Can’t recollect my wedding: C Prem Kumar

Films claiming to be made based on real life incidents are not uncommon in Tamil. But the plot of the upcoming flick Naduvula Konja Pakkatha Kaanoom makes you more curious to know if their claim is true.

What will happen if a person loses his memory temporarily just a day before his marriage? If you find the plot interesting enough, wait. There is more. It has actually happened to the cinematographer of the film C Prem Kumar, who has other films like Pasanga and Sundarapandian to his credit.

You won’t believe when he says he still doesn’t remember how he tied the knot with his wife. “What you will see in the film is almost similar to what happened in my life. In fact, director Balaji Tharaneetharan has avoided some dramatic moments to make it really believable,” laughs Prem Kumar.

When Prem Kumar was working as an assistant cameraman in Vaaranam Ayiram, he lost his memory temporarily. “I had the usual fears of a groom about future and to de-stress I went to play cricket with three of my other friends including Balaji, just two days before my marriage. I was good at fielding and my friends didn’t expect me to miss a catch. They kept discussing it and later realised that I had lost my memory after falling down while attempting the catch,” he says.

Prem Kumar said he was familiar with many medical terms including Medulla Oblongata (where he was hurt while playing), since as a child he spent most of the time in a medical college near his house in Coimbatore. One might have seen actor Vijay Sethupathi (the character inspired by Prem Kumar) repeating the word in the film’s trailer.

Prem Kumar’s friends had completely hidden the fact that he had lost his memory from his parents and even the bride, Dhanalakshmi. “I’m the senior among our friends and usually I take care of everything in our group. So it was unimaginable how they managed hiding such an important thing from everyone for three days. I was so free without the knowledge of what was happening around me, but my friends were damn scared,” he said.

When Dhanalakshmi came to know about the memory loss, she was shocked.

The cinematographer, who is happily married and has two children, says. “We had to undergo a lot of problems that any love marriage would face. So I was happy to know that I got married,” smiles Prem Kumar.

Prem Kumar says he realised the value of true friendship after the incident.

Naduvula Konja Pakkatha Kaanom is releasing on November 30.