In an interview with Galatta Plus, marking the first anniversary of his film Meiyazhagan, director Premkumar spoke openly about the movie’s performance, critical reception, and his upcoming projects. He said:
“If Meiyazhagan had been released in Malayalam, the Tamil audience could have celebrated it too. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the revenue we expected. Reviewers are more of a threat than piracy – some even suffer from mental illness. I have no fear of reviewers, which is why I am speaking out.”
Turning to his future plans, Premkumar shared exciting news about the sequel to his cult hit ’96. He revealed that the screenplay for ’96 Part II is complete and that he considers it his best writing so far:
“While writing a sequel to such an acclaimed film, I had my doubts. Many advised me to drop the idea since sequels often fail to live up to the original. But when I finished the script and shared it with close friends, they said, ‘It’s far better than 96 — we never expected this.’ That gave me great confidence.”
He also recounted his experience presenting the script to producer Ishari K Ganesh of Vels Film International:
“On the first day of narration, he showed no reaction – completely expressionless. But the next day, he called me over, welcomed me with a bouquet, and gifted me a gold chain worth several lakhs. Such a grand gesture is rare, especially just for a script.”
However, Premkumar acknowledged some hurdles:
“For 96 Part 2, I gave the bound script, but due to certain factors, it didn’t move forward,” he revealed.
He also touched on a potential collaboration with Chiyaan Vikram:
“I pitched 2-3 ideas to Vikram sir. He chose one, and I completed the full script. But it didn’t connect with him in the end. He preferred to pursue another love story.”
Regarding the ’96 sequel’s cast, Premkumar expects Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha to reprise their iconic roles as Ram and Janu, though official confirmation is yet to come.
“I am committed to either working with the same cast or not doing the film at all,” he stated firmly.
Besides the sequel, Premkumar is reportedly working on an action-thriller featuring Fahadh Faasil.