The Shaukeens, the remake of Basu Chatterjee's 1982 classic, has been written by director, screenplay writer and actor Tigmanshu Dhulia. This film marks his first attempt at penning the script of a remake. He says, “The original Shaukeen has been one of my favourite films and to adapt it to present times, with an accomplished ensemble of actors, was a challenge.“

Interestingly, this is also the first time that he has written a script for an Akshay Kumar-starrer. “It was great on Akshay's part to play something so off the tangent. I don't think any actor in our industry has played such a role before.“

Akshay, who admits to being a fan of Tigmanshu's craft, says, “I have always admired his work and feel proud to collaborate with someone so talented.“ The movie's director, Abhishek Sharma, reveals, “Tigmanshu was my senior in my drama school in Delhi. So, I could relate to his working style. The humour in the script shows a completely different side of him.“ Producers Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde were certain they wanted Tigmanshu to write the adaptation. Murad says, “The Shaukeens is a naughty comedy and needed to be handled with maturity.“

Ashwin adds, “He is the apt choice as he brings the right sensibility.“

The film also stars Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon. The movie's theatrical trailer will be launched today, followed by its online launch.

The Shaukeens, produced by Cine1 Studios and Cape Of Good Films, releases November 7.