MUMBAI: Even though India’s Oscar entry Adaminte Makan Abu failed to make it to the last five at the Oscars, the critically acclaimed film has surely caught the eye of Bollywood.

J P Dutta, who is known for films like Border, Refugee, LOC Kargil and Umrao Jaan among others, will direct the Hindi version of the Malayalam Oscar-nominated film.

Adaminte Makan Abu is about a poor old man and his wife trying to put together the money for a Haj pilgrimage. While the original had Salim Kumar play the main protagonist, Dutta is eager to cast Amitabh Bachchan in the lead in the Hindi version.

While Dutta remained tightlipped about the rest of the casting, he has made it clear that he will dedicate the film to his deceased father O.P.Dutta who was very fond of the subject. Both had already begun to work on the Hindi version, when the senior Dutta fell ill.