Ahead of 'Kirrak Party', Nikhil Siddhartha says in this interview that he is as nervous as ever. Calling it a faithful remake, the young actor speaks of why doing this film was an enjoyable fare, among others.

What is your mood ahead of the film's release on March 16?

I am tensed. I am nervous. The 'release fever' has started in me. This kind of tension is always there. It will always be there even when I will do my 40th film. I will be tensed till the time I read reviews and get feedback from distributors. When 'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada' released, it was Demonetization. 'Kirrak Party' is coming close on the heels of theatre strike.

How was the experience of doing this film?

Every film is a special experience. To me, 'Happy Days' is very memorable. I also deem 'Yuvatha' and 'Karthikeya' as very memorable characters. 'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada' and 'Swamy Ra Ra' were hits, but they are less special than the aforementioned ones. During the making of 'Kirrak Party', I would get up early and go to the sets. My last college film was 'Happy Days'. 'KP' has happened 11 years later. It was nostalgic to shoot in the classrooms.

This is one of my most performance-oriented films. The massy look, etc is special. I have never done this kind of a full-fledged entertainer. The audience will come out with a smile on their face after watching the movie.

What is unique about 'Kirrak Party'?

Friendships, emotions, politics, they are all there in our film. Modern students are different. Nowadays, many students are biting the dust during their Engineering days. Our film touches upon such a point. What are the repercussions when everybody starts talking loosely about a girl? It's a wonderful point we have touched upon.

When I studied Engineering, I was witness to a tussle between juniors and seniors over ragging, and such incidents. The fact that I, my director, the writers (Chandoo Mondeti and Sudheer Verma) and probably the producer, are all Engineers has been special.

Since your film is a remake, were any changes made to the original?

'KP' is largely a faithful remake. There are changes yes. When we watched the original, we felt that it should be brought to a wider audience. It's a cute film. The fact most of our audience didn't watch the original also helped. Music is an essential part of the film. That's common between the original and the remake.

How an ordinary student transforms into a young student leader is what is exciting. There is love, breakups, etc. These elements have been retained from the original. Unnecessary comedy scenes and a forced item song have been purged out from the original.

Tell us about your co-stars.

Samyuktha Hegde is one of the top dancers in the country. She is energetic and is acrobatic. Simran is a very good actress. She is so beautiful that we flirted with her off-screen. The seven other guys in my gang have done a great job. I would call them the film's other leads. It was not easy to zero in on them. 80,000 applications had to be scanned. After we formed into a gang, we spent time together to develop chemistry. It was no small task.

Wasn't AK Entertainments looking at releasing the movie on Feb 9 itself?

It was a tentative date. We wanted to come well before or after the exams. Post-production works were going on. By March 14, intermediate students, engineering students, and all the school kids will be free. Only SSC students will be writing their exams. I want 'KP' to do well for every one of us, including AK Entertainments, which is doing so many films. The industry needs production houses like this.

What is your priority as an actor?

My only fear is that people should not get bored of me. If they are bored of me, I am finished. In my next film, I am playing a reporter with a social cause. Later, I will do Karthikeya's proper sequel. It retains the characters and actors from the original. Chandoo Mondeti is writing the script.