Producer Ajay Kapoor, who is known for bankrolling Bollywood movies such as Romeo Akbar Walter, Patakha and Attack, among others, has bagged the rights for the Hindi remake of Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha’s hit Tamil romantic drama 96. The 2018 film is based on the lives of two high schoolers who fall in love with each other but are forced to part ways. The film tracks what happens when the duo meet each other at a reunion after decades. Penned and directed by C Premkumar, the romantic-drama struck a chord among audiences across different age groups and had a successful run. 

Expressing that he is happy about Ajay Kapoor bagging the Hindi remake rights of the movie, Vijay Sethupathi tweeted on Monday, September 20: “As an actor, it gives me immense joy to tell stories which strike a chord with the audience, the happiness is further elevated when it reaches a wider audience. '96' has been a lovely experience for me, now as Producer Ajay Kapoor takes this journey ahead with the Hindi remake, I wish him all the best! Can't wait.” 

According to The New Indian Express’s report, the producer recently issued a statement in which he confirmed that he has bagged the rights for the Hindi remake of the project. Explaining the reason behind choosing the film, he reportedly stated, “The story breaks the barriers beyond the bounds of language and region, which prompted me to remake the film in Hindi for the national audience.” Noting that further details will be available shortly, he added, “I am actively working on developing the right script for the narrative along with the director and right kind of star cast. Once we finalise everything, I would soon like to make the official announcement of the cast and crew.” 

Vijay Sethupathi essays the role of Ramachandran Krishnamoorthy aka Ram, a travel photographer, while Trisha was seen as Janaki aka Janu in 96. The cast included actors Aadithya Bhaskar, Gouri G Kishan, Niyathi Kadambi, Bagavathi Perumal, Devadarshini, and Aadukalam Murugadoss, among others. 96 was backed by S Nanthagopal of Madras Enterprises and was distributed by Lalit Kumar under the banner of Seven Screen Studio. The film was also remade in Telugu, starring actors Samantha and Sharwanand, and in Kannada, starring actors Bhavana and Ganesh.