Kahaani's Hollywood remake: Producer thankful to Bengal CM

Bengali actor-producer Arindam Sil, whose company is handling the regional production of Hollywood film "Deity" - the remake of Bollywood blockbuster "Kahaani" - Saturday expressed gratitude to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for extending help for the shooting in Kolkata.

The remake will be directed by Niels Arden Oplev of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" fame, while Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries) and Richard Regen (Tehran) have scripted the adaptation.

Starring Vidya Balan in the lead role, "Kahaani" was directed by Sujoy Ghosh and had Sil as its executive producer. The film was largely shot on the streets of Kolkata.

"Deity" is a thriller about an American woman who goes to Kolkata in search of her missing husband. As she gets closer to the truth, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous conspiracy.

The story unfolds in the context of a colourful, week-long festival.

Sil, who was recently honoured by the state government with the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Samman award, said Kolkata will be captured in a different perspective in the remake.

At the award function, Banerjee had remarked that after Bollywood, its Hollywood's turn to come to Kolkata.

"This is a proud moment for Kolkata and we are actually crossing all borders to become an international hub of film making, which of course it already was.

"I am grateful to our Mamata Banerjee, who has extended all help for the making of this film here in Kolkata. Need the support of all Kolkatans," Sil said in a Facebook post Friday and iterated the same Saturday to a TV channel.

"The way we look at Kolkata is different from the way it is perceived by outsiders. Therefore, the Hollywood version will show us a different side to the city," he added.

The international movie will be financed and produced by YRF Entertainment, and starts production in February 2015. It will be shot on different locations in Kolkata.

Sil's production company Nothing Beyond Cinema is in-charge of the Kolkata leg of shooting.