Pratik Gandhi, Rajkummar Rao or Ayushmann Khurrana — producer Anand Pandit is spoilt for choice. He has three candidates in mind to headline the Hindi adaptation of his hit Gujarati film Chaniya Toli (2025), which released last Diwali. While the Hindi adaptation is in the works, the producer also plans to make versions in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada.

Directed by Jay Bodas and Parth Trivedi, Chaniya Toli revolves around a teacher who enlists the help of seven women to rob a regional bank and deliver his own version of justice against corruption.

“I have Pratik Gandhi, Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana on my wishlist as all three are excellent actors and suit the role of the teacher,” begins Pandit, adding that scripting for the Hindi version is underway.

“We will finalize a director from the Hindi film industry after [the script is ready]. We are also exploring the opportunity of making it in four South languages with a South star and director. Despite being an independent production, [we may join hands] with somebody. It is the first time that a Gujarati film of mine is being remade in Hindi and other languages,” he smiles.

The film, which tackles middle-class financial woes, will resonate with audiences across regions, believes Pandit. “The story is universal. A bank heist can be shown in any language. It is loosely inspired from a true story in the 1970s when farmers faced a massive drought in Gujarat. While localised banks lent money to the farmers, [they charged huge interest rates].”

While he hopes to cast an established actor as the mathematics teacher, the seven women in the heist gang will be fresh faces — “from 20-year-olds to a 70-year-old daadi who will be an expert in some field”. “I plan to cast seven new faces from across India for the female roles. We took unknown faces but good female actors even in Chaniya Toli. Our hero is the story; the social message will be a suspense,” he concludes.