Director C. Prem Kumar on 96th Malayalam remake ( Photo Credit – YouTube, Instagram )
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Director C. Prem Kumar has two Tamil films to his credit as director, both of which have been critically acclaimed—96 and Meiyazhagan. He was recently in Kerala for the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters 2025. In an interview with Mathrubhumi, he was asked who he would cast in a Malayalam remake of 96 to play the roles originally portrayed by Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha.
He responded that if the film had been made in the 1990s, he would have cast Mohanlal and Shobana in place of Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, saying, ‘It would be a great combination.’
It’s worth noting that 96 has a strong cult following in Kerala. Back in 2018, the song Kaathalae Kaathalae from the film was extremely popular in the state as well.
The director also spoke about his admiration for the Malayalam film industry, mentioning that he grew up watching Mohanlal and Mammootty on screen. He added that working with both of them remains an unfulfilled dream. He also expressed his appreciation for current-generation stars like Fahadh Faasil and Dulquer Salmaan, hoping to collaborate with them in the future.
Prem Kumar also confirmed that he has completed the script for a sequel to 96. Although a sequel was not initially planned, the overwhelming positive response from the audience inspired him to develop one. However, details about the plot remain unknown.
You can watch 96 in Tamil on Sun NXT, while the Hindi version is available for free on MX Player with ads. Meiyazhagan is streaming on Netflix.
