Nivin Pauly and Naga Chaitanya in Premam
Nivin Pauly and Naga Chaitanya in PremamFacebook

Premam, Nivin Pauly's blockbuster hit, is one of the most-loved movies in Malayalam that was well accepted by the audience in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Alphonse Puthren-directed film is being remade into Telugu with the same name, and stars Naga Chaitanya in the lead role.

A grand audio launch event of the Telugu version was held in Hyderabad on Tuesday, September 20 that saw the presence of Naga, Shruthi Haasan, Madonna Sebastian and the other cast and crew members of the upcoming movie. Before the launch event, Nivin, who portrayed the role of George in Premam (Malayalam), wished the team good luck. "Good luck for #Premam telugu audio launch :) @chay_akkineni @shrutihaasan @anupamahere #madonnasebastian #chandoomondeti [sic]," the young star tweeted. 

In response to Nivin's tweet, Naga, who is affectionately called Chay, said that the roles played by the Jacobinte Swargarajyam actor are inspirational and are ones that he always looks forward to. "@NivinOfficial thank you so much ! Always look forward to your films .. the roles you play always inspire [sic]." Nivin also thanked Chay for his kind words.

How will the Telugu version of Premam fare?

This would be one of the main questions many fans of the Malayalam movie might be asking themselves after seeing the songs and trailer of the Chandoo Mondeti-directorial venture. Ever since photos of Shruti, who reprises the role of Malar Miss, played by Sai Pallavi, were leaked online from the sets of the Telugu movie, Premam, netizens started targeting the film. Various memes and trolls against the wrong casting of the remake version soon became the talk of tinsel town.

'Evare' song: 'Premam' fans disappointed with Telugu version of 'Malare' [poll result]

The over-the-top acting of Naga and Shruthi, seen in the songs and trailer, has been criticised by the viewers, who were overwhelmed with the natural performance of Nivin and Sai in the original movie, which was released in May 2015. However, Anupama Parameshwaran and Madonna Sebastian, who played the roles of Mary and Celine in Premam, reprise their characters in the remake version as well.

The fate of the Telugu movie will be known soon, as it has been scheduled to hit the screens on October 7.