Aamir Khan’s ‘Forrest Gump’ Remake For Viacom18 Shifts to Turkey Shoot, Delaying Release
Production of “Laal Singh Chaddha,” starring Aamir Khan (“Dangal”) and Kareena Kapoor Khan (“Angrezi Medium”) has moved to Turkey, due to the continuing coronavirus crisis in India.
“Laal Singh Chadha” is an official remake of Paramount Pictures’ 1994 Oscar-winner “Forrest Gump,” being produced by Viacom18 Studios and Aamir Khan Productions. It is adapted by Atul Kulkarni from Eric Roth’s screenplay.
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The film’s shooting schedule in Punjab, northern India, was halted in March due to the pandemic. Consequently, the film’s release, originally scheduled for Christmas 2020, has now been pushed to Christmas 2021.
“We will still keep the Chirstmas (sic) date, not 2020, but in 2021. #LaalSinghChaddha. New Release Date. @aamir_khan @Viacom18Studios All focus on film completion for now!,” tweeted Viacom18 Studios COO Ajit Andhare.
The remake is directed by Advait Chandan whose debut feature “Secret Superstar,” also starring Aamir Khan, grossed $154 million during its 2017-18 rollout, including $124 million in China.
The Khan-starring 2016/17 release “Dangal” is the highest grossing Indian film of all time, with worldwide collections of $310 million, including $196 million in China.
Viacom18 is a joint venture of TV18, the media group controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and U.S. media conglomerate ViacomCBS.
In June, some of Aamir Khan’s domestic staff tested positive for COVID-19. They were quarantined immediately and taken to a medical facility. The star himself, his wife Kiran Rao, who is also a producer on “Laal Singh Chaddha,” and his mother all tested negative.
“Laal Singh Chaddha” is the second high profile Bollywood film to shift overseas during the pandemic. “Bellbottom,” starring Akshay Kumar, is shooting in Scotland.
India has 2.21 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 44,500 deaths directly attributed to it.
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