Lara Dutta, Prateik Babbar to star in remake of 'Casual' for Lionsgate Play

MUMBAI: Actors Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar have come on board to feature in Lionsgate Play's first Indian original, a remake of the comedy-drama series "Casual".

Global streaming platform STARZ, which launched its Lionsgate Play direct-to-consumer OTT app last year, has partnered with Lionsgate Television (LGTV) on the series.

The show will be helmed by director Kunal Kohli, known for films like 2004 romantic-comedy "Hum Tum" and superstar Aamir Khan starrer 2006 drama "Fanaa".

"Partnering with Lionsgate Television to kick off our first original series tailored for the Indian and South Asian market is the next step in  curating our offering for our subscriber base who resonates with our bold, unique and defining series that make up our ‘Best of Global SVOD' content strategy," Jeffrey Hirsch, Starz President and CEO said in a statement.

  The 2015 original show, created by Zander Lehmann and directed by Jason Reitman, chronicled the story of a newly divorced single mother living with her brother and her daughter, navigating the world of dating.

The remake of "Causal" will kick off Lionsgate Play's first original slate of dramas, comedies, crime and action series for the Indian and South Asian market.

Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate Television Group Chairman, said the launch of Lionsgate Play's first slate of original series in the country is the "next logical step" in the growth of the platform.

"Our ability to kick off the Lionsgate Play original slate with the remake of a great intellectual property like 'Casual', with a renowned director and world-class stars, shows what we can achieve through the continued collaboration of our STARZ, Lionsgate Television and Lionsgate India businesses," the statement read.

Rohit Jain, Managing Director South Asia and Networks - Emerging Markets Asia, said the team is committed to bringing exciting premium content to India and other South Asian countries.

"We're excited to launch our first line-up of original series with a great slate of accomplished writers, directors and actors as we continue to broaden and diversify our strong and exceptionally well curated content offering," Jain said.

Dutta will be next seen in the upcoming Akshay Kumar starrer spy-thriller "Bellbottom", while Babbar will feature in filmmaker Sanjay Gupta's gangster drama "Mumbai Saga", set to open theatrically on March 19.