The Remakes-Same Old Story

BOLLYWOOD has now entered a new age -The Age of Remakes. See the hype over Don, starring Shahrukh Khan, which is a remake of old movie of the same name, starring Superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Another remake, which saw the darkness of the cinema halls, was Umrao Jaan, with Aishwarya Rai playing the role that Rekha did years ago. ‘Don’ was not the first film that was remade with Shahrukh as the main protagonist. It was Devdas five years ago that Sanjay Leela Bhansali came with his Devdas, a caricature work compared to the classic and unforgettable two Devdas, played by K. L. Saigal and Dileep Kumar.
Why are Bollywood directors are going for remakes these days? One thing proposed is that they’re probably hoping to have the same success that the original movie did. Secondly, since we have advanced technical know-how now, these directors might have thinking that they can make a better version of the original. A third reason put forward (and which appeals to me nonetheless) is that they have probably run out of ideas for a new script. Let’s talk about all these reason and the hollowness of the claim in it.

There have been many films in Bollywood where the movie drew a hell lot of money when it was released. Sometimes actors in the film fetched accolades for their portrayals of the roles assigned to them. What made these films memorable were the acting, music and strong script of the film. Take the case of Don, which had Amitabh in the lead, Pran in a supporting role, which was nothing less than the main and it had music by Kalyanji-Anandji, a pair known for the versatility and experimentation. That’s why songs from the original Don are sung even today with as much enthusiasm as much as it were 22 years ago. ‘Khaike Paan Banaaras Walaa,’ ‘Jiska Mujhe tha Intzaar,’ these are the songs that have become a part of the Indian folklore. Now compared to this, recent Don has only more glitz to show while going on a lowly content. Shahrukh Khan might be a good actor (I have my own reservations on the issue), but he can never imitate Mr. Bachchan in any way. There are no technological obligations in the Don to show its unique advancement and really movie doesn’t try to show it either. The only thing in the new Don that identifies it as a new age movie are some sophisticated cars, bikes et al, which only serve to add machismo to the Heroism of the main actor. How can one forget that Mr. Bachchan had precisely flanked this same machismo by his sheer persona and without any automobile instrumentation in not only Don but also umpteen movies one after another?
The only thing that apparently might have driven the makers to remake Don is the box-office success that it enjoyed. Shahrukh Khan has a penchant for keeping his scribbling pals in good humour. Somewhere in the point of time, he got himself named King Khan even without proving its credentials on Box Offices. With Don, he has tried to ape Mr. Bachchan wherein Superstardom will only be a logical step for him. Everyone nowadays know perfectly that the Don-1981 and Don-2006 had a different turf to slog it out for tickets collection. In those days, when there was no channel to generate any hype for any sundry film, it was the name of Mr. Bachchan on account of which crowds thronged the theatres. Number of films that two Don were released with was also a factor determining the fate of the works.
As for as Umrao Jaan was concerned, the movie itself got a beating on Box-office and by critics as well. Aishwarya was no Rekha and that shows. In this case also, while watching this film, intention of J. P. Dutta does never seem to make another classic. On the contrary it smacks of cashing in the name of an old movie which has in the conscience of the moviegoers for the past two decades. The same story is going to take place for the third time I’m afraid with Ram Gopal Varma venturing out to re-make Sholay, that timeless classic which has nourished a whole lot of movie generation. News coming from the Varma camp makes all movie buff shudder to the spine. Choosing Nisha Kothari as Basanti might sound a great idea to RGV, but for the common cine-goers, it is more atrocious than any crime Gabbar Singh can commit. And What about Bhansali? He killed Devdas with such a pomp that Sharat Chandra would have never thought. That flashiness was the most tragic case for any Devdas.
It’s very, very difficult, nearly impossible actually, to make a film that’s as good as the original. If the first film was a big hit, for no matter what reason, that impression stays with the audience and they compare the remake with the original, mostly unfavorably. And in India, where film stars are next to gods, that taste of the original favourites sticks in throat and no matter how well the film is presented again, remade film does not match to that taste. This is not limited to the present crop of same language remake but also to those which have been transformed from one set up to another. India, with its multi-cultured environs and diverse localities as well as communities always provided an ideal ground for the remakes of the films. In literature, this is called translation. But when it comes to movies, one has to not only take the storyline but also actors, music and all other factors involved in film making to new set up.
From the days of Devdas, films in one language are being reproduced and represented in another language. Sometimes the film in question was remade several times. They got their
fair share of acclaim, but they lacked something that only the original had. And that is true of all remakes. An actor like Anil Kapoor in Hindi or Venkatesh in Telugu had remakes as their major hits in portfolio. People unknown to the original flooded to their hits one after another, sometimes in succession and enjoyed it unquestioningly. To be fair, these actors were talented without doubt and never let their fans down. But one who knew original scripts, finds it really hard to gulp down the fare they churn out. Thus ‘Ladlaa’ and ‘Jamai Rajaa’ (Anil Kapoor starrers) are very good and enjoyable films themselves, but having seen ‘Gharanaa Mogudu’ or ‘Jamai Majaka’ respectively, Megastar Chiranjeevi starrers, tests ones ability to praise the former two films. And consider the dilemma of one who, besides these two knows the really original ‘Mannan’ and ‘Mappillai’, knows that Style King Rajinikant has made these two films a part of the Tamil film history, that those films have a status of all time entertainers and really such are they. Then it really depreciates the appreciation one might have for the stuff brought in front. (To be continued)