Movie remakes

Kitney aadmi thhey? [Sholay]

Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, poora naam. Baap ka naam Dinanath Chauhan.  Maa ka naam Suhasini Chauhan, gaon Mandwa, umar chhattis saal, nau mahina aath din... aae yeh solwaah ghanta chaalu hai. [ Agneepath]

Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin, naamumkin hai. [Don]

Movie remakes might be the trend but nothing beats the magic of the original movie. I am simply unable to remember a single Bollywood remake that was better than the original Bollywood movie. Many remakes actually turn out to be a disaster.

However, there are four kinds of remakes in India:

1.       Bollywood to Bollywood remake: Some filmmaker tries to remake an old classic. And even when we doubt the remake, we end up buying tickets to actually see if it is as good as the original. Result - we return home disappointed and decide never to watch a remake again. But we do it yet again. Example: Sholay, Don, Umrao Jaan, Chashme Baddoor and Himmatwala.

2.       Tollywood or other Indian regional movie to Bollywood remake: These are way better than the above. At least we get to enjoy a good film that we might not have understood because of the language. In my personal opinion, the remake, or dubbing for that matter, of a Tollywood / other regional movie into a Bollywood Flick is always better and more often than not a superhit movie. Take for example Singham, Ghajini, Ready, Saathiya and Hera Pheri.

3.       Hollywood to Bollywood remake: Yeah, I know what you are thinking. Most of the filmmakers do not call it a 'remake'. They simply say that they might have been 'inspired' or that it is 'sheer coincidence' that every scene reminds the audience of some hit Hollywood movie. Seriously, sometimes the filmmakers underestimate the audience big time. They really like to think that Indians watch just Indian movies. Perhaps, someone needs to show them the reality or give them a television connection that has channels like HBO, Movies Now, Sony Pix and Star Movies.

The good thing however is that those who do not understand English get to enjoy the story of a good film. Example: God Tussi Great Ho [Bruce Almighty], Dil Bole Haddipa [She's the Man]. Exceptions: Partner [Hitch], Chachi 420 [Mrs. Doubtfire], Baazigar [A kiss before dying].

4.       Bollywood to a regional film remake: This is particularly good and testimony to the fact that when it comes to good cinema, language cannot be a barrier. Did you know that the popular 2010 movie Dabangg was remade in Telugu in 2012?  It goes by the name - Gabbar Singh. Also, Band Baaja Baarat is slated for a remake in Telugu as well as Tamil. Bol Bachchan too will see a remake in Telugu called Masala.

Well, remake or original, as long as the film turns out to be good, we movie buffs have no objection. All we want to do is grab a bucket of popkorn, some samosas and watch a movie that entertains us completely.

 Anuradha