Tiger Shroff to play lead role in Rambo remake

He will essay Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character in the Indian remake of Hollywood saga

The official Indian remake of Rambo has found Bollywood's answer to Sylvester Stallone it seems.

Rising star Tiger Shroff – of Baaghi and Heropanti fame – will play the iconic action character in the forthcoming remake, which will be directed by Siddharth Anand (Bang Bang) and co-produced by M! Capital Ventures, Original Entertainment, Impact Films and Siddharth Anand Pictures, stated The Hollywood Reporter.

Anticipation for the Indian Rambo is huge across the country, where the casting of the lead character had been generating a great deal of speculation in the local media of late.

Principal photography for the film is slated to start in February, with a release targeted for late 2018. This new-fangled version of one of Hollywood’s most successful and iconic films will follow the last surviving member of an elite covert unit of the Indian Armed Forces who returns home to discover a war waging in his own land. Forced into dangerous jungles and frozen mountains of the Himalayas, the protagonist unleashes mayhem and destruction, becoming the unstoppable machine he was trained to be.



The project's producing team includes Anand, Daljit DJ Parmar, Samir Gupta, Hunt Lowry, Saurabh Gupta and Gulzar Inder Chahal.

"Being a martial artist and a huge action movie buff since childhood, this all seems very surreal, and I'm very grateful for this opportunity," said Shroff recently. "By no means do I believe I can replace the legendary Sylvester Stallone. However, I do feel that somehow, this is something I've been preparing for since childhood."

The world first met Rambo back in 1982 in First Blood, which made over $125 million at the box office worldwide. Since then, the film has been followed by a number of successful remakes, including the most recent Rambo (2008), which earned $113 million around the world.



"Rambo is one of the most iconic action blockbuster films from my generation," said Anand, who also directed Bang Bang, the successful Indian remake ($55 million worldwide) of Tom Cruise's Knight and Day. "I grew up looking up to heroes such as Stallone, and in a time where the Indian industry is lacking action characters of Rambo’s caliber, this is a perfect time to introduce Tiger in this role."

Anand continued, "I cannot wait to work with Tiger on this film. He has that aura about him, a power and vulnerability that will make him the next iconic action hero of our time."

Shroff, a martial arts expert as well as an actor, has been gaining popularity in Bollywood ever since the release of his 2014 debut in the action drama film Heropanti, which earned him a Filmfare Award for best male debut. He next starred in the action feature Baaghi, which also went on to become a big local hit.

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