Dibakar Banerjee is all set to direct his first English film A Terrible Country, based on Keith Gessen's eponymous novel, reports Variety. The film will star Shubham Saraf, known for his roles in Shantaram and A Suitable Boy, as the protagonist. Jonathan Reiman will produce the film under his banner Fast Forward International. Banerjee and Dhruv Sehgal, the creator of Netflix's Little Things, are set to adapt the novel for the screen.
The adaptation, set in India, will follow a struggling British-Indian scholar who leaves London for Delhi to take care of his ailing grandmother. As he navigates the complexities of family, conflicting ideologies, and personal desires, the scholar confronts the true price of his idealism in a nation he struggles to comprehend.
Banerjee brings a wealth of experience to this new venture. His notable works include Shanghai, starring Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin; Bombay Talkies, featuring Rani Mukerji, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Amitabh Bachchan; and the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Love Sex Aur Dhokha. He also served as a director on the International Emmy-nominated anthology Lust Stories. Most recently, he directed Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 for Netflix.
Shubham Saraf recently completed production on the Cliffhanger reboot, alongside Pierce Brosnan, Franz Rogowski and Lily James, and Gurinder Chadha's Christmas Karma. The actor is shooting the Apple series Star City alongside Anna Maxwell Martin and Rhys Ifans.
Banerjee expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, "Gessen's work is universal to any human and culture grappling with identity, belonging and unbelonging in our fast changing world. It will be a turbulent ride I’m really looking forward to."
Saraf echoed this sentiment, adding, "Dibakar has long been a hero of mine and it is nothing short of a dream come true to have the chance to work with him on such an impactful project."
Reiman praised Banerjee's involvement, saying, "I cannot think of a better way to bring this deeply moving story to the world than with Dibakar at the helm."