Double Occupancy Has Hindi Remake Offers on the Table, Khushbu Says

A fantasy rom-com built on a premise this odd does not usually travel, which is what makes the news from its thanksgiving meet notable: producer Khushbu Sundar said Bollywood has already come knocking with offers to remake Double Occupancy in Hindi. The film, out since June 12, follows a person born with an anomaly that splits their day in two, lived as a woman from six in the morning to six in the evening, and as a man from six at night to six the next morning. It is a hook that could be rebuilt in any language, and the Hindi industry seems to agree.

Khushbu, who produces under Avni Movies alongside the film’s other backer Benzz Media, turned emotional at the gathering and was quick to push the credit away from herself. “As a producer, I don’t want to take any credit,” she said. “The entire success goes to the cast and crew of Double Occupancy, whom we trusted and gave the project, and today they have proved it.” The meet doubled as a personal milestone for the family: the film marks the debut of her daughter Anandita Sundar as a creative producer, and Khushbu singled her out for steering the project through.

She also laid out the house rule that governs everything Avni puts out. “Sundar and I have only one formula,” she said. “People who spend their hard-earned money and come to theatres with their families to watch our films should have ultimate enjoyment. They should feel paisa vasool when they walk out.” On the evidence of the reception, the bet held: the film’s dual-identity premise drew a warm response, with the relationship between its two unseen co-inhabitants singled out as the part that lands hardest.

Directed by debutant Aswin Kandasamy, Double Occupancy leans on a young cast of Santhosh, Reshma Venkatesh, Samyuktha Viswanathan and Vinoth Kishan, with a score by Sam CS. For a first-time director working an unconventional concept with newcomers, a theatrical run that has now pulled remake interest from another industry is the kind of outcome most debuts do not get. The Hindi offers are still just offers, but they put a number on how far this small fantasy has already reached.