The release of ‘Mr.India’ actor Anil Kapoor’s ambitious TV Show ‘24’, which was an official remake of the American series of the same name (starring Kiefer Sutherland), had set a discernible trend amongst Indian filmmakers, to follow the suit. Consequently, we have witnessed an onset on several small-screen shows (particularly on OTT platform) ranging from ‘The Office, ‘Four More Shots Please’, ‘Your Honor’, ‘Aarya’, ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘Out of Love’ – to name a few.
All these shows were either official adaptations/remakes of foreign (mostly American) shows or were loosely based or inspired by their foreign counterparts. Nevertheless, they gave Indian viewers a taste of novel content repackaged for the sensibilities of the Indian audience. Some of them outright clicked with the Indian viewers while others did not work.
We thought it would be exciting to carefully shortlist 5 commendable TV Shows from Hollywood, that should be remade for the Indian audience along with probable lead actors from the Bollywood film industry. So here is the list:
(1) BREAKING BAD– The show follows the life of an under-achieving chemistry genius Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston). After he is informed about his cancer diagnosis, he decides to use his knowledge to manufacture the world’s highest quality crystal meth, along with his former pupil Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) – in order to secure his family’s future. Both the show and lead actor Bryan Cranston had won the coveted Golden Globe Award for the best TV series and best performance, respectively.
Probable Lead Actors: Anil Kapoor (as Walter White) and Divyendu Sharma (as Jesse Pinkman).
(2) HOMELAND– Based on an Israeli show ‘Prisoners of War’, ‘Homeland’ follows a workaholic CIA agent Carrie Mathison (played by Claire Danes), who believes that a recently ‘released’ prisoner of war – marine sergeant Nicholas Brody (played by Damian Lewis) is planning to carry out a deadly attack against his own country. Events unfold at relentless speed in this one-of-its-kind terrorism-based TV Show, which had won two Golden Globes Awards for Best television series (drama). Both Claire Danes and Damian Lewis rightfully won Golden Globe Awards for the portrayal of their complex yet antithetical characters in ‘Homeland’.
Probable Lead Actors: Kangana Ranaut (as Carrie Mathison) & Kay Kay Menon (as Nicholas Brody).
(3) DEXTER- The show revolves around a ‘dexterous’ Miami-based blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall), who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer of criminals, who have somehow escaped justice. Although an acquired taste, the show was beautifully adapted from the novel ‘Darkly Dreaming Dexter’, and the outcome was an intense and gripping drama like this masterpiece. Lead actor and cancer survivor Michael C. Hall won a truly deserved Golden Globe Award for his multi-layered performance in Dexter.
Probable Lead Actor: Farhan Akhtar / Vikrant Massey (as Dexter Morgan)
(4) HOUSE M.D. – Arguably one of the toughest roles to play in television history, British actor Hugh Laurie did a fantastic job as the eccentric genius Dr.Gregory House in this television series, where he solves impossible medical mysteries in a style that is reminiscent of another eccentric fictional character ‘Sherlock Holmes’. Hugh Laurie had won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal in House M.D.
Probable Lead Actor: Naseeruddin Shah (as Dr.Gregory House)
(5) THE WALKING DEAD– In this post-apocalyptic survival-horror series, a police officer Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) wakes up from a coma to find himself seemingly alone in a world full of cannibalistic zombies. It’s high time for filmmakers and production houses to up the game, considering the Indian audience’ favorable reception to a full-on Zombie experience in Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Go Goa Gone’. A more recent and arguably the best Indian zombie film was Dibakar Banerjee’s segment in the anthology film ‘The Ghost Stories’ (2020). ‘The Walking Dead’ Indian adaptation would certainly the most ambitious and big-budget project in this list, and if executed, could be an important turning point in the history of Indian television.
Probable Lead Actor: Hrithik Roshan (as Rick Grimes)
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