Box Office India Trade Network

Anurag Singh may have a trio of Punjabi cinema's highest grosser to his credit - Punjab 1984, and Jatt and Juliet 1 and 2, all featuring Diljit Dosanjh - but he is realising his childhood dream only now. The 40-year-old writer-director, who learnt the ropes of filmmaking in Australia, has wrapped up Punjab's first superhero film, Super Singh, with Diljit sporting red underwear over blue pants, a la Superman. But unlike his Hollywood counterpart, Diljeet's also wearing a red turban.

“Growing up, every night I prayed that I'd wake up as Superman. Now, Diljit's playing a superhero in my next film,“ Anurag beams, adding that the film which marks Ekta Kapoor's foray into Punjabi cinema, is presently in post-production and is expected to release in June, 2017.

Next, he'll take his dream up a notch having just locked the script of his big-budget Bollywood debut. Tentatively titled Hanumaan, it'll be produced by Junglee Pictures. “It's a superhero film that marries mythology with modern technology. Without delving into ancient concepts, we're re-inventing the morals he stands for,“ explains Anurag who met Priti Shahani, President, Junglee Pictures two years ago and sketched out the idea to her in one line. “She called the concept a 'clutter-breaker' and though we discussed other ideas, she kept coming back to this one. Now, it's like we are both realizing our dream,“ he recalls.

A few names have been discussed but the lead pair of the film is yet to be cast. Point out that Hanuman, son of the wind God Pawan and a loyal devotee of Ram, is known as a brahmachari who had taken a vow of celibacy, and scripting a love-interest for him could agitate devotees, Anurag says confidently that Hanuman bhakts will be the biggest fans of his film. “I'm not questioning the legend of Hanuman, rather like any devotee, I'm appreciative of him. The tone will be reverential, just as it is in animation shows for children like Chhota Bheem, Bal Ganesh and Bal Hanuman, but the film's scale is huge,“ he clarifies, adding that the protagonist Hanumaan, is a fun guy with mischievous powers, drawn from Hanuman's energy, wisdom and devotion.

Earlier this year, Remo D'Souza's A Flying Jatt, featuring Tiger Shroff as a turbaned superhero, failed at the box-office. Ask Anurag why the Indian masses are far more receptive to American franchisee fares like The Avengers or The Dark Knight than to their Indian counterparts and he says, “I haven't seen A Flying Jatt so I cannot comment on it, but Koi... Mil Gaya and Krrish were brave attempts and did extremely well. More recently, Baahubali, even though not a superhero film in the true sense of the term, was an extraordinary success because the director merged Indian grammar with contemporary technique. For any superhero film, a classic tale needs a modern retelling. That said, you can't copy Hollywood in terms of scale because we don't have that kind of money. So you have to match them with your storytelling,“ Anurag signs off.