‘The Bridge’ crosses to India for Hindi adaptation from Endemol Shine India & Black Knight Films

L-R: Rishi Negi & Saif Ali Khan

Banijay firm Endemol Shine India and Black Knight Films have partnered to adapt a Hindi version of the Danish/Swedish crime thriller format The Bridge.

Based on the series Bron/Broen (aka The Bridge), this new adaptation will be led by Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, who will also jointly produce under the Black Knight Films banner, and described the project as a “one-of-a-kind opportunity”.

The Banijay format begins with a dead body discovered on a border that is shared by two countries – half the body lies in one and the other half in another. This discovery leads to a joint investigation by the police forces of the two regions, forcing detectives from both sides to work together to solve the crime.

The Bridge has been adapted in multiple countries and languages, set across the international borders of US/Mexico, UK/France, Germany/Austria, Singapore/Malaysia and Russia/Estonia. It was originally created and written by Hans Rosenfeldt as a joint production of Sweden’s Filmlance International, part of Banijay, and Denmark’s Nimbus Film.

“The Bridge’s script is powerful, as it speaks a language recognised and enjoyed by audiences sitting anywhere in the world. It is a global story that can be made distinctively local, using the basic premise of the series and we look forward to recreating the magic of this show to captivate the Indian audience,” said Rishi Negi, who was appointed as CEO of Endemol Shine India last year, following the exit of Abhishek Rege after 15 years with the company.

Endemol Shine India is a joint-venture between Banijay and CA Media that produces more than 800 hours of programming each year, and is also behind titles including So You Think You Can Dance India and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

Black Knight Films has meanwhile produced films including Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail, Go Goa Gone and Agent Vinod.