Park City, Utah
Edina native Annie Sundberg has co-directed and produced some acclaimed films on topics ranging from genocide in Darfur to Burmese democracy activists, to Joan Rivers. Through it all, her focus has been character-driven documentaries.
But with her fifth Sundance nonfiction film Sundberg is presenting a real-life character so charismatic that he's inspiring his own fictionalized spinoff.
Meet Calcutta private eye Rajesh Ji, sleuth and song-and-dance showman.
"The Bengali Detective," produced by Sundberg and directed by Phil Cox, follows Ji on wild adventures in Calcutta's criminal underworld as he tracks down adulterers, frauds, even multiple murderers -- while simultaneously pursuing his dream of performing on an Indian national TV talent show. Like a nonfiction Bollywood film, his life is a manic mix of danger, intrigue and dance fever.
Fox Searchlight Pictures optioned the rights to remake "The Bengali Detective" as a fictional feature film on Monday, just three days after its debut in the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition.
"We adored this film and are delighted to have the chance to work with such entertaining, funny material," said Fox Searchlight production chief Claudia Lewis.
