The trailer for the Kannada film 99, a remake of the critically acclaimed 2018 Tamil film 96, was released on Tuesday.
Actor Ganesh of Mungaaru Male fame is back on the silver screen, starring in a lead role opposite Bhavana. The two of them are reprising the roles played by Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha in the Tamil film. The film is directed by Preetham Gubbi and will release on April 26.
The opening sequences of the trailer shows Ganesh at the school he studied in when growing up. There are a number of sequences set in the school in the film based on the characters portrayed by Ganesh and Bhavana, Actors Hemanth and Samiksha will play the younger versions of the lead pair in 99.
The trailer has also caught the attention of fellow actor Sudeep. "It reminded me of my own film, My Autograph. When we made the film, it was about the feeling of nostalgia but since I was acting and directing, I could not enjoy it as much. But I think that will be fulfilled here and I will enjoy 99,” Sudeep said in a video that has since been widely shared.
Preetham, who was the scriptwriter of the 2006 runaway hit Mungaru Male, later directed films like Maleyali Jotheyali and Dil Rangeela in which Ganesh was the lead actor. Ganesh made his debut in Mungaru Male and has since become a high profile actor in Kannada cinema, besides being a television presenter.
In interviews, Preetham has revealed that 99 was chosen as the name of the film since his friendship with Ganesh goes back to their college days in 1999.
96, directed by C Prem Kumar, is about childhood sweethearts who are separated by destiny meeting again at a school reunion.