And now... scaling heights in Delhi (original) (raw)

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

With brother and producer Ramkumar holding the fort, Prabhu is well into his next project, this time in Hindi.

Strangely, despite the stupendous success of `Chandramukhi,' Sivaji Productions' next presentation will not be a Tamil film. Two Hindi ventures are in the offing — one small in scale and the other a mega motif. But why Hindi when their recent Tamil production has done so well? "Actually we had decided to rope in Rajkumar Santoshi and A. R. Rahman for a big budget film, even before `Chandramukhi.' The project was stalled for a while because we went ahead with the Rajini starrer," says Ramkumar, producer and son of thespian Sivaji Ganesan. It is his brother, actor-producer Prabhu, who has embarked upon `Delhii Heights' — a comparatively low-risk Hindi film. Probably the project is their way of testing the waters. "Yeah, because it's been quite a while since we ventured into the Hindi market," smiles Ramkumar. They plan to go for the biggie later. Making Hindi films is not new to Sivaji Productions. Even as early as 1950, the production house had made `Amar Deep,' (a remake of the Tamil `Amara Deepam') with Dev Anand as hero. Then came `Raakhi' with Ashok Kumar and Waheeda Rehman. `Pudhiya Paravai' (Tamil), a blockbuster with Sivaji Ganesan and Saroja Devi, was their third product. They remade the Tamil film `Shanti,' in 1968, with Sunil Dutt, Nutan, Mumtaz and Sanjeev Kumar. So armed with enough experience that includes co-production of two English films (Their `White Rainbow' was released in the country recently.), the Sivaji camp has temporarily shifted base to Delhi to scale its heights. "`Delhii Heights' will be youthful ... a quickie with yuppies," laughs Ramkumar.

Different line

Shooting began in May and the makers are planning an October release. Jimmy Shergill, Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Rohit Roy, Simone Singh, Vivek Shauq and Kamini Khanna comprise the cast. "We have Sanyukta Chawla crafting the screenplay and writing the dialogue and Anand Kumar as director," says Ramkumar. Rabbi Shergill is the composer of `Delhii Heights.' "He is very popular in Pakistan. Even Amitabh Bachchan has named him as one of his favourite music makers," he adds. Interestingly, from what you gather, `Delhii Heights' will toe a line different from the usual commercial. Set in a high-rise apartment complex in Delhi, the film will project the lives of various folks living in it. And that includes Shergill and Neha Dhupia, who play a young working couple. Rohit Roy and Simone Singh make another pair. Om Puri promises to be an interesting addition with Kamini Khanna as his wife. Others in the cast who are part of the medley of characters also seem to promise fare that's far removed from the run-of-the-mill. That Sivaji Productions has gone in for smaller actors for `Delhii Heights' is in itself an indicator of the confidence they have in their story and narration, and in their director. "We are a diligent lot and I'm happy with the way `Delhii Heights' is shaping up. I hope things work out well," says Ramkumar. We hope so too!

Published - September 01, 2006 12:00 am IST