Indian superstar Salman Khan will play the hardened detective lead in a planned remake of South Korean cop thriller “Veteran.” Rights for a Hindi adaptation were acquired by Reel Life Production from Korean major CJ Entertainment.
The deal continues a well-established trend of cross-over between the Korean and Indian entertainment sectors – not all of it legal – in recent years. Indian popular music and dance and K-Pop choreography appear to borrow liberally from each other, while Bollywood has frequently leaned on the high-concept stories delivered by Korean commercial movies.
The “Veteran” story pitches a tough detective against an arrogant young millionaire, who repeatedly uses his wealth and connections to escape being brought to justice. The Korean original was directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starred Hwang Jung-min as the veteran cop, with Yoo Ah-in as his playboy nemesis. Released in 2015, the film grossed $93.8 million and stands as the fourth-highest grossing Korean film of all time.
Variety reviewer Maggie Lee described “Veteran” as “pulsing with Neanderthal machismo,” and “unabashedly crowd-pleasing.” Khan has a string of hugely popular, macho roles in films including in “Dabangg,” “Ek Tha Tiger” and its sequel, as well as a more layered, tough guy performance in “Sultan.”
Khan also stars in now-in-production “Bharat,” a Hindi remake of CJ-produced melodrama “Ode to my Father.” His co-star is ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif, with whom Khan previously starred in “Yuvraaj.” Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and also produced by Reel Life, “Bharat” is expected to be released in June.
