Shakespeare`s `Hamlet` to get Bollywood treatment

Mumbai: After `Macbeth` and `Othello`, Shakespeare`s another popular tragedy `Hamlet` is getting a Bollywood makeover by `Haasil` director Tigmanshu Dhulia.

Vishal Bhardwaj adapted the two other classics in his films `Maqbool` and `Omkara`. He had planned to complete the trilogy by making a film on `Hamlet` but things did not fall into place. And now Dhulia is moving ahead with his version of `Hamlet` and has roped in model-actor Pravesh Rana to play the tragic hero, who uttered one of the most famous lines in literature: `to be or not to be`. Rana, a former Mr India, was one of the finalist in `Big Boss 3` and now hosts the very popular show `Emotional Atyachar`on Bindas. Paresh Rawal has also been approached to play the role of the uncle, Claudius. The film will be produced by Brand Smith Motion Pictures. "The story has a very contemporary setting and has been written keeping the audience in mind. It centres around an affluent `zamindaar` family. The location has not been decided upon yet but it will have to be some place with a strong `jat` influence, may be Meerut or some place in Haryana," CEO Rahul Mitra told media. Mitra said that the film will go on the floors sometime in August and the budget of the film is more than their last film `Sahib, Biwi and Gangster`. Dhulia, a National School of Drama (NSD) graduate, says he wanted to make a film on Hamlet since his student days. "This is my dream project. I have always been fascinated by this tragedy and wanted to make a film on it since I was in college. "Vishal did announceto make a film on this subject but as far as I know his his project is not coming anytime in near future. If he was really making the film, I would never have laid my hands on it," said Dhulia. PTI