Hollywood remake of Kahaani with Dragon twist

KOLKATA: If the twist in 'Kahaani' stunned you, this will leave you floored. First, the Sujoy Ghosh smash-hit will be remade into a Hollywood film. Second, it will be directed by Niels Arden Oplev, famed for his 'Millennium' trilogy that began with 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. And third, it will be shot entirely in Kolkata with an A-list star cast.
'Deity' — to be scripted by Jose Rivera ('The Motorcycle Diaries') and Richard Regen ('Tehran') — is a thriller about an American woman who comes to Kolkata in search of her missing husband.
As she gets closer to the truth, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous conspiracy. YRF Entertainment is producing and financing the film for the international audience and Arindam Sil's film house Nothing Beyond Cinema has been roped in for line production. The entire crew will camp in Kolkata for three months till the shoot is over, said Sil.
"It's an incredible step by YRF. Some time ago, Aditya Chopra had said he wanted to make 'Kahaani' for a global audience. I thought he was kidding. But obviously not. YRF has left no stone unturned in making the English version. The new script by Jose Rivera and Richard Regen is perfectly suited for the Western audience and I am really looking forward to seeing Niels direct this version. I am sure he will bring a unique vision. I am totally excited about this," Ghosh told TOI.
Sil is still coming to terms with the magnitude of the project. "This is huge. The rights were bought from Sujoy a long time ago. This is the first time that a mainstream Hollywood film will be shot entirely in Kolkata. Sujoy made us proud as Bengalis with 'Kahaani'. Now, with 'Deity', he has made the entire India proud. It's a big achievement that his script has been chosen for a Hollywood film," the filmmaker, who was honoured by CM Mamata Banerjee a day earlier, said on Friday.
And it's not just moviemakers who are excited. So is Mamata, who had said at Thursday's awards event that Hollywood would come to Kolkata. She has assured the film unit of all assistance, Sil said. "When she talked about it on stage, I jumped up and told her that the dream is going to come true soon. She could barely contain her pleasure. She wanted to announce it then and there, but I requested her not to as it was still not officially announced. She said, Arindam, go ahead. We'll support them wholeheartedly. I conveyed this to YRF officials, who said they will soon come to meet the CM. She has welcomed them," he added.
"Niels is the perfect director to transform the appeal of 'Kahaani' to 'Deity'. He has an elevated understanding of both international thrillers and strong female characters and his vision for capturing the vibrancy and energy of contemporary Kolkata will appeal to audiences in the US and worldwide," said Uday Chopra, CEO, YRF Entertainment. Niels said in a statement: "It will be a compelling and exciting thriller with complex and interesting characters. A neo-realistic style will take the audience deep into Kolkata's many different levels." With the shooting starting tentatively in February, some adjustments will surely be needed to capture the Durga Puja celebrations.