A few weeks ago, Rakhi Sawant made headlines by claiming to HT Café that she will “do better and hotter scenes in the Bengali remake” of Vidya Balan’s The Dirty Picture (2011). But Rakhi’s dream seems to have gone bust.
Balaji Motion Pictures has sent a legal notice to producer-director Shatabdi Roy, who is also a Member of Parliament, about the purported film. However, Shatabdi replied that she isn’t making any such film. Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures confirms, “Yes, a notice was sent to the producer in response to which she denied proposing a remake of The Dirty Picture in Bengali.”
Ekta Kapoor is clearly unhappy with the talk about a remake of The Dirty Picture doing the rounds. “Things like copyright and ownership have been put in practice for a reason. Lifting (story) ideas might be very intangible but it’s as heinous as anything else,” she says.
What’s interesting to note is that the new film’s lead actor, Rakhi Sawant, is maintaining her old stance. “I am leaving for Kolkata this week for the first shoot of the film. I can’t disclose the dates of the shooting. In fact, I met Vidya (Balan) recently at the Delhi airport. We were going to Mumbai on the same flight. She was seated next to me and wished me luck for the remake. She also advised me on how to go about my role. We had a detailed chat for about an hour on the film,” she says.
What’s interesting to note is that the new film’s lead actor, Rakhi Sawant, is maintaining her old stance. “I am leaving for Kolkata this week for the first shoot of the film. I can’t disclose the dates of the shooting. In fact, I met Vidya (Balan) recently at the Delhi airport. We were going to Mumbai on the same flight. She was seated next to me and wished me luck for the remake. She also advised me on how to go about my role. We had a detailed chat for about an hour on the film,” she says.
But Shatabdi Roy, the director-producer of the rumoured Bengali ‘remake’ insists that her film is not going to be based on the 2011 blockbuster. “Let me clarify: my film is not a remake of TDP. In Bengal, such a subject or treatment (of a female actor) won’t be accepted. The subject might be similar in its appeal considering my film is also going to be about the life of an actor who does item numbers, but mine is going to be completely different. If I ever have to do a remake, I will do it in a proper way,” says Roy.