American actor Kal Penn , known for roles ranging from self-conscious Gogol in The Namesake to stoner Kumar Patel in the Harold and Kumar franchise, draws inspiration from a wide spectrum of influences, including Tom Hanks and Mira Nair in the West and Amitabh Bachchan and Kokila Ben from Saath Nibhana Saathiya in India. ( Also read: Kal Penn x Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah crossover: Hollywood star visits sets of Dilip Joshi's TV show ) Kal Penn on remaking Don Penn, who grew up in an Indian immigrant household in the US, wants to remake Bachchan’s iconic film Don, featuring him in the lead role. The House actor was speaking at a session, titled You Can’t Be Serious, at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here at Hotel Clarks Amer on Friday.
“The influences I had were mostly American, like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Mira Nair certainly from the time I was a kid when she did Mississippi Masala and looking at her I thought if this woman can do it, then maybe there’s a path forward,” the 47-year-old said. “I remain..
. I mean, who isn’t a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan? The original Don is what I would love to remake, but it can still be escapist; it can still be in the same way, same colour palette, just like set in Brooklyn or set in Ohio,” he added. On his ‘addiction’ to watching Saath Nibhana Saathiya Penn, who was recently seen on the sets of popular Hindi comedy show Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, also got “addicted” to watching Hindi soap S.
