DEV-ID COPPERFIELD!

Indian-origin British actor Dev Patel is set to play David Copperfield in the new retelling of Charles Dickens’ story The Personal History of David Copperfield.

The film will be directed and written by Veep creator Armando Iannucci.

The project will offer a modern take on Dickens’ title character as he navigates a chaotic world to find his elusive place within it.

The original David Copperfield was first published in 1850 and describes the journey of the titular protagonist, who was modelled after Dickens himself, from impoverished childhood to becoming a successful author, thanks to perseverance and despite a lack of personal discipline.

Patel, who rose to prominence in Danny Boyle’s 2008 film Slumdog

Millionaire, was last seen in the 2016 drama Lion, the true-life story of a young man’s cross-continental attempt to reunite with his ily, for which he won the best supporting actor award at last year’s BAFTAs. He will next be seen in Hotel Mumbai, an account of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. However, that film is currently in production limbo, due to its rights being owned by the troubled Weinstein Company.

Patel was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Lion, which made him the third Indian actor to have ever been nominated for the award. Patel is currently filming The Wedding Guest for Sony Pictures. He also recently made his directorial debut with the film Home Shopper, which premiered at Sundance.

The news of Adajania getting on board to direct the quirky franchise comedy for Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock films banner was announced recently.

“I ambled into Dinoo’s (Vijan) room and he was sitting down to a narration.

I had enjoyed the first one (Hindi Medium) and the way these writers have taken the narrative forward is very clever,” Adajania said in a statement.

“So yeah, I pretty much gate-crashed the narration and it was so engaging and hilarious that I told him I’d be happy to direct it if he had no director attached to the project. It’s been a while since I’ve found any material so amusing yet emotional,” he added.

Vijan and Adajania have worked on films Being Cyrus and Cocktail

Directed by Saket Chaudhary, Hindi Medium revolves around a couple who wants to give their daughter the best education, so that she becomes accepted by the elite in society. It also features Pakistani actress Saba Qamar.

While Irrfan has come on board for the sequel, there is no word on Qamar getting back for the second part.

About roping in Adajania for the sequel, Vijan said: “Homi doesn’t make films very often as he refuses to do stuff that doesn’t bowl him over. But when I narrated this one to him, he loved it. And when I saw his reaction, it was a no-brainer. I guess from Maddock’s stable of directors, Homi was the most unlikely choice for Hindi Medium 2 and that’s exactly I have signed him on.”

The story will be flash-forward by a decade and will narrate the story of Irrfan’s character Raj.

“Hindi Medium will always be an important film for me as it was a story that was relatable and the reality depicted impacts most of us at some level,” Irrfan said recently. “Audiences loving the film and the awards that the film bagged have made the journey exciting.”

RICHA CHADDA: STOREY STORY

Richa Chadda is one happy lady, as the year looks quite promising with two of her films - Daas Dev and 3 Storeysready for release.

In 3 Storeys, which releases on 9 March, she playa a mysterious woman named Leela. The film is set in a ‘chawl’ in Mumbai. The story revolves around different neighbours living in the same building.

That’s all she’s saying for now. Except to add that she selects films based on the merit of the story, so that should serve as a hint!

Richa is known for featuring in critically acclaimed films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan and Sarbjit

What makes her choose unusual films?

Richa said, “I sign films based on their potential, but we have to understand that at times, how a story looks on paper might not be turned out on the screen in the same way.”

“Some stories get lost in the process of execution. My film Jia Aur Jia faced this problem. Though as an actress I understand that the film is going to the wrong director, I cannot do much because cinema is a director’s medium.”

Helmed by debutant director Arjun Mukerjee, 3 Storeys also features Pulkit Samrat, Sharman Joshi, Renuka Shahane and more.

TAAPSEE PANNU: HOCKEY STAR

Taapsee Pannu’s hockey training from Soorma is coming in handy for Manmarziyan

“It’s very rare and uncanny that a sport I learnt for a specific film carried forward in my immediate next,”

Taapsee said recently. “But unlike Soorma, I don’t play a professional hockey player in Manmarziyan; instead, I play a sports shop owner who sells sports goods and has learnt hockey from her parents. The good part is that we saved the preparation time because of that,” she added.

Taapsee has begun with the first schedule of the Anurag Kashyap directed Manmarziyan with actors Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan.

ASHWIN SANGHI’S ‘THE KRISHNA KEY’ BOUND FOR SCREEN

Author Ashwin Sanghi’s hit novel The Krishna Key is set to be adapted into a film and an original series for the digital platform.

Eros International has acquired the rights to adapt Sanghi’s thriller which came out in 2012.

The book follows a history professor who must prove his innocence against a murder charge.

“I am delighted that Eros International has acquired the rights to ‘The Krishna Key’. Eros has an

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incredible team that is exceedingly capable of adapting this actionpacked thriller into a very interesting story for cinema. I am confident that the final product will be exciting and entertaining,” said Sanghi.

The Krishna Key was Sanghi’s third novel which tried to unfold the secrets of the Mahabharata and establish Krishna as a historical rather than a mythical character.

The series is in initial stages of development with talent yet-to-be finalised.

SUCHITRA PILLAI: DIALOGUE ON DEPRESSION

Actress Suchitra Pillai’s award-winning American film The Valley will be releasing in India on 2 March.

Produced by Wavefront Productions and helmed by Saila Kariat, The Valley, also starring Alyy Khan, brings out an important message on depression. It follows a distraught Silicon Valley entrepreneur as he searches for answers after his teenage daughter’s suicide.

The film has won awards at many film festivals like Berlin International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema, Madrid International Film Festival, Out of the Can Film Festival and DC South Asian Film Festival. Suchitra herself took the Best Actress award at two festivals.

The film “deals with themes of ambition and the drive for success versus human connection, through the story of a young girl suffering from depression, who makes the ultimate tragic choice”.

At a time when talk about depression is becoming more and more open in India, the film will be a welcome addition to the dialogue.

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE!

Director Ali Abbas Zafar has started work in London on his next film titled Bharat with superstar Salman Khan in the lead. The film is an official adaptation of the 2014 South Korean film Ode to My Father. Filming will take the unit to Abu Dhabi, Spain, Punjab and Delhi. This will be the third time Salman and Zafar will be collaborating for a movie after Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. It is scheduled to hit the screens on Eid 2019.

Come 9 March, and we will be offered a closer look at the demonetisation that the Indian government launched in 2016. Filmmaker Imran Ahmed Khan explores the uncharted territory of the real-life based political-satirical comic genre with the film Note Pe Chot At 8/11. Actor Ajay Kkuundal says the movie is about how the move to withdraw high-denomination notes from circulation affected the nation, and that it does not favour or criticise Prime Minister Modi’s decision. Ajay said, “I play the role of a serious guy, devoted to his work and who is always shying away from romance. But he finally meets a girl, decides to get married, and just then demonetisation happens. So the movie is about what happens next in their lives.”

Meanwhile, actor Tiger Shroff will start shooting for the third instalment of Baaghi in China in December. Baaghi 2 is yet to release (with release date set on 30 March), but the producers have announced that they will be taking forward the franchise.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and presented by Fox Star Studios, Baaghi 3 will be helmed by Ahmed Khan again.

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