Oopiri

Cameo appearance

Development

Karan Johar and Guneet Monga acquired the Indian remake rights to Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's French comedy drama film, The Intouchables (2011) in May 2014. They planned a Hindi version, directed by Mohit Suri.^[4] Johar and Monga later authorised PVP Cinema to remake the film in regional languages, postponing their previous plans. Vamshi Paidipally was chosen to direct a Telugu film titled Oopiri.^[5] Oopiri is the first Indian remake of The Intouchables. It was also the first Indian remake of a film produced by Gaumont Film Company.^[6]

N. T. Rama Rao Jr. was signed to play one of the two male leads. At Rama Rao's suggestion, Paidipally forwarded the script to actor and producer Nagarjuna for the other male lead. Nagarjuna asked the director to remove the flashback scenes, opting for a realistic version closer to the original. Paidipally agreed, and the script was reworked in two months.^[7] Production was scheduled to begin in December 2014, when Nagarjuna would be available. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, the actor said that the film's theme would be similar to Missamma (1955).^[8] Rama Rao Jr. left the project due to scheduling conflicts with Nannaku Prematho (2016),^[9] and was replaced by Karthi in October 2014.^[10] Karthi's inclusion in the film led the makers to make the film as a bilingual titled Thozha in Tamil.^[10]

Gopi Sundar was signed as the film's music director, his first collaboration with Paidipally.^[11] Oopiri had two launch ceremonies: the first on 11 February 2015 in Hyderabad^[12] and the second on 15 March in Chennai. P. S. Vinod was the film's cinematographer.^[13] Paidipally worked on the screenplay, assisted by Hari and Solomon with the adaptation.^[14] Abburi Ravi wrote the dialogue for Oopiri,^[15] and Karthi asked filmmaker Raju Murugan to do the same for Thozha.^[16] Madhu and Praveen K. L. edited the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively.^[5]

Casting

Nagarjuna played the wheelchair-using quadriplegic in the film, and a ₹25 lakh customised wheelchair was imported from Sweden for the role.^[17] An assistant checked to see if the actor moved his limbs during filming, and scenes had to be re-shot a number of times. Nagarjuna found the process "extremely challenging", and his legs sometimes became numb.^[18] Oopiri was Karthi's first Telugu film, although he was popular with Telugu-speaking audiences who saw dubbed versions of his Tamil films. Rajeev Kamineni of PVP Cinema told The Hindu that Karthi was cast to combine actors who were audience favourites and had not collaborated before.^[19]

Karthi played the caretaker, reprising Omar Sy's role in the original.^[20] He called his character "terribly insensitive", but becoming refined at the end.^[21] Despite his fluency in Telugu, Karthi wanted to practice his dialogue in advance since scenes in both languages would be shot at the same time.^[22] He had to be louder in Oopiri, and used local Tamil slang in Thozha.^[23] The actor said that some changes were made in the remake, since some situations in the original "just could not work in the Indian scenario".^[20] Shruti Haasan was chosen as the female lead in January 2015.^[24] After she walked out in March, citing scheduling conflicts, she was replaced by Tamannaah Bhatia.^[25] Her character, Keerthi, was modelled on the secretary and the caretaker in the original.^[26] The actress had to look corporate for the role, which she called a "bridge of sorts between the protagonists"; she was a "constant spectator to every emotion they go through".^[27]

After Haasan left the film, PVP Cinema claimed that her scheduled dates (from 10 December 2014 to 8 April 2015) were assigned for her convenience and the actress was civilly and criminally liable. The Nampally city court restricted her from agreeing to any new film and ordered a police investigation.^[28] According to Haasan's spokesperson, neither the actress nor Raaj Kamal Films International were legally notified.^[29] Haasan withdrew her defamation suit in April 2015 after R. Sarathkumar and Kalaipuli S. Thanu intervened, and the court dismissed PVP Cinema's case.^[30]

Prakash Raj, Ali, Vivek, and Tanikella Bharani were cast in key supporting roles,^[14][15] with Jayasudha and Nikkita Anil playing Karthi's mother and sister.^[31][32] Kalpana made her Telugu-film debut in Oopiri,^[15] but she died in her sleep at age 50 during filming in Hyderabad.^[33] Anushka Shetty and Adivi Sesh made cameo appearances as a couple;^[34] the former played Nagarjuna's ex-girlfriend in the film.^[35] Gabriella Demetriades was cast in August 2015 after auditioning with five other international models in Hyderabad,^[36] and the film was her South Indian acting debut.^[37] Nora Fatehi made a special appearance in a song,^[38] and Shriya Saran had a cameo appearance.^[39] The Telugu and Tamil versions had a slightly different supporting cast to suit the nativity of both audiences.^[5]

Filming

According to PVP Cinema's Kamineni, a substantial portion of Oopiri would be filmed abroad.^[19] Principal photography began in Chennai on 16 March 2015. Scenes with Karthi and Jayasudha were filmed in a purpose-built house set.^[31] By the time Haasan left the film, the first shooting schedule had wrapped.^[28] After completing schedules in Chennai and Hyderabad, Karthi and Tamannaah joined the film set in Dubai in May; several scenes were filmed in a rented, palatial house.^[41] Paidipally, who planned a 25-day shooting schedule in Paris and Lyon beginning in June, left to scout locations.^[42] A month-long European shooting schedule began in July in Belgrade and Novi Sad, and Oopiri was the first South Indian film made there. After Belgrade and Novi Sad, filming continued in Paris, Lyon and Ljubljana.^[43] Key scenes, including a car chase, and some songs were filmed as part of the schedule.

The car-chase scene was filmed over eight nights, due to changes in the weather. It was shot near the Eiffel Tower, which Paidipally called the "obvious choice to show the moment of triumph" in Vikramaditya's life.^[44] On 1 August, Nagarjuna tweeted that the shooting schedule would wrap in ten days.^[45] A song including Nagarjuna, Karthi, and Fatehi was filmed in November in Hyderabad.^[38] Principal photography wrapped in February 2016, and post-production commenced shortly.^[46] Thozha's filming was delayed due to Nagarjuna's lack of fluency in Tamil,^[7] but at Karthi's insistence he delivered his own lines.^[47] Tamannaah found her dialogue simple and realistic and delivered her own lines in Oopiri, the first Telugu film to include her voice.^[26]

Theatrical

Oopiri and Thozha were theatrically released worldwide on 25 March 2016.^[55]

Home media

The digital rights of Oopiri and Thozha were purchased by YuppTV, a leading television content provider in South.^[56] The premiere of the film took place on 3 May 2016 after its theatrical run ended.^[57] The television broadcast rights were acquired by Sun TV Network; and the global television premiere of the Tamil version Thozha was held on 2 October 2016 coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.^[58]

Critical response

Nagarjuna (left) and Karthi (right) were critically acclaimed for their performances as a quadriplegic billionaire and his caretaker, respectively.

The films received positive critical reception.^[59]

Baradwaj Rangan, writing for The Hindu, found Thozha enjoyable despite its lack of narrative finesse and called it a light, pleasant film comparable to Bangalore Days (2014).^[60] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo, also in The Hindu, gave Oopiri four stars and called it a "rare film that justifies its hype". She wrote that Nagarjuna's portrayal of Vikramaditya was "age-defying, graceful and restrained" and praised the rest of the cast, Vinod's cinematography, and Sunder's score.^[61] Pranita Jonnalagedda of The Times of India gave Oopiri four stars out of five, writing that it "sets a benchmark for adaptations in Telugu cinema" and "paves the way for more exciting genres". She praised the principal cast's performances and the film's climax.^[62]

According to Anupama Subramaniam of Deccan Chronicle, Thozha had an "alluring story" supported by "extraordinary performances, sound technical departments and rich production values". Suresh Kavirayani, also in Deccan Chronicle, found Oopiri a "beautiful and emotional journey". Both gave the film 3.5 stars out of five.^[63][64] Writing for India Today, Kirubhakar Purushothaman also gave the film 3.5 stars out of five, calling it a decent remake which "retains the soul of the original" with "the right cast and the perfect team".^[65] Karthik Keramalu of News18 also gave Oopiri 3.5 stars out of five. Keramalu called it the best of Paidipally's career so far and praised the principal cast's performances.^[66]

S. Saraswathi of Rediff.com gave Thozha three stars out of five, praising the film's screenplay, visuals, and performances.^[67] Sify also gave the film three stars out of five and called it a "breezy feel good ride"; its reviewer praised its performances and visuals, but criticised its length.^[68] Gautaman Bhaskaran, writing for the Hindustan Times, gave Thozha 2.5 stars out of five; Bhaskaran found the film "[u]nduly verbose" and wrote that it "loses its sense of male bonding—particularly after it veers into love stories".^[69]

Box office

Oopiri and Thozha grossed ₹20 crore at the box office within four days, as reported by trade analyst Trinath.^[70] The film further increased its total gross to ₹27 crore in its first week and earned $1 million in the overseas market during that time, according to Firstpost.^[71]

Accolades