Interview: Regina Cassandra, Nivetha Thomas all excited about action sequences in Saakini Daakini

Being remade in Telugu as Saakini Daakini, their upcoming film is directed by Sudheer Varma and features Regina Cassandra and Nivetha Thomas playing cops. Yes, it’s a female-centric project and the trailer has already given an insight into what it’s going to be.

Regina has been busy with Tamil films of late. She was last seen in Telugu in the 2019 crime thriller Evaru. As for Nivetha, she was one of the lead actors in Pawan Kalyan’s Vakeel Saab (2021), an official remake of the Bollywood blockbuster hit Pink.

Ahead of the theatrical release of Saakini Daakini, on 16 September, both the actors are busy promoting their next project. In an interview with South First, the actors, along with producer Sunitha Tati, talk about their upcoming project:

Utsaham/Anandham ?? #SaakiniDaakini #SDonSept16th pic.twitter.com/sSV4mRdG2K

— Nivetha Thomas (@i_nivethathomas) September 9, 2022

Q. What is the reason behind remaking a Korean film like Midnight Runners?

A. Sunitha Tati: Because the Telugu film industry is currently in a limited space in terms of stories. People are indeed wondering why there are no new stories, but this is a fact.

Having said this, adaptation is not an easy task for a filmmaker. For example, taking an emotion and adding culture to a movie is a huge journey. And I must say, Akshay did a brilliant job with the screenplay. You won’t feel Saakini Daakini is the remake of a Korean film.

Q. What was your opinion after the narration of the story?

A. Nivetha Thomas: I watched Midnight Runners after I had been told that it is being remade in Telugu. I was surprised that one of the characters in the film was pretty similar to me.

I felt like the original was made with my character, but without my knowledge. Even the unit of Saakini Daakini told me that I was doing the same role as that in Midnight Runners.

So, it didn’t seem necessary to struggle too much. I thought it would be enough to learn the Telangana dialect and just be myself. This is a movie that everyone will enjoy.

Q. Tell us about the action sequences. Were they tough?

A. Regina: I love doing action sequences, but I never got to try my hands at stunts. However, the opportunity finally came my way with Saakini Daakini.

When it comes to action, Vijayashanti is my inspiration. As regards this film, Venkat Master has brilliantly choreographed the action sequences. I thoroughly enjoyed them. I am all excited.

Nivetha: Action scenes are challenging as they involve physical strength. Since Saakini Daakini is laced with action sequences, I underwent special training. I hope our directors come up with more such action films in Telugu.

Q. Who came up with the idea to make a film with two female leads?

A. Sunitha: Samyukta, who is a part of director Sudheer Varma’s team, played a key role in the journey of Saakini Daakini.

One day, she asked us how it would be to make a film with two female leads. She suggested the title too. Sudheer liked the idea. So, the credit goes to them both. Guess what? The flick also deals with the concept of egg harvesting.

Q. There are rumours that Sudheer Varma is disappointed for some reason and hence is not attending the film promotions. Can you please clarify?

A. Sunitha: Director Sudheer Varma launched this movie in January 2020. Nevertheless, it has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He worked on the project with utmost commitment and dedication. We did the patchwork of Saakini Daakini with the person he suggested.

Now that the film is ready, it doesn’t look fair to ask him to attend the promotional events too, especially since he is with a big-budget movie. We should support him and his hard work.