It’s been one setback after another for the southern remakes of Queen. Actress Revathy was originally supposed to direct all versions of the film’s southern remakes. However, when she backed out due to unknown reasons, actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind was approached with the offer to direct the Tamil as well as Kannada versions of the film and he jumped at the opportunity.
Popular Telugu filmmaker Neelakanta was signed to direct the Telugu as well Malayalam version of the film. While Kajal Aggarwal and Tamannaah Bhatia were signed for Tamil and Telugu versions respectively, Parul Yadav and Manjima Mohan were signed for Kannada version and Malayalam version of the remake.
Among the many setbacks, the film has faced, first one was when Amy Jackson walked out of the project due to her other commitments. It was followed by director Neelakanta opting out of the film after he alleged that he had creative differences with Tamannaah.
The makers didn’t reveal the reason for Neelakanta’s exit; however, on Wednesday via a statement, they confirmed that Prasanth Varma, who shot to fame with Telugu film Awe, has been signed on to take over the reins of Telugu version of Queen. Prasanth has already started shooting for the project, which features Tamannaah Bhatia in the titular role.
Queen, a 2014 film, was directed by Vikas Bhal. It had Kangna Ranaut playing the female lead with Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon in pivotal roles. Kangana Ranaut played the role of Rani, a young girl who goes on her honeymoon to Paris, after being dumped by her fiancée, played by Rajkummar Rao.
At the launch of the Tamil version of the film last year, Kajal told Hindustan Times that she’s very particular that the original will be adapted to Tamil sensibilities. “The makers of the film and I are very clear that we want to adapt Queen to Southern sensibilities and do it our own way. While the script will essentially remain the same, the treatment will be personalized. I will also add my own touch to the role,” she said.
(Content provided by Digital Native)