South remakes are in and it isn’t just Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar or Kareena Kapoor who are biting the bait. Neil Nitin Mukesh and Ameesha Patel have joined the bandwagon as well by signing a Hindi film which would be the remake of a Tamil superhit. Tentatively titled Shortcut Romeo, the film is a romantic thriller and would go on floors by November.
“Yes, Neil and Ameesha have been signed for the remake of the Tamil hit Thiruttu Payale which had done quite well on its release half a decade back. The film was in fact one of the top successes of the year and had done a business of over Rs. 50 crores. It is a thriller about love and betrayal and has shocking twists and turns that audience won’t see coming,” informs a source.
Incidentally, Neil as well as Ameesha would have grey shades to their characters.
“The film isn’t one of those routine rom-coms that are pretty much in vogue today,” the source continues. “Instead it has a mature touch to it and requires actors who can look and play the part. Neil was roped in because the film takes forward the kind of image that he built after Johnny Gaddaar. On the other hand, for Ameesha too, it is pretty challenging, since it brings her back into the Humraaz zone.”
Shortcut Romeo would also mark the arrival of director Susi Ganesan in the Hindi film arena. A popular director down South, the director of Thiruttu Payale recently delivered huge success with Kanthaswamy [Vikram/Shriya Saran], Susi now joins the likes of A.R. Murugadoss [Ghajini] and Siddique [Bodyguard/Kavalan] who are stepping into Bollywood with remakes of their own South hits.
“Over the last couple of years especially, quite a few film makers wanted to buy the rights of Thiruttu Payale,” says a close associate of the director. “However this is when Susi felt that it would not be a bad idea to remake the film himself. When he started casting for the film, he felt that Neil and Ameesha suited the roles best.”
The film’s announcement pretty much extends the ‘thrilling’ journey of Neil and Ameesha, who would also be seen in the respective thrillers Players and Race 2 soon.