Filmmaker E Niwas on Aruvi remake: Sticking to source material for script

Fatima Sana Shaikh

The season of remakes never stops trending in Bollywood. Although not all remakes pan out as expected, filmmaker E Niwas who has taken the onus of adapting the 2017 hit Tamil film Aruvi, is confident about his choice. "It's a challenge," he says.

A still from the Tamil film Aruvi

The Tamil film, written and directed by Arun Prabu Purushothaman, navigates the journey of Aruvi as she rebels against society's bigotry while dealing [with an] existential crisis. Adapting the script for a pan-India appeal, Niwas says, "[While] we will be sticking to the source material, [the real] challenge is to understand the soul of the film and take it ahead. It's difficult to remake any original." Aruvi has been on Niwas's radar from the moment he watched it. "It was an unconventional drama," he says of the Aditi Balan-starrer.

Director E Niwas

In March, Applause Entertainment and Faith Films announced their decision to rope in Fatima Sana Shaikh in the remake version. "I loved her transformation in Dangal [2016]," says Niwas, adding, "Fatima is passionate about her work. It is a demanding role and she has to go through [several] readings and preparations to transform into the character." Set to go on floors by mid-2021, the makers are now playing the watch-and-wait game "until things normalise and everybody gets vaccinated".