Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha to star in Hindi remake of Bengali film

Mumbai: Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu will star in the Hindi version of an upcoming Bengali wildlife thriller film. With the veteran Nitish Roy as director, `Gehra Paani` will have Dutt play a mad scientist who creates a genetically evolved crocodile with individual intelligence but becomes a target of a gang of hunters wanting to capture the unique reptile for their lucrative business. The film`s first-time producer Avik Bagchi, who runs the diversified Prayag Group, told PTI that the Bollywood duo are expected to shoot at a film city in the Maoist-infested Jungelmahal area of West Midnapore district, where a giant 100 foot long crocodile has been created using pyrotechnics and CGI. This will be the first venture from Tollywood where such advanced digital technology and special effects have been used. The crocodile is a lovable one and is blessed with intelligence just like dolphins. The unconventional take on the reptile is an attempt to challenge the crocodile`s image of a stealthy cold-blooded predator and create awareness about the conservation of our wildlife habitat, Bagchi said. In Bengali, the film will be known as `Jole Jongole` where Mithun Chakraborty plays the lead along with Ashish Vidyarthi and Tinnu Anand. With Rs 25 crore being invested in both the versions, the films will also be shot in the forests of Sunderbans and release in 2013. Nitish Roy, who also penned the script along with Debaditya Dutta, said the idea germinated in him when he was working as an art director in the 2002 Hollywood horror film `Crocodile 2: Death Swamp`. "Wildlife movies are rare in Indian cinema and it took me 10 years to find a producer after I wrote the script while working for the Hollywood film. Producers are scared to make films on wildlife and science fiction," Roy said. As compared to the Bengali version, the Hindi one will have more `masala` to suit the palate of Bollywood audiences. The winner of three National Film Awards, Roy`s latest Bengali film `Gosainbaganer Bhoot` is running successfully at the theatres. PTI