by Subhash K Jha

Even as the rush to re-make old Hindi classics is on in Bollywood, Sudhir Mishra—forever the rebel creator—has decided to do the unimaginable. He's ready to remke his own Hindi film, the 1996 noire-thriller Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin which featured Smriti Mishra, Tara Deshpande and Nirmal Pandey.

"It was a small but noticed film. I made it for Amit Khanna's (now defunct) Plus Channel. I enjoyed doing it then. But now when I look at Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin I see a lot of potential in it. I don't think it has dated a bit. In fact," Sudhir startles with his revelation.

"I'm re-making Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin completely in English for my friend Shekhar Kapoor who will produce the film. This time the plot about one thrilling night in the life of a cluster of distraught characters, would be located completely in England. It goes on the floors on 2007."

One of the more interesting aspects of this unconventional remake would be its cosmpolitan cast. "I want to cast someone like Adrien Brody in the lead. The female protagonist would be played by an Indian actress.

I've worked out the entire visual plan. I'll go into this film once I'm done with," says the director who's all set to film Bahut Nikle Mere Armaan—a nostalgic not-so-affectionate look-back at the politics of the 1950s—with Vidya Balan and Shiny Ahuja.

Says the director, "It's interesting for me to see so many directors doing remakes of other people's films right now when I'm remaking my own film, and that too in a different language. I don't think that has been done before."

Sooraj Barjatya remade two of the films produced by his banner. Hum Aapke Hain Koun was a remake of Rajshri Productions' Nadiya Ke Paar, while Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon remade the Rajshris' Chit Chor.

Neither were originally directed by Barjatya. Mehboob Khan is the only director so far to have remade his own film Aurat (1940) as Mother India (1957).