The popular late 1990s Doordarshan show “Captain Vyom” is on its way back. Mehta conceived and directed the 1998 futuristic sci-fi series, with Milind Soman in the title role, which became a cult classic. The story revolves around Captain Vyom, a super soldier who is assigned by the World Government and Vishwapramukh (Tom Alter) to nab 12 of the most dangerous criminals in the universe. Helmed by Kartika Rane as Lieutenant Maya, Alao enjoyed a 54-episode run on Doordarshan. Now, India’s original space/science-fiction superhero ‘Captain Vyom – The Sky Warrior’ is back after more than 20 years in a new, engaging and modern-day avatar.
Brewing Thoughts Pvt Ltd (BTPL), which is producing the ‘Shaktimaan’ trilogy in association with Sony Pictures International Productions, has acquired the adaptation/remake rights from Cosmos Maya. BTPL’s licensed rights include a five-part feature film franchise as well as an equal number of web series.
Veteran filmmaker Ketan Mehta, who produced the iconic show starring Milind Soman in the lead, says, “For me, Captain Vyom is an Indian-origin superhero for a global audience. And it is time India dreams of its own space. It has been a new century. This franchise, with an intergalactic space adventure at its heart, can also be the perfect platform to showcase the best VFX and CGI talent of our country.”
BTPL plans to develop Captain Vyom, a space/sci-fi superhero thriller on the lines of Hollywood sci-fi space dramas like “Star Trek”, “Star Wars” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” series. The makers have already received three to four lucrative offers from top studios and OTT platforms for the superhero franchise as well as co-production deals.
Milind Soman to return as Captain Vyom?
The cast for the adaptation of Captain Vyom is yet to be finalized, the makers are on the lookout for the best possible actors for their film.
“Not just that, some top A-list young stars have also shown keen interest in playing lead roles. Also, talks are on with top-rated filmmakers, who are looking to make their big-budget films as well as sensitive ones. Known for storytelling. The producers, however, are still in wait and watch mode, says a source close to BTPL. However, fans wondered if Milind Soman would also make a comeback:
“It’s a big challenge and a huge responsibility to try something like this, especially in India but we are keeping our fingers crossed. Also, it feels great that we relive our childhood days – the ’90s. decade – living again through their planned adaptations of hits. Doordarshan shows like Shaktimaan and Captain Vyom etc,” says film journalist-turned-producer Prashant Singh, director and co-founder of BTPL.
Initially, BTPL had planned to start work on the said franchise in 2020 itself, but the COVID-19 pandemic played a bad game and delayed their plans. Now however, the production house is all set to start with the first film of the series next year.
“With Reloaded Captain Vyom, we intend to create an exciting space/sci-fi genre in India. The idea is to merge concepts like Aliens, Spaceship, Time Travel and Space Exploration with beautiful storytelling and statehood. Backed by – Madhurya Vinay, Co-Founder, BTPL says, “The-art VFX is very exciting.”
–With ANI input