Korea’s Anthology Studios and India’s Panorama Studios have partnered for the remake of the Drishyam franchise in Korea.
Panorama Studios is backed by producer Kumar Mangat Pathak, while Anthology Studios is founded by former Warner Bros. local Korean production head, Choi Jae-won (aka Jay Choi), “Parasite” actor Song Kang-ho and acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon. The trio previously worked together on 2016 film “The Age of Shadows.” Anthology’s “Cobweb,” directed by Kim, produced by Choi and starring Song, is premiering out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25.
The two studios will join hands for the Korean remake of the Drishyam franchise. The announcement was made at the India Pavilion in Cannes on Sunday by the two studios with Pathak and Choi present.
Written and directed by Jeetu Joseph, the Malayalam-language “Drishyam” (2013) was headlined by superstar Mohanlal. It followed a cable TV operator whose simple world splinters after an accidental death involving his family, and his desperate measures to shield them from the law. The massive success of the film spawned hit remakes in several languages – in Kannada as “Drishya” (2014), starring Ravichandran, in Telugu as “Drushyam” (2014), starring Venkatesh, in Tamil as “Papanasam” (2015), starring Kamal Haasan, in Hindi as “Drishyam” (2015), starring Ajay Devgn and in Sinhala as “Dharmayuddhaya” (2017), starring Jackson Anthony. A Chinese remake “Sheep Without a Shepherd” (2019), starring Xiao Yang, grossed $199 million.
The Malayalam-language “Drishyam 2” was completed during the pandemic and had a direct-to-streaming release on Prime Video in 2021, followed by the Telugu-language “Drushya 2,” also on the service. The Kannada-language “Drishya 2” had a theatrical release the same year. The Hindi-language “Drishyam 2” was one of the biggest Bollywood hits of 2022, grossing $45 million worldwide.
Panorama Studios has bought all foreign-language remake rights of the Malayalam film. Jack Nguyen, formerly with Warner Bros., will serve as an executive producer on the Drishyam franchise remakes. Nguyen previously worked with Pathak on the Warner Bros.-Panorama Studios production “Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?” (2010).
While Korean films are routinely remade in India, with recent examples including “Oh! Baby,” a remake of “Miss Granny,” “Dhamaka” (“Terror Live”) and “Radhe” (“The Outlaws”), this is believed to be the first time an Indian film is being remade in Korea.
Pathak said: “I’m excited that the Drishyam franchise is being made in Korean. All these years, we have been inspired by Korean fare, now they have found a muse in one of our films. What can be a bigger achievement for the Indian film fraternity? This is the beginning of a valuable cultural exchange between both countries and their film industries.”
Choi added: “The remake has greater significance as the first major co-production between Korea and India. Through our partnership, we will be able to bring the best of both Indian and Korean cinema and make a meaningful remake that is as excellent as the original.”
Nguyen said: “I have history with and the utmost respect for these highly-regarded producers, so it was a natural fit for me to bring them together to collaborate on a great story in ‘Drishyam.’ I’m excited to help them make history with this first-of-its-kind Indian-Korean co-production.”
