The filmmaker announced the acquisition of rights for the graphic novel Rakshak.
Sanjay Gupta aims high with first major comic book franchise, Rakshak
Mumbai - 26 Dec 2019 11:51 IST
Shriram Iyengar
With Marvel ascending to global dominance with its comic book franchises, it was time Hindi cinema followed suit. A prospective film on the Indian superhero Nagraj aside, there have been few attempts in the direction. Kaabil (2017) director Sanjay Gupta is set to change it with his acquisition of the rights for Yali Creations' graphic novel, Rakshak.
The director announced the acquisition, and the news to transform the novel into a movie franchise on Christmas eve.
So proud and happy to announce that my company White Feather Films has acquired the rights for RAKSHAK. A thrilling graphic novel about a vigilante superhero.
— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) December 24, 2019
This is India’s first graphic novel to be made into a massive & ambitious feature film to be directed by me. pic.twitter.com/xXGxBkwLX7
Rakshak, created by Yali Dream Creations Co and publisher Arvind Srivatsangam, tells the story of Aditya Shergill, a debilitated armed forces officer who decides to take on criminals outside the ambit of the law.
The filmmaker is currently working on the gangster epic, Mumbai Saga (2020), featuring John Abraham, Ronit Roy, and Emraan Hashmi.
Gupta is not the only one to focus on a comic book novel. There have been reports of Ranveer Singh being approached to play the Raj comics superhero, Nagraj. The actor has not confirmed the reports, but Raj Comics publishers confirmed that the talks were on.
In addition, Ranbir Kapoor is also set to play a superhero in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra, which is scheduled for a 2020 release.
