Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Gurinder Chadha are among the filmmakers signed on by Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment's first foray into the Indian entertainment scene. According to Variety.com, Akhtar is set to adapt Shweta Bachchan-Nanda's novel, Paradise Towers, and Kashyap will take on stories from Suketu Mehta's Pulitzer nominated Maximum City.
Earlier in March this year, reports emerged that Gurinder Chadha had been signed on for a large scale animated feature based on Nidhi Chanani's graphic novel, Pashmina. Nagesh Kukunoor and Imtiaz Ali have also been signed on for projects by the production house.
Ali will be the the showrunner and direct the pilot episode of The Conch Bearer, based on Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s 2003 young adult fantasy novel. Meanwhile, Nagesh Kukunoor will direct Deb, an eight-part series which is a thriller rooted in Indian mythology.
In addition to the Indian contingent, American director Paul Feig will develop a 30-minute comedy series about Indian-Americans titled Break with Room with Paul Feig.
The company, Hyde Park Entertainment, is set to launch their own production setup in Chennai later this year. The production house has acquired the rights to Suketu Mehta's bestselling narrative nonfiction book, Maximum City. Anurag Kashyap has been roped in as the showrunner to adapt stories about the city, and the interconnected world of politics, crime, and cinema.
Similarly, Zoya Akhtar has been signed on to adapt stories from Shweta Nanda-Bachchan's recent novel, Paradise Towers. The book deals with the intertwining lives, fights, and relationships between neighbours.
Variety reported that Amritraj is set to invest $1.5 million per episode for these series, with the features being marked in the $5-7 million range. The report quoted the producer saying, "Now more than ever the Hollywood dream needs to be multicultural and all inclusive. I look forward to collaborating with wonderful Indian and Asian talent long into the future to tell unique and authentic stories that reflect our global world."
Kashyap is currently working on the release of his upcoming production, Saand Ki Aankh (2009), and will also be part of the Ghost Stories (2020) anthology, which will also have Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, and Dibakar Banerjee directing short films.