The Intouchables get a Teugu/Tamil remake

Thozha/Oopiri, starring Karthi and Nagarjuna, narrates the story of an unusual friendship

The season of official remakes has dawned in Tamil/Telugu industry. After years of 'inspired' filmmaking, directors are more than happy to give credit where it is due.
Kamal Haasan's Thoonga Vanam was the official remake of the French film Sleepless Night; last week's Vijay Sethupathi starrer Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum borrowed liberally from the Korean movie My Dear Desperado.
And now it is the turn of Telugu director Vamsi to adapt the award-winning French film The Intouchables for the Karthi-Nagarjuna starrer bilingual Thozha (in Tamil) and Oopiri (in Telugu). Both versions are playing this week at theatres in the UAE.
The story of an unlikely bonding between a paraplegic billionaire, played by Nagarjuna, and his care-taker, a carefree, ex-convict, portrayed by Karthi, the film also stars Tamannaah, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha.
A breezy film that does not dive into overt sentimentality, Thozha/Oopiri could be a highlight in Nagarjuna's career, as he is practically confined to a wheelchair (custom-designed at a cost of Rs25 lakh) in the film.
Earlier, speaking to City Times, Nagarjuna had observed that it is going to "be a deep, fun film," adding he is a huge fan of the French original.
Having completed over 20 years in cinema, the actor says that while his family-members weren't too keen on him taking up the role, given that he was wheelchair-strapped, the film presented an opportunity to be part of the new wave of cinema-making in Telugu. "Even smaller films are breaking the mould and experimenting."
Nagarjuna describes Thozha/Oopiri as a 'life-changing film' rather than as a 'landmark movie.'
For Karthi, the film presents another opportunity to bring out the lighter side, an act that he is quite familiar with. He says that Thozha has worked out well because of the real-life bonding that he shared with Nagarjuna and Vamsi. "We connected at a personal level, and bonded like brothers," he says.
The film's storyline goes something like this: The caretaker who comes in to the billionaire's house, only for some quick money, quickly 'connects' with the man at a higher level. Of course, his past as an ex-convict causes moments of tension but the deeper understanding that the two men share becomes unbreakable.
Vamsi says the film is not a frame-to-frame remake, and calls it an adaptation. Shot extensively in Paris, the film has a number of scenes that are similar, if you go by the YouTube trailers of the Tamil/Telugu versions and its French original.
But what could work for the Indian audience is the sense of humour that the film hopes to bring, courtesy Karthi, and the song-dance routines. Vamsi has roped in Gopi Sundar for composing the songs, which are already chart-busters.
Promising good fun, Thozha/Oopiri has all the trappings of a heartwarming film; it could also win your trust in the essential goodness of humanity.
 

• South Stars