Collin D'Cunha to helm Karan Johar-Guneet Monga's 'The Intouchables' remake
Academy Award-winner Guneet Monga Kapoor and Karan Johar are progressing with their Hindi remake of the popular 2011 French film, The Intouchables. In the latest development, Deadline has reported that the project has taken a significant stride forward by appointing Collin D'Cunha as the director for this adaptation. Notably, Johar and Monga obtained the remake rights from the Gaumont studio nearly a decade ago, in 2014.
Why does this story matter?
The Intouchables is a French buddy comedy-drama written and directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. The film achieved tremendous success, becoming the biggest box office hit in France. It was also selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 85th Academy Awards. In 2014, Johar's Dharma Productions and Monga's Sikhya Entertainment announced the Hindi remake of The Intouchables. The adaptation was initially slated to be directed by Mohit Suri.
Story of the French film 'The Intouchables'
The original film, featuring French actors Omar Sy and François Cluzet, told the story of an aristocrat who employs a young man from a disadvantaged background as his caregiver after becoming quadriplegic (a person affected by paralysis of all four limbs) due to a paragliding accident. This movie has inspired multiple remakes, including Telugu and Tamil adaptations (Oopiri and Thozha, respectively) and the American version The Upside starring Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.
Inspiring true story behind 'The Intouchables'
The Intouchables draws inspiration from the remarkable true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo—from an aristocratic Corsican family—who experienced a life-altering paragliding accident in 1993. In his book titled Le Second Souffle (A Second Wind), he candidly recounted how his profound friendship with his young Algerian caregiver, Abdel, played a pivotal role in rescuing him from a profound depression in the wake of the accident. Tragically, di Borgo breathed his last on June 1, 2023.
Collaboration between Dharma Productions, Sikhya Entertainment
Earlier in May, Johar's Dharma Productions officially entered into a strategic content partnership with Monga's Sikhya Entertainment to work on multiple projects encompassing feature films and digital formats. The duo first collaborated on the 2013 film, The Lunchbox, starring the late actor Irrfan Khan. Johar and Monga's most recent joint project, Kill, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness in September, marking another milestone in their partnership.
Meanwhile, D'Cunha shared excitement over upcoming project
D'Cunha—presently busy with post-production for the Amazon Prime Video series Call Me Bae starring Ananya Panday and Varun Dhawan—shared his enthusiasm for The Intouchables's Hindi adaptation. He reportedly stated, "Directing The Intouchables adaptation is an incredible honor for me as a filmmaker. I am honored to have the opportunity to bring this story to life for Indian viewers." D'Cunha's resume includes working as a first and second AD [assistant director] on successful films such as Sanju, Secret Superstar, and PK.
