Endemol forays into films with Kahaani remake

Endemol India, the company that produces some of the biggest reality shows on Indian television such as Bigg Boss and Fear Factor, is now venturing into films. Producer-director of the Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, Sujoy Ghosh, will step in as co-producer and work with...

Endemol India, the company that produces some of the biggest reality shows on Indian television such as Bigg Boss and Fear Factor, is now venturing into films. Producer-director of the Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, Sujoy Ghosh, will step in as co-producer and work with a leading director from the South Indian film industry on the remakes.

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Explaining why they chose Kahaani, Deepak Dhar, CEO, Endemol India, explains that the story has a strong emotional connect and can be adapted well for different markets. “Filmmaking was always on the cards and we’ve been working towards it for a year now. We will start rolling in September and are looking forward to an early release for the films, most likely around January 2013,” he says.

Sujoy is delighted with the association. “It will help the movie reach out to audiences down South,” he says.

Buzz is that Vidya could do a guest appearance and South star Anushka Shetty, who apparently turned down the remake of Vidya’s other big hit, The Dirty Picture, is keen to do Kahaani. Says Dhar, “There’s plenty of speculation around the cast, we are still finalising and should be able to make a formal announcement in a couple of weeks.”

Endemol India, he adds, will start with regional films before venturing into Hindi cinema. They will be producing three-four films a year, a mix of South and Bollywood scripts. TV projects will continue. As Dhar says, “TV is the heart of our business. Bigg Boss and Fear Factor franchises will return soon. We want to bring other formats into the country as well.”