One would think that the big screen is the perfect medium for J P Dutta and his ambitious war dramas. But at a time when most are jumping on the OTT bandwagon, it looks like the veteran filmmaker too is ready to adapt to the times. mid-day has learnt that the director— known for Border (1997), Refugee (2000), and LOC: Kargil (2003)—is set to foray into digital entertainment with a war drama.

“The series’ script has been locked. It will be a big-scale patriotic drama based on a real war.  Disney+ Hotstar is keen to begin the shooting as soon as possible,” says a source close to the development. The offering will be produced by his daughter, Nidhi Dutta, under their banner.

It turns out Nidhi’s director-husband Binoy Gandhi was keen to direct the show. But since he is busy with Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon-starrer Ghudchadi, the veteran filmmaker decided to take things ahead. The source adds, “It’s an ambitious project for the streamer, and the top brass didn’t want to wait too long to kick-start it.” The makers are expected to begin casting soon.

 

This makes it the Duttas’ second project lined up this year alongside Border 2. Last year, it was reported that the sequel to the 1997 blockbuster would roll in 2024 with Sunny Deol and Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead. Border 2 has been designed to explore the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, with personal stories of the war heroes.