What drives a filmmaker to remake their movie for a new set of viewers? The curiosity to see whether the story can be told differently without losing its essence, says Madhumita. For her Hindi film debut with Kaalidhar Laapata, the director has adapted her Tamil offering, KD (2019). “After KD received accolades, I was fielding calls from all corners — Malayalam, Hindi, and even Korean filmmakers,” she laughs.

A still from the Tamil original, KD (2019)

She chose to adapt the film in Hindi as the language and culture offered familiarity. There was another reason she revisited the story of a man who sets out to live his life with joy and purpose, after learning that he is battling dementia. “In KD, our hero is an 80-year-old man. For the Hindi version, I thought what if our protagonist was younger, someone who has never lived for himself? He’s not ready to say goodbye. Also, in the Tamil version, the little boy is tough and short-tempered. But Ballu, in Hindi, holds on to his innocence like a prized toy. So, adapting KD in Hindi was also about exploring new shades of hope,” reflects Madhumita.