Indian American Actor Kal Penn Expresses Interest in Remaking Amitabh Bachchan’s Don

Feature and Cover Indian American Actor Kal Penn Expresses Interest in Remaking Amitabh Bachchan’s Don

Indian American actor Kalpen Suresh Modi, popularly known as Kal Penn, has expressed a strong interest in remaking the 1978 Bollywood classic Don, originally starring Amitabh Bachchan. Penn envisions a Hollywood adaptation of the legendary thriller, reimagining it in a contemporary Western setting.

While speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India, Penn shared his admiration for Bachchan and his desire to introduce Don to an international audience. “I remain… I mean, who isn’t a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan? The original Don is what I would love to remake, but it can still be escapist; it can still be in the same way, same colour palette, just like set in Brooklyn or set in Ohio,” he remarked.

The actor, who was at the festival to promote his memoir You Can’t Be Serious, also discussed his personal connection to Indian television dramas. He revealed that he once had an “obsession” with the popular Hindi soap opera Saath Nibhana Saathiya, which revolves around the lives of an affluent Gujarati family. Watching the show, Penn said, was part of his effort to improve his Hindi language skills.

“Whenever I am working in India, I try to get a script two months in advance. One of the ways I try to learn and keep up with Hindi is by watching serials. So I got addicted to Saath Nibhana Saathiya, so like Kokila Ben is a bad***. You don’t want to cross her and Gopi is obviously a meme like Gopi washing a laptop,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Penn, widely recognized for his roles in The Namesake and the Harold & Kumar film series, was recently spotted on the sets of the Hindi comedy show Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma. Over the years, he has taken on a variety of roles in both films and television, including Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, Designated Survivor, and The Big Bang Theory.

During his discussion at the festival, Penn also highlighted the growing presence of South Asian talent in global entertainment. He acknowledged the contributions of creators like Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra, who have been instrumental in diversifying storytelling through digital streaming platforms.

The Jaipur Literature Festival, where Penn delivered his remarks, is renowned for featuring a distinguished lineup of speakers, including authors, journalists, and policymakers. The event regularly hosts Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners, making it a significant gathering in the literary and cultural space.

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