Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal have been signed on for the Hindi screen adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story, Gulpo Boliye Tarini Khuro (The Storyteller Tarini Khuro). Mumbai Mirror reports that the film, titled The Storyteller, is being directed by Anant Narayan Mahadevan, and produced by Anjum Rizvi. Paresh Rawal will play the character of Tarini Khuro, a genial Bengali bachelor, and Naseeruddin Shah will play a Gujarati businessman.
A 2013 report in the ToI suggests that this film has been in the making for a while. Anant Mahadevan, as per the story, was very interested in another of Satyajit Ray’s short stories, Feluda. When he approached Ray’s son Sandip for the rights to the characters and the stories, Sandip refused. Later, Anant Mahadevan came across the Gulpo Boliye…, in which the central character Tarini Khuro meets a Gujarati businessman, and secured the rights to adapt this for film.
The Mumbai Mirror story quotes Anant as saying, “Naseer saab takes his time giving his nod, but 15 minutes into this narration, he told me he was doing the film, more so if Paresh bhai was in.”
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Some portions of the film have already been shot in Kolkata, with the director and Paresh Rawal set to return to the city for further shooting. “When we shoot in Kolkata in July, he’s (Sandip Ray) promised to visit the set and also give us a grand tour of Ray’s home and memorabilia. I’m looking forward to the pilgrimage,” Anant adds.
CP Surendran and Anant are working on the screenplay, with other cast and crew members yet to be announced. Anant hopes to have the film ready for a premier at the Cannes, where Satyajit Ray is greatly revered.
Pics: Wikipedia / The Times of India