Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 6, 2017)

After months of speculation surrounding the lead in the Hindi remake of Josh Boone’s 2014 American romantic drama, The Fault In Our Stars, based on John Green’s novel of the same name, it has now emerged that Sushant Singh Rajput has been signed on to play the male lead. Produced by Fox Star Studios, the Hindi remake will be directed by casting director Mukesh Chhabra. The film is expected to roll next year.

The American film featured Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Nat Wolff and revolved around Hazel Grace Lancaster, played by Woodley, a 16-year-old teenager living in Indianapolis who has terminal thryroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. She is urged by her mother to attend a weekly cancer patient support group to help her make friends with individuals who are going through the same thing. There, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a teenager who lost a leg to bone cancer and the two bond over books, going on to meet Peter Van Houten, the author of An Imperial Affliction, a novel about a cancer-stricken girl named Anna whose experience parallel’s Hazel, which she had given Augustus to read.

“Mukesh was the one who introduced Sushant to Abhishek Kapoor for Kai Po Che! He had always wanted to work with him and felt he would be perfect for this film. He is currently on the lookout for his leading lady. Though inspired by the Hollywood film, the script will be adapted to Indian sensibilities,” informed a source close to the production.

Chhabra, when contacted, confirmed the news, saying, “Yes, I am on board for The Fault in Our Stars remake. I’m working on the script at the moment. Sushant is the leading man and we are still in the process of casting the heroine.”