News USA

Priyanka Chopra and Madhuri Dixit comedy series confirmed, ABC to produce it

Rumoured to be based on the life of famed Indian actress Madhuri Dixit Nene, a pilot episode of the series will be shot and presented to the channel.

The news of Priyanka Chopra and Madhuri Dixit collaborating on a comedy series produced by ABC a couple of weeks ago sent fans into a tizzy. Reports suggested that the two actresses were in talks to jointly produce a comedy series based on the life of a Hindi film actress. Dixit is also expected to star in the show, which will boradcast on ABC channel.

This news has now been confirmed.The writer of the pilot show, Sri Rao, put up a picture on his Instagram account, posing alongside the two actresses and announcing the deal.

Sri Rao captioned the image with, "I mean, does it get any better than this? I'm thrilled to be developing a new project for ABC bringing together two Bollywood icons for the very first time, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra. The 8-year-old Bollywood fanboy in me is freaking out! #dreamscometrue #bollywood #madhuridixit #priyankachopra @abcnetwork @abcquantico #screenwriter #writersofinstagram."

The series will follow the life of a Hindi film star who settles down in the suburbs of America with her bi-cultural family, bringing her starry lifestyle to a dull suburb.

The entertainment magazine, Variety, suggested that the show is based on the life of Madhuri Dixit-Nene, who shocked the Indian film industry, by settling in the United States after her marriage to doctor Sriram Nene in 1999.

Sri Rao, who has worked with Hindi cinema as well as television shows like 'General Hospital: Night Shift' in America, will pen the pilot. He is also the executive producer, along with Madhuri Dixit's husband, Sriram Nene.

Despite the confirmation, the channel has not yet 'greenlit' the show. Chopra and Dixit will have to now oversee a pilot episode of the show, based on which the channel will make its decision. The cast and crew for the show have not been announced yet.

The two actresses will have the expertise of Mark Gordon Company (MGC)  on their side. MGC has produced hit television shows such as 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Ray Donovan' and Chopra's television debut, Quantico.

Chopra is currently shooting for the third season of Quantico, and also has projects like Silas Howards' A Kid Like Jake, and Todd Strauss-Schulson's Isn't It Romantic? lined up.

Having launched her production venture, Purple Pebble Pictures, back home in 2016, the actress has proved her knack at producing with the National award winning Ventilator (2016) and Kaay Re Rascalaa (2017). The actress' production house has films in multiple languages set to be released this year. These include Pahuna, a Sikkimese film, and a Bengali film, Nalini, based on the life of poet Rabindranath Tagore.

With this first production venture in the United States, the actress looks to be taking things up a notch.