Looking at the string of films that Salman Khan has acted in or produced in recent years that have gone on to achieve glory at the box office, one can easily conclude that the superstar wants to take on as wide a variety of projects as possible.
Fresh off the heels of his recent hit, “Sultan,” the sports drama film, Salman Khan now plans to bring on screen the intriguing life of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian American founder of the popular erotic dance troupe called Chippendales.
Salman Khan confirmed to the Times of India that he will be producing the film. “A Bengali man, who moved from India to America in the late ‘60s, struggled and created one of America's most iconic brands. We are going to tell the story of Somen Banerjee, a man driven by fierce ambition, on celluloid,” he said.
The biopic, which will begin in Kolkata and move to Los Angeles, as well as parts of Europe, is expected to chronicle the rags to riches story of Banerjee, a Bengali immigrant and co-owner of the nightclub, Chippendales, which is known for its male striptease performances.
“The story of Somen Banerjee has all the shades of a gangster film — raw greed, power and violence. We’re currently working on the script and the plan is two-fold — to produce a feature film and to develop it as a mini-series as well,” the report quoted Amar Butala of Khan’s production house as saying.
Banerjee’s ascent to power was a historic one. He believed in the American dream and actually achieved it. A former gas station owner, Banerjee’s sharp acumen helped him turn around a failing Los Angeles bar, Destiny II, into a major success in the late ‘70s. The USP of his club, the first of its kind in the U.S.: male exotic dance night for women only.
Buoyed by the success of the club, he went on to co-found the Chippendales dance troupe. Within a few years, the company’s dancers started touring worldwide, becoming a huge sensation. But he allegedly succumbed to greed, and in his pursuit of power and money, became involved in crime and bloodshed.
In 1993, the Mumbai-born businessman was indicted for the murder-for-hire of his former choreographer/partner, Nick DeNoia. He admitted to hiring the hit man who shot DeNoia in 1987. He was also charged with conspiring to kill three of his former Chippendales coworkers.
Banerjee was sentenced to 26 years in prison. But a few hours before he was to be sentenced on Oct. 23, 1994, he was found dead in his cell in Los Angeles.
This is not the first time that this Indian American entrepreneur’s journey to stardom and his descent will be depicted on the celluloid. He was also the subject of the 2000 film, “The Chippendales Murder,” starring British Indian actor Navin Andrews.
0 comments:
Post a Comment