Shamita Shetty, Swastika Mukherjee to star in Black Widows remake

Swastika Mukherjee, Shamita Shetty, and Mona Singh will topline the cast of an Indian adaptation of the popular international show, Black Widows.

Scandinavian producers Roope Lehtinen and Mikko Polla had announced earlier that their hit crime drama Black Widows — which narrates a darkly comic story of three best friends who try to kill their abusive husbands — is all set for an Indian adaptation. 

The Indian version will be the eighth international remake of the show, following versions in Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, the Middle East, Mexico, Scandinavia and the Czech Republic.

While the original starred Beate Bill, Cecilia Forss and Synnove Macody Lund, the cast of the Indian version was yet to be revealed back then.

It has now been announced that along with Mona, Swastika, and Shamita, the Indian web series will also feature Sharad Kelkar, Raima Sen, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Aamir Ali.

"It feels great to start working again, amid safety measures. What is more exciting is the project itself! Being part of a popular international show with seven remakes that is being adapted in India, is a huge opportunity," said Mona.

The show is helmed by Bengali filmmaker Birsa Dasgupta, and parts of it will be shot in Kolkata.

Swastika added, "It is fun to shoot in Kolkata, where I grew up. There is a great level of comfort, with safety and health as priority. This is a dream project for us all. How often do you get a chance to be part of an international adaptation with a talented director like Birsa and a phenomenal cast?"

Shamita said, "It is not your run-of-the-mill storyline and at the same time, it is a genre that has not been explored in India as it has internationally. Dark humour is tough to understand and even tougher to act! But we are trying out best."

The shooting of the ZEE5 show is currently underway. Two seasons are being lined up right now. The first season is expected to be released in December.