“It’s something of a personal triumph for me, as it doesn’t contain a hint of dialogue,” explained Smith, whose trademark is his liberal use of dialogue in his films and comics.

Smith said he didn’t need to be talked into tackling a silent story, and he ultimately didn’t find it very difficult.

“I’d assumed I’d lapse into dialogue somehow over the course of the story,” said the writer. “Turns out I never had to, and the piece is the stronger for it.”

Harvey Keitel, Joey Lauren Adams and Ed Quinn have signed on to star in “Beeper,” being produced and financed by Ushakiron Movies Intl. (the production arm of Ramoji Film City) with L.A.-based indie production outfit Shoreline Entertainment.

Pic starts shooting this month at the Ramoji Film City studios in Hyderabad, India, the facility headed by chairman Ramoji Rao and P. Ramesh of Ushakiron Movies.

The English-lingo thriller is being directed by Jack Sholder (”The Hidden”), and produced by Shoreline’s Morris Ruskin and Vicky Pike, who also are handling worldwide sales on it.

“Beeper” revolves around a California doctor (Quinn), whose young son is kidnapped during a medical conference in India. The doctor receives a beeper from the kidnappers with instructions that lead him to a drug dealer (Keitel). Adams plays a police officer who helps track the kidnappers.

“India is the natural location for this film, which is a fast-paced action thriller,” Pike and Ruskin said in a statement. “We are very happy to be working with Ushakiron Movies Intl. and at Ramoji Film City, where the facilities provide everything that we would have in Hollywood.”

One of India’s leading media barons/industrialists, Rao said in June that he expected to invest up to $100 million in joint ventures and co-productions with U.S. film and TV companies. “Beeper,” is one of the first projects to result from these discussions.