Jacqueline Fernandez in talks to play Smita Patil’s character in Arth remake

Jacqueline Fernandez, who was last seen in Tips Films’ action entertainer Race 3 (2018), has been approached for the remake of Mahesh Bhatt’s cult film Arth (1982). Reportedly, the gorgeous actress is in talks for the role which was originally played by late actress Smita Patil.

According to reports, the remake will be helmed by actress-turned-filmmaker Revathi, who has previously directed such films as Mitr, My Friend (2002) and Phir Milenge (2004). She has been working on the script for quite some time now. And now that the final draft of the script is locked, she has commenced the casting process.

“Now with that (script) in place, the makers reached out to Jacqueline recently and she really liked both, the concept and her role. She is really excited to be part of the remake of an iconic film like Arth and had given her verbal consent to the part but is yet to sign on the dotted line,” a source reveals to an Indian daily.

Helmed by veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, Arth is a film which was considered ahead of its time upon its release. The movie had power-packed performances by acting greats like Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

For those who have not seen the film, it revolves around a woman (Shabana Azmi) who realizes her true worth after separating from her husband (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). Her husband leaves her for another woman (Smita Patil) who is an actress. But overcome by guilt, the actress leaves the man and ends up all alone.

Interestingly, Revathi, who is gearing up to remake the cult film, played the character of Shabana Azmi in the 1993 Tamil remake of the movie called Marupadiyum. The film was both a critical and commercial success.

Meanwhile, Jacqueline Fernandez will next be seen in Dharma Productions’ much-delayed film Drive. Also starring Sushant Singh Rajput, the actioner is directed by Dostana (2008) fame filmmaker, Tarun Mansukhani. She is also expected to join forces with superstar Salman Khan for the next instalment of Kick (2014).