Maharashtra’s No. 1 film travels up north for a full fledged Punjabi version
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 7, 2016)

Marathi blockbuster Sairat, which released earlier this year and shattered several box office records, is set to get Punjabi tadka. Zee Studios, one of the producers for the film, is in talks with Wize Mindz Entertainment, a leading production house in Punjab, for the remake to be helmed by Pankaj Batra. Confirming the development, Batra says, “Yes, we are in the process of acquiring the necessary rights and should be able to finalise things by next week.”

Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat starring newcomers Rinku Rajguru, 15, and Akash Thosar, 23, revolved around honour killings. The film earned over Rs 80 crore in India in its five-week run and even beat Shah Rukh Khan- starrer Fan. Not to mention, the rave reviews it earned from various quarters for the content, direction and performances.

Although the subject of honour killings will, arguably, resonate with the Punjabi audience, Batra is keeping his fingers crossed about the prospects of the film. “It worked in Marathi, but it’s not necessary that it will work in Punjab too. We really loved the story. The film has a strong message at the end, and that’s the reason we decided to remake the film. The plan, at this point, is to retain 70 per cent of the Sairat story while the rest can be adapted to suit Punjabi culture and sensibilities.”

Batra, who has earlier made Punjabi films like Virsa, Bambukat and Naughty Jatts, says they are looking for freshfaced actors as the remake’s lead pair. “Sairat starred debutants and we want to do that for the remake, too. We will see how things pan out once the casting process begins. It will take at least a couple more months to take the film on floors,” the director says.