One of Bollywood’s biggest cult classics, director Dibakar Banerjee’s film ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ is now going pan-India as it will get remakes in multiple Indian languages including Telugu, Marathi and Kannada. There is also a possibility of remakes in Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bangla, but it has not been confirmed.
The other remakes were confirmed as revealed on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market, according to Variety.
A creative film, ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ is centered on a Delhi-based retired middle-class man who tries half-heartedly to get his land back from a swindling property dealer with the help of his sons and their friends.
The Kannada version will be directed by Adarsh Eshwarappa (titled ‘Shuddhi’), the Telugu version by Vinod Anantoju (‘Middle Class Melodies’) and the Marathi one by Kedar Shinde (‘Baipan Bhari Deva’).
The Kannada-language version will be set in northern Karnataka, with director Adarsh Eshwarappa saying: “‘Khosla Ka Ghosla!’ boasts a devoted cult following, and I firmly believe that such cinematic gems need to be accessible to today’s generation.
He further mentioned: "The remake presents an opportunity to reach a broader audience, enabling people to experience the film in their regional language, tailored to their cultural sensibilities. This adaptation ensures the movie’s legacy lives on and resonates with diverse viewers."
Regarding the Telugu version, director Vinod Anantoju said: “The themes that the movie discusses are relatable to people from any part of the country, even today. I have experienced similar situations myself. Khosla reminds me of my own father.
"Every character reminds me of someone I know in real life. That’s why the film feels so personal to me. I want to retain this relatability factor in my version and I believe the Telugu audience will also own the movie," he added.
For the Marathi version, Kedar Shinde said: “For the audience, the story will remain closely relatable, irrespective of its time period since the grassroot level problems still remain the same around us. And I strongly feel it’ll still be relatable in the forthcoming years too as human nature and thought processes do not change.”
“To most Indians, building a home in a lifetime is like a dream come true. It is relatable to a pan-Indian audience as property fraud is paramount and witnessed in large measure. Thus, the remakes of ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla!’ will be apt as there is a need to address the issue, entertain and monetise the creative rendition,” producer Savita Raj Hiremath told Variety.
She further added: “Many regional producers contacted us for the remake and after speaking with them we realised that they feel that ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla!’ still has a very big commercial value as good content cinema is now the new trend. The audience wants a break from action sagas too.”
‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ , while not a commercial hit, was nonetheless greatly acclaimed and overtime, much like ‘Lakshya’ has become a cult classic. The film was Dibakar Banerjee’s directorial debut and garnered him a win at the National Filmfare Awards with his second film ‘Oye Lucky Oye’ also receiving the same.
An experimental filmmaker, his films ‘Bombay Talkies’, ‘Love Sex Aur Dhoka’ and particularly ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!’ were all acclaimed. None of his endeavours in particular have been commercial successes.
