UTV Spotboy Announces ‘Kai Po Che!’

UTV Motion Pictures has officially bought the rights to the bestselling book that was first published in May 2008 and had an initial print-run of 420,000 copies with many reprints after that. Abhishek Kapoor dons the director’s mantle for the first time since Rock On! with a screenplay written by Abhishek himself, Pubali Chaudhuri, Supratik Sen and Chetan Bhagat.

The film, titled Kai Po Che! which highlights the coming of age of a group of three middle class youth, started shooting in April. A fresh new cast will be launched in it.

“If ever there was a script that captures an era in our history and defines an entire generation on celluloid, this is it. Abhishek, Pubali, Supratik and Chetan have done a magnificent job of adapting Chetan’s book into a screenplay that has the potential to emerge into an iconic film like Rang De Basanti or Dil Chahta Hai, which captured the essence and aspirations of the youth,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Studios, Disney UTV on the announcement.

Excited about this development, Chetan Bhagat says, “3 Mistakes of My Life is a very special book for me. It has ingredients of making a great film about friendship, romance, dreams and setbacks.”

Abhishek Kapoor, who dons the director’s hat after three years, reveals more about the project. He says, “I’m being true to the roots of Chetan’s brilliant novel that is set in Gujarat. The title Kai Po Che! and the decision to shoot in Gujarat, stem from the fact that the film is about the journey of three friends who hail from the magnificent state of Gujarat. We wanted to be as true to its ethos as possible. The story is universal, but the soul is uniquely Gujarati.”

Kai Po Che! will also see the musical sensation Amit Trivedi (of Dev.D, Udaan fame), who is also working with UTV on Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and Ghanchakkar, composing for it, in collaboration with the poetic genius Javed Akhtar who is penning the lyrics.