Vidhu Vinod Chopra wants to direct ‘Wazir’ for Hollywood

Mumbai: Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra wants to direct the Hollywood version of Amitabh Bachchan-Farhan Akhtar starrer 'Wazir', says his frequent collaborator Abhijaat Joshi.

“He (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) was going to direct this in Hollywood. And for four years we wrote the script that he wanted to direct.

“Right now he got interested in Bejoy Nambiar’s work and he showed him the scripts that we had. Bejoy picked this one ('Wazir') and he sat with him for two years adapting it in Hindi,” Joshi told PTI.

The germ of the idea for Chopra’s upcoming home production film 'Wazir' came up in 1988 initially.

“It was originally conceived on September 11, 1988 and that is when I read this piece of news. It is that time when I wrote the first draft and that time it was called ‘Chess’ and then when I met writer Abhijaat Joshi in 1994 and discussed this with him,” Chopra added.

Considering the fact that the film 'Wazir' has been in the making since quite sometime, Joshi insists there have been several changes.

“He (Chopra) developed it also…it (film) has been changed completely from that point on. And that was the trigger,” Joshi said.

“He introduced the theme of chess. A sportsman’s murder is something that interested him that time. Six years later he told me the idea..the first time I met him was in 1994..he told me about two chess players and a thriller and I liked the idea,” the writer added.

'Wazir' stars Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan and Aditi Rao Hydari.

Interestingly, both Farhan and Big B agreed to do the film after reading its draft in English.

“Both Farhan and Mr Bachchan agreed to do the film reading the English script and then we adapted and casted the actors. When the Hindi version was directed we knew who is going to act. This is the first time Farhan is doing action,” Chopra said.

The film directed by Bejoy Nambiar is scheduled to release on January 8.

78-year-old Hoffman is an American actor and director. He is known for his versatile portrayals of anti-heroes and vulnerable characters. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1979 for 'Kramer vs Kramer' and in 1988 for 'Rain Man'.