Shriya Saran is back with Roopa Iyer’s Tamil-Kannada bilingual, Chandra. The first look of the film had images of Shriya in a princess avatar, prompting speculations that the story could be historical. However, the director says, “Chandra is not a period film. Though the story is about a last generation princess (played by Shriya) falling in love with a music teacher (Prem), we have given a modern spin to the story. In fact, the film is more contemporary than historical.”
The film will also see Shriya performing stunts for the first time. Roopa says, “I wanted to rope in an actress who is modern, yet traditional. Shriya fit my requirements perfectly. She learnt Kalaripayattu, the oldest fighting system in our country. There are sequences where she performed better than the hero.”
While the basic storyline for the Kannada and Tamil version remains the same, Roopa informs that she has changed the nativity for the Tamil version. “For instance, Vivekh’s comic dialogues will have a local connect. All the Tamil actors in the project have dubbed for themselves,” says Roopa, who is even planning to send Chandra for film festivals.
Chandra, produced by India Classic Arts and released by Abirami Mega Mall, will hit screens on February 14