After a gap of nearly 17 years since they worked together on the critically-acclaimed film Kaalapani, National Award winning director Priyadarshan and cinematographer-director Santhosh Sivan will team up for the Bollywood remake of the super hit Tamil flick Nadodigal.

Santhosh said that, “I am definitely excited about the project because the last time I worked with him, I ended up winning the National Award for Best Cinematographer. Another reason this is special is that Sabu Cyril will be involved too,” he says, adding that the team is scheduled to start filming on June 30. Meanwhile, Priyadarshan, who is currently in the middle of a busy schedule, is also working on the pre-production of the Nadodigal remake.

Nadodigal’s Hindi version, which would mark Priyadarshan’s 19th Bollywood ‘remake’, will, however, be different from his previous adaptations as it will not feature any star, says a source close to the director. “He’s decided to cast only newcomers for the film, quite like what Samuthirakani did for the Tamil original. It’s one of those films where the script is given more prominence than the star cast. It’s a story about youngsters and has a lot of potential for them to perform,” says the source. The scripting of the Hindi flick, which will be shot in Mumbai and Mysore, is being done by Manisha Korde who previously penned Billu Barber, the Bollywood adaptation of Malayalam movie Kathaparayumbol (Kuselan in Tamil).