Thiruvananthapuram, June 5 

Movie buffs across Kerala are eagerly awaiting the release of the remake of yesteryears Malayalam classic "Rathinirvedam" with an all-new star cast but with the very same sensuous story line.

It was this classic film in 1978 that was written by all-time great Padmarajan and directed by Bharatan which took Malayalam films into a totally new realm of success.

The film had created a flutter among college students as it tells the tale of Pappu (Krishnachandran), a teenager who falls in love with an older woman, Rathi (Jayabharathi).

Even though initially the woman resists his advances, soon she succumbs and their relationship blossoms and brings dramatic changes in their lives.

In the remade version, the teenager's role is played by Sreejith Vijay, an engineering graduate, while Swetha Menon does the role of Jayabharathi.

Popular producer Suresh Kumar and his actress wife Maneka Suresh are producing the new film.

Kumar told IANS that he has been getting innumerable calls ever since the release of "Rathinirvedam" was postponed from June 3 to June 16.

"I have been flooded with calls not only from fans but from theatre owners too. Rarely do theatre owners come after producers to release films in their theatres," he said.

Popular director T.K. Rajeev Kumar has helmed the film.

Vijay, who is playing the role of the teenager, had to coax his parents with the help of the director. Finally, his parents agreed to let him do the film.

Producer Kumar said that unlike the first version, the intensity of passionate scenes has been kept to tolerable limits, just to keep the moral police at bay.

"The censoring of the film is to happen in the coming days and then we will know where we stand," he added.