Kumar Mangat Pathak’s Mumbai-based Panorama Studios is teaming with South Korea’s Anthology Studios, co-founded by former Warner Bros exec Jay Choi, Cobweb director Kim Jee-woon and Parasite star Song Kang-ho, on a Korean-language remake of India’s Drishyam franchise.
The two studios will jointly produce the remake, marking the first collaboration between an Indian and a Korean studio, and the first time a Hindi film is being officially remade in the Korean language. Anthology plans to remake all three films in the Drishyam franchise, with production on the first installment expected to start next year.
US-based Jack Nguyen, who previously worked with Pathak on comedy Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, is on board as Executive Producer.
Panorama produced the Hindi versions of Drishyam (2015) and its sequel Drishyam 2 (2022), which both starred Ajay Devgn and were big hits in India. Originally a Malayalam-language film, the franchise has been remade in several Indian languages.
Panorama is lining up a third installment in the Hindi version of the franchise, and has remake rights to all three films for all territories outside of India. Remakes in Japan and the US are also in the works.
Pathak said: “I’m excited that the Drishyam franchise is being made in Korean, a first for a Hindi film. This will not only increase its reach outside India but will also put Hindi cinema on the global map. All these years, we have been inspired by Korean fare, now they have found a muse in one of our films.”
Choi said: “We are thrilled to have an opportunity to remake a massively successful Hindi film with a touch of originality from Korean cinema. And the remake has greater significance as the first major co-production between Korea and India. Through our partnership, we will be able to bring the best of both Indian and Korean cinema and make a meaningful remake that is as excellent as the original.”
Separately, China Film Group produced a Chinese version of the first Malayalam-language installment of the franchise, Sheep Without A Shepherd, which was a huge hit in China in 2019.
Anthology Studios was co-founded by former Warner Bros Korea exec Jay Choi, director Kim Jee-woon (Cobweb) and Parasite star Song Kang-ho, who won best actor at Cannes last year for Broker. The company is a subsidiary of Korea’s SLL (formerly known as JTBC Studios).
Before founding Anthology, the trio worked together on The Age Of Shadows, which premiered at Venice film festival in 2016, and The Good, The Bad, The Weird, which premiered in Cannes in 2008.
Founded by Pathak, who is also Ajay Devgn’s manager, and his son Abhishek Pathak, Panorama is a leading producer and distributor in India. In addition to blockbusters like Drishyam, Pathak has produced smaller, critically-acclaimed films including Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara.
The company has also set up an international distribution outfit, Panorama Studios International (PSI), headed by international Murli Chhatwani and Rajat Goswani, which is handling films from Panorama Studios, Ajay Devgn Films and Luv Ranjan’s Luv Films. Panorama has also launched a music division, Panorama Music, to launch its own soundtracks.
“We believe in producing a slate of blockbusters, across different languages, and acquiring smaller films as a way to support new talent,” said Pathak. “We can take smaller films to international markets. In some cases, we’ve acquired independent films, which has enabled the director to make their second film.”
An example of that is comedy drama Love & Shukla, which Panorama acquired when its Netflix license expired, which enabled Siddhartha Jatla to finish his second film, In The Belly Of The Tiger.
PSI’s slate here in Cannes also includes Hindi-language drama Pachhattar Ka Chhora, starring Randeep Hooda and Sanjay Mishra, and Gujarati-language horror Vash, which Panorama is remaking in Hindi.
