Prem is back in his 'lovely' avatar

Prem, who was hitherto trying to break his lover boy tag with two action-packed films, Shatru and Kettavanu, is now back to doing what he does best ' play lover boy.
The actor has bagged Charminar, a love story which will be directed by R Chandru.
Sources say that the director was initially trying to rope in Ganesh, Ajay or Kitty for the lead role, but eventually settled for Prem.'Probably, I'm the loveliest of all Kannada heroes,' chuckles Prem. On a serious note, the actor adds, 'Though I have moved on from the Lovely Star image with Shatru, Chandru still considers me as a lover boy. I'm thrilled to be a part of the film.'
So, why the title Charminar? 'The movie has got nothing to do with the monument in Hyderabad. Charminar means four pillars. It has an impressive storyline, which has been kept under wraps,' says Prem, who also has the Roopa Iyer-directorial love story Chandrain his kitty.
A quick look at Prem's last few releases, however, reveals that they didn't take the box office by storm . While Jothe Jotheyalli was mired in controversy, Dhan Dhana Dan did not set the cash registers ringing.
His last film, Mathe Banni Preethsona, too was a flop, despite the fact that it was released twice. So, how did he manage to get hold of these projects? 'Mathe Banni Preethsona was not a flop. If it was, the makers would not have released it twice. A film's success doesn't depend on the number of days it runs in theatres. In fact, my performance in the film was appreciated and that matters a lot to me,' he asserts.
These days, Prem is busy with the dubbing for Charminar. 'This is an advance birthday (April 18) gift for me,' says Prem.
He is also gearing up for Chandra. 'Roopa's last film, Mukha Puta, gave her international recognition and fetched her accolades. She is a sensible director and I was impressed by her story narration. I'm looking forward to working with her,' says the actor, who is learning kalaripayattu, for the film.
Contributed by Mahesh H