practice law but is familiar with court proceedings.

What’s next?

I will work on Idhayam Murali. It is a serious love tale not attempted before. I like to play with emotions. As a film maker I believe in pushing the boundary. The moment the audience goes back to its popcorn and their mobiles, it means the film is predictable.

Manithan produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin releases in UAE on April 28.

Look out for Vivek in a supporting role. Santosh Narayan has scored music. Madhie has cranked the camera.