'Forrest Gump' Bollywood Remake in the Works

'Lal Singh Chadha' will be toplined by Aamir Khan and co-produced by his banner along with Viacom India's film unit and will begin filming later this year.

Indian superstar Aamir Khan will star in a Bollywood remake of the Tom Hanks-starring, Oscar-winning classic Forrest Gump.

The Hindi-language film will be entitled Lal Singh Chadha and star Khan in the lead role. It will be directed by Advait Chandan who helmed the actor's 2017 musical drama Secret Superstar. Lal Singh Chadha will be produced by the actor's banner Aamir Khan Films along with Viacom's Indian film unit, Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

The project was unveiled Thursday, on Khan's 54th birthday, at a media event in Mumbai. “We have bought the rights from Paramount," Khan told reporters, adding: "I have always loved Forrest Gump as a script. It is a wonderful story about this character. It is a feel-good film. It is a film for the whole family.” Khan also said the shoot would start from October.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the 1994 film was a critical and commercial hit, winning six Oscars, including for best picture, best director and best actor for Hanks. The film was based on Winston Groom’s 1986 novel of the same name.

Khan recently starred in the big-budget historical drama Thugs of Hindostan, which also featured Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. In a career spanning over three decades, Khan has starred in some of Bollywood's biggest hits, including such recent titles as wrestling drama Dangal, which also set records in China.

Official Bollywood remakes of Hollywood titles have been gathering steam in recent years. These have included 2017's Saif Ali Khan-starrer Chef, based on Jon Favreau's original, and 2014's Bang! Bang! toplined by Hrithik Roshan and Kaif, which was an adaptation of the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz-starrer Knight and Day.

Upcoming Bollywood remakes of Hollywood films include Kizie Aur Manny, Fox Star Studios India's take on The Fault in Our Stars, which has just wrapped filming, and a planned version of the Keira Knightley-Mark Ruffalo 2014 musical drama Begin Again, co-produced by Indian banners Abundantia Entertainment and T-Series.