Did you know Vijay Sethupathi’s 96 director Prem Kumar wanted to make the film in Hindi with THIS actor?

Vijay Sethupathi starrer 96’s director Prem Kumar revealed during a recent conference that he had initially conceived the film in Hindi with a prominent Bollywood actor in lead!

Written by S Devasankar , Journalist

Published on Feb 17, 2025 | 03:26 PM IST | 26.9K

Vijay Sethupathi's 96 was planned in Hindi with THIS actor as lead (PC: Sun NXT/Premkumar, IG)

The 2018 romantic drama ‘96, which features Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles is undoubtedly one of the most popular films from the last decade. But did you know that the film was initially conceived as a Bollywood film with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead?

Well, it is true. During the recent Indian Screenwriters Conference held by the Screenwriters Association of India, ‘96 director Prem Kumar revealed that he had initially written it as a Hindi film, and wished to pitch it to Abhishek Bachchan. The director mentioned that he unfortunately did not have the contacts then.

Furthermore, the Meiyazhagan director also talked about the love and connection he has with Hindi cinema as well. The filmmaker said: “I know Hindi very well, and my father grew up in North India. So, I was constantly exposed to Hindi cinema in my childhood. My favourite actor was Naseeruddin Shah.” Prem Kumar also added that he has completed a Hindi script now.

The director’s revelations came during a session called The South Saga - Rooted, Relevant and Revolutionary - as part of the Indian Screenwriters Conference. The session also featured other prominent names including Christo Tomy of Ullozhukku fame, Hemanth M Rao of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello fame, and Vivek Athreya of Saripodha Sanivaaram fame.

For the unversed, ‘96 is a romantic drama film that came out in 2018 with Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles. The film also features Devadarshini, Janagaraj, Bagavathi Perumal, and many more in crucial roles. The film revolves around two high school sweethearts who meet again during a reunion 22 years after their graduation.

The film garnered critical and commercial acclaim at the time of release, especially due to the emotional depth and nostalgia that the subject carried, and is often included in the list of the top Tamil romantic films of all time.

Coming to the work front, Prem Kumar’s latest release was the 2024 film Meiyazhagan, which featured Aravind Swamy and Karthi in the lead roles. The film revolves around the two lead characters who meet each other after 22 years. The time they spend together forms the crux of the story.

Apart from that, the director had earlier revealed that he plans to make a sequel for ‘96. However, he did not delve into further details regarding the same. Additionally, he has also revealed that he has a Hindi script which he has almost completed.