Hindi Tamil Cinema Audiences Get Lucky Simultaneously for the First Time Ever

Reliance BIG Pictures' new bilingual supernatural thriller, '13B' which releases today, is going to be the first Indian film ever to release simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil original language versions. The film is releasing as '13B Fear has a New Address' in Hindi and 'Yavarrum Nalam' in Tamil. The Film is also releasing simultaneously in the overseas market with both Hindi and Tamil versions.

Earlier, Hindi films like Dhoom 2, Krrish and Jodhaa Akbar have been dubbed and released in different languages at different times. Even films like Roja and Bombay, which were released at the same time in different languages, were dubbed. '13B' (Hindi Title) and 'Yaavarum Nalam' (Tamil Title) on other hand were shot simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil as two separate negatives. The Director has even tried to keep different supporting cast for both versions. The lead actors, R. Madhavan and Neetu Chandra, are same in both the versions. Put together, the films will be releasing in more than 500 screens in India and 25 in the overseas market.

Shooting a bilingual film back to back might not be such a pleasant experience for the cast and the crew, especially a supernatural thriller like '13B'. While R. Madhavan was paranoid and careful about getting the accent correct as he switched between the two languages, Neetu Chandra found it challenging to act the same scene and balance equivalent chemistry with two different actors for different versions. The Film stars Poonam Dhillon, Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar in supporting roles.

Sunir Kheterpal, Chief Operating Officer BIG Pictures says, "We at BIG Pictures are committed to bringing quality content to audience's world over. The simultaneous release of '13B' 'Yavarrum Nalam' is a proud moment for BIG Pictures. The team has aggressively supported the two versions of the film with branding and marketing initiatives and ensured the films get an impressive platform. We are confident that the film will appeal to audiences across the Hindi and Tamil markets both."

Multi faceted, director Vikram K. Kumar took up the challenge of technically shooting two films simultaneously and thought "It was an added responsibility to find actors who can not only act but are also fluent with both the languages."

The bilingual syndrome was not only affecting the cast and the director but also the dynamic trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy, who are exploring the supernatural genre for the first time. Their test was to compose music which not only belongs from a niche genre but also keep in mind the different symphonic taste of the two audiences.