The Malayalam blockbuster, Bhaskar the Rascal, starring Mammootty and Nayanthara as the lead pair, is all set to be remade in Tamil. Director Siddique will be wielding the megaphone for the Tamil remake as well.

Aravind Samy and Amala Paul have been signed up to reprise the roles played by Mammootty and Nayanthara. And now reports confirm that Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani has been roped in to play the antagonist. In fact, he will be making his debut in Kollywood with this remake. It may be noted here that Tollywood star JD Chakravarthy had done this role in the original.

On roping in Aftab for the role, director Siddique had told the Times of India that, “Aftab plays Amala's husband and is the antagonist in the film. We wanted someone who would match Arvind Swami's stature and also had the looks of a hero. After a long search, we finally zeroed in on Aftab for the role.” The director has said that all the characters would remain the same but the plot has been altered to suit the tastes of the Tamil audiences.

The shooting of this film is currently on with the second schedule ready to commence on May 9 in Kochi. Siddique was quoted as saying, “All the characters are essentially the same, we haven't tinkered much with them. However, we have substantially changed the second half of the plot for the Tamil audience.”

After completing the Tamil remake, director Siddique will begin the Hindi remake later this year with Sanjay Dutt playing the lead role. Released in 2015, Bhaskar the Rascal grossed around Rs. 25 crore worldwide with a 100-day run at the box office. The film had Mammootty, Nayanthara, JD Chakravarthy, Sanoop Santhosh, Baby Anikha, Janardhanan, Kalabhavan Shajon, Harisree Ashokan and Saju Navodaya in the cast.

(Content provided by Digital Native)