To make or to remake…

(Second part of the story The Remakes-Same Old Story)
Regional films coming to Bollywood screen and vice versa have acquired such a proportion that attempts to make a catalog of it have been already shelved. Sheer number of such projects is so huge that anybody trying to keep a record of it might feel ridiculous. A large number of films in such category have been represented in fairly good manner. An exception here or there will sound justified with the numbers involved. Now, these films have been in the circuit for a very long time and nobody cared a damn for them. Only now have people started to talk actively and in high decibels that makes it sound like it has come into fashion only recently. Or is it that they have been induced to talk in such a way.
Hoopla created at the time of making Devdas, Parineeta, Don and many others has only substantiated this suspicion. There is Priydarshan who can be credited with really most successful remakes in recent times. Since 1992 is remaking his old Malayalam and Tamil hits into Bollywood blockbusters and he has never talked about it. His foray into Bollywood was with the movie "Muskurahat" (1993). This was a remake of the original Kilukkam. His first successful Hindi film was "Gardish" 1994), that was a remake of the Kiridam.
Then again He made his second foray into hindi films with the remake of the acclaimed Kamal Haasan" starrer "Thevar Magan" Tamil) in Hindi. The film was titled "Virasat". He later directed a string of remakes including "Hera Pheri" a remake of Ramji Rao Speaking, "Hungama" , a remake of "Poochakkoru Mookkuthi", "Hulchul", a remake of "Godfather and "Garam Masala" 2005)( remake of "Boeing Boeing"). Priyadarshans has also made Saat Rang Ke Sapne, a remake of "Thenmavin Kombath" Malayalam, 1994); "Kabhi Na Kabhi" 1997), "Doli Sajake Rakhna" (1998) a ramake of Aniyathi Pravu; "Yeh Tera Ghar Ye Mera Ghar" (2002) a remake of Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam and "Kyonki" 2005) a remake of "Thalavattam". Some of the these remakes of Priyadarshan however failed to achieve boxoffice success. Some of these movies originally featured Mohanlal as the lead actor and any retrospective of this Malayalam Superstar will be incomplete without these. But only a handful of the Hindi moviegoers might know this fact. They take these movies as the originals ones. Still they are successful. So why this hype only over Don and Umrao Jaan.
One answer might lie in the statement given by Anandji Shah, one of the music directors of the original Don. Terming the remake of Don as purely a commercial act, he has said on record that makers of the new film had exploited the loop-holes in the Copyright Act to make money. “Listening to the remake of my song ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ has hurt me immensely,” said Anandji of the Anandji-Kalyanji fame. “The first time I heard the remake of my song, I could only laugh.” The director of original film Chandra Barot has said that such remakes act as ‘nuisance value’ for the original filmmakers. “I would personally never go for a remake of any film. Why opt for a remake?” Barot questioned. He added that new film was aimed at making money and nothing else. Barot said, “I am worried if more and more Bollywood classics are remade. It will be a sad day when low budget remakes of classic films like Mughal-e-Azam are made.”
As a movie buff, personally I will say that bringing various regional films into Hindi or its reverse trend is a healthy practice. That gives a chance to viewers to appreciate artworks in another regions, which in India can be a tedious thing to do. One more thing is that movies that usually are remade go not only through the regional-Hindi mode but also one regional language to another one. That’s why Mohanlal’s Thenmavin Kombath was remade into Hindi as well as Tamil. In its Tamil version, Muthu, Rajnikant was the hero and this remade version was a bit different in its storyline as well as presentation to suit to Superstar’s image. This remade version superceded all the collection records of the original one and still has a unique reputation of being the biggest Indian hit in Japan. Though they did not give an ample idea of the talent that the original artistes, writers, music directors or any other who made the film tick, they give a reflected glimpse of the currents in the respective film industries. Many Hindi films in the 1980s and 90s were imported from the South and those movies provided enough indications of the film genre in vogue at that time.
As in Hollywood, many remade films also provided a base for the new crew to improvise on the original films and they did well. Money factor, a bane of Bollywood, for many decades, played an important role in the refurnishing of new creations and it showed in the films as well. That’s why some original regional movies fail to cast a spell to the extent that new, Bollywood hits could. Sometimes, a persona or an actor like Amitabh Bachchan would made it very difficult for others to recreate the magic. With the exception of Rajinikant, many others who tried to do such a trick paled in the effort.

(To be continued)

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An UNI story

Panaji : Watching Indian films is not at all a problem for the French as they do not want these films to be dubbed in their own language, according Serge Sobczynski, in charge of the 'Cinema du Monde'(Cinema of the World) section of the Cannes Film Festival. ''The French want to enjoy the original sound of Indian languages, so as to get a real feel of the work,'' he said. Mr Sobczynski is here at the of India International Film Festival to select Indian films for Cannes 2007 which would celebrate India's 60th independence day during its own 60th anniversary next year. He told UNI that in France, films are screened with only French subtitles as people feel that watching a dubed film destroys the original effect. ''Can you get a real Ingmar Bergman except in the Swedish language?'' said Mr Sobczynski.He said during the Cannes 2007 there will be two days entirely devoted to Indian cinema-- one day for art films and the second day for the mainstream cinema. ''I will try to see as many films as possible in the India Panorama section of the Goa film festival to make selections for the Cannes,'' he said.Replying to a querry, Mr Sobczynski said Indian films were beginning to be appreciated in France and of late the market was also opening up for them.

My take: I fully agree with Mr. Sobczynski. The dubbed film really destroys the delight of the original ones. I have seen it in Roja and Muthu Maharaja (original Muthu). Subtitles are the best way for a foreign film to be appreciated. Hasving said thzat, one must note, ironically though, Tamil Anniyan is the first Indian film to be dubbed in French. Rajinikant’s Muthu will be featured in one French film, Pret Moi Toi Main for 120 seconds.

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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)

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Actors in politics…in South Korea too!

Forget NTR, MGR and Jayalalitha...forget even Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna or Sunil Dutt…Now even South Korea has a film star in the Government.

It is not only in India that film artists dangle in politics and make a career out of it. A country as large as USA had a president in Ronald Regan who was a popular star before he confronted his Democrat Party opponents and became the President. The US even now has Arnold Schwarzeneger, a hugely popular action hero not only in US but also in Japan, Asia, Europe and other parts of the world. The man now holds the chair of the governorship of California and recently been reelected.

Now, in South one cabinet minister stands out for his elegant traditional robes and a coveted award honouring him as the country's top screen actor. Kim Myung-gon, a former movie star, traditional Korean opera singer and National Theatre director, occupied a space in the council of ministers just earlier this year. He is South Korea's minister of culture. When Kim, 54, makes appearances in his new role as a cabinet minister, members of the public still treat him like a star by taking pictures of him and asking for autographs.Kim's appointment in March has added colour to a government dogged by low public approval ratings and shaken over criticism it mishandled relations with North Korea, political analysts say. Kim first made a name for himself as an opera singer specialising in a traditional story-telling song called pansori, which is like a one-man opera where the singer voices many characters and uses a folding fan as a prop. Kim then became a movie star after stumbling into the lead of a movie that dominated the local box office for years.He won the country's top acting honour for the 1993 film 'Sopyonje', which tells of a down-and-out pansori singer trying to find a place in a modern world that has passed him by. Kim, who has appeared in more than 20 movies playing heroes in historical dramas and down-on-their-luck guys in contemporary films, has written books and lectured at universities.

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Pune fast becoming Pollywood
Pune : The city of pensioners has long become city of IT peoples. And now Pune is emerging as a rival to its neighboring city Mumbai. Yes, the Mayanagari of Mumbai is slowly but steadily moving to Pune and the trend is limited not only to Bollywood but to Hollywood and Kollywood also.
The month long sojourn by Brangelina for the shooting of ‘A Mighty Heart’ has put Pune on global entertainment map. In the frenzy and hype of this film, famous Southern director S. Shankar also canned some dance and song sequences for his forthcoming film ‘Shivaji-the Boss’. A Rajinikant starrer, ‘Shivaji-the Boss’ had its previous schedules in Spain and Japan also. Then the crew landed straight at Panshet Dam, a 25 KM or something tourist destination from the city. The shooting was also held at various places including ‘Magarpatta City.’
Ram Gopal Varma, Priyadarshan, Gautam Menon…these are some prominent names in Bollywood who have worked repetitively in Pune and continue to do so. What’s more, Ramu’s ‘Vastu’ was based solely on a bungalow near Lonavala.
There was a time when only Marathi cinema was produced in Pune and most of the Marathi producers were based here. Historic vicinity of Pune provided ample ambience and limited motion ensured cost-affordability. All the while, Hindi cinema flourished in Mumbai. The scene has changed in the last decade and major production houses, both of big and small screen varieties choose Pune as a favored destination. Increasing facilities of transport, closeness to Mumbai, relatively low cost of work is some of the reasons why Bollywood is increasingly coming to Pune.

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Pakistan is a stage for this Pune drama group

Pune : The Two-way diplomacy for strengthening Indo-Pak relations has taken roots in cultural arena. City of Pune is also contributing to this process in its own way. A drama group from here has received an invitation to perform in Pakistan for consecutive third time and what’s more, the group is going to stage a Marathi play there this month.
‘Raabta’, an Urdu drama group will perform in Lahore for third time in a row. “Portrait’, a play written by Ratnakar Matkari will be staged on the occasion of a Drama Festival. The festival is organized every year in the memory of late Rafi Peer, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of the drama movement in South Asia. According to Syed Saeed Ahmed, the man behind Raabta, “We are going to stage `Portrait’ by Mr. Matkari on the 10th and 11th of November. A total of forty drama groups are participating in the festival and some three to four groups from India will be there.” But Raabta is perhaps the only group from India which is invited for third time, claims Mr. Ahmed.
A troupe comprising of Manasi Lonkar, Atit Bhandari, Adil Attar and Ashraf Khan, besides Mr. Ahmed himself will go to Pakistan for the performance. The group had previously staged ‘Jis Lahore Nahin Dekhya’ and ‘Naqab’ at the festival. Those plays generated a lot of response there. Of those plays, Naqab was written by Rafi Peer himself and its theme relates to the perils of Nuclear arms. The group has even staged the play in Delhi, Gujarat and even Bangalore.
This year, the organizers have invited the group for the festival on its own. Rafi Peer has eight plays to his credit and all these plays are in the pipeline for productions. Among these, seven plays are to be staged by Pakistani group and remaining one has been given to ‘Raabta’. These plays will be staged next year, informed Mr. Ahmed.

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