Wanted to improvise but there was no room for it: Meena on 'Drushyam 2'

Meena says she liked working with Venkatesh as their rapport has evolved over the years

Actor Meena, who reprised her role from the Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam 2 in its Telugu remake Drushyam 2, says that she wanted to improvise a bit for the Tollywood version but that did not happen. She added that the team wanted to play it safe and retain the Mohanlal-starrer's essence. Meena revealed that she got along pretty well with Venkatesh as they share a comfort level.

Edited excerpts from the interview with DH.

What type of rapport do you share with Venkatesh?

It wasn't that great when I worked with him as I was quite an introvert. Over the years, we have evolved as friends. There is a comfort level and I can ask him to answer my doubts.

Also Read | 'Drushyam 2' movie review: Venkatesh's impeccable performance makes 'Drishyam 2' remake a must-watch

How was the experience of working on Drushyam 2?

The experience was better than whatever we had in the first part. There was a positive vibe and we knew it would be a good movie. We spoke about Lal sir a lot during the shoot. Venky said that he has set the standards quite high

Were there any sequences that you found to be particularly demanding?

The stress levels really rose towards the end, which made things exhausting.

How different was your approach to Drushyam 2 when compared to the Malayalam version?

Drishyam 2 was a big hit so we just wanted to do the right thing while working on the remake. There was not much space for improvisation. We had creative ideas but we didn't want to take a chance and make it different from the original version.

How was the experience of reuniting with Jeethu Joseph for the Telugu version?

Jeethu was more comfortable in Malayalam. He would often check with me if he had doubts about any aspects of the Telugu version.

Were you worried about the film being compared to the Malayalam version?

There were comparisons when the first part released as well. One can't avoid these things. We can just do our best and let the audience decide. Many films have done well despite these comparisons.

Any similarities between you and your character?

I could relate to some scenes where my character interacts with the younger daughter about her dresses. Apart from that, my real personality is more like Jyothi, the character played by Nadhiya.

Any professional decisions you feel you could have taken differently?

I am pretty happy about the way things have turned out in my career. Would not want to do things differently.

Drushyam 2 released on Amazon Prime Video on November 25