It was gallant of Ajith to accept this kind of a role in the prime of his career: Boney Kapoor
For Boney Kapoor, venturing into production in the south was a natural progression. “This is where Sri (Sridevi) began her career and that gave her stardom. As for me, my foundations were laid in the south. We did the post-production of Hum Paanch in Chennai, with many technicians from here working for us. Professionally, south has contributed in whatever standing I have. And yes, personally, too, it has given the joy of my life, Sridevi. It was her wish (to do films here) as she’d felt she owed it to the south. So, we just had to venture here. This film will be an ode to her,” begins Boney, who was in Chennai for the release of Nerkonda Paarvai which hits screens today.
The producer says he’s satisfied with how the film has shaped up. “Our relationship with Ajith goes back a long way. We used to bump into each other whenever we were in Chennai. When English Vinglish happened, Sri called up Ajith to do a cameo (in the Tamil and Telugu versions), and he was gracious enough to do it. We again met up in Mumbai when Sri discussed the idea of doing a south film with him. He’d suggested a few directors, but nothing worked out. After watching Pink, we felt that we should remake it in the south. Around the same time Ajith, too, had put across his thoughts on doing Pink in Tamil. It’s very gallant of him to accept this kind of a role, especially in the prime of his career. I am sure the audience will be shocked, surprised and happy seeing their favourite hero giving the performance of his lifetime,” he says.
Boney, who’s also bankrolling the actor’s next, calls Ajith a phenomenal actor. “He is hardworking, sincere and talented. Also, he is a spontaneous actor. The mobility in his face is amazing,” he says. Talking about Nerkonda Paarvai, he says Vinoth has added a lot of layers to the Tamil version. “It is far more conducive, and simpler. Keeping Ajith’s image in mind, Vinoth has included a few more things without ruining the spirit of the original film. And he’s done a swell job with the dialogues. The casting was just perfect. The experience with the technicians was great. There was no glitch… Vinoth and Ajith handled everything so well. I used to visit the set as a guest. I am happy to begin my Tamil journey with this film,” he says.
