Ahead of the release of Dhruva , actor Ram Charan was fielding questions. When someone quizzed him about the spate of remakes (see box), he shrugged, “So what? They are good stories; aren’t they?”
One can snigger at what he said, ruing if there’s a dearth of new stories that film-makers have to rely on successful films made elsewhere. But if one looks back at 2016, which was marked by small gems like Kshanam and Pellichoopulu that narrated original stories, there were also noteworthy remakes with stories one hadn’t witnessed in Telugu cinema of late.
In this digital era, when cinephiles have an easier access to other language films with subtitles, remakes are tricky. There’s an inherent tendency to compare and discuss where the remake has fallen short. It may be argued that a large section of Telugu audience may not have seen the originals of Oopiri (French Film The Intouchables ), Premam (Malayalam film of the same name) or Dhruva ( Thani Oruvan – Tamil). Yet, there’s the risk that the small percentage that has seen and loved these films might make unflattering comments on social media. Directors have to match up to, if not better the original.
Life from a wheelchair
Vamsi Paidipally ventured where no director did, when he sought to make The Intouchables in Telugu. In an earlier interaction with us, Nagarjuna recalled with a guffaw how Vamsi and NTR (who initially was to play Karthi’s role) approached him with trepidation. They weren’t sure how Nag would react if he were told that he would be wheelchair bound.
In the film, Nag kept to the wheelchair, barring a brief dance portion that plays to his romantic image.
The first half stays largely faithful to the French film, and later moves away to flesh out the brother-sister, mother-son bonds.
The car chase sequence and Nag’s citing of Eiffel Tower are among the laudable original moments. Vamsi knew what to take from the French film and where he needed to deviate.
Malar or Sithara?
When Premam (Malayalam) released in Hyderabad in 2015, many film buffs lapped it up and appreciated Nivin Pauly, Madonna Sebastian and Anupama Parameswaran. Language barrier be damned. Facebook posts were dedicated to Sai Pallavi. No one else could be Malar.
Chandoo Mondeti had the unenviable task of re-imagining Premam to a new audience. When the first visuals of Telugu Premam were released, Shruti Haasan was the target of trolls. Chandoo and team stayed quiet, hoping the film would speak for itself. During the press première, there were murmurs. Many of us had to break free of memories of the Malayalam film to appreciate the retelling. In the initial portions, it looked like the team was weighed down with the burden of the original.
Later, though, you see the director’s originality. The hilarious portions involving Srinivas Reddy and a little twist in the end (Malar, or Sithara here, also has a happy closure in her relationship) made this Premam different.
A few remakes failed to appeal. Naruda Donoruda, despite all its earnest intentions, lacked the spontaneity of Vicky Donor . There were others as well, like Tuntari ( Maan Karate – Tamil), Run ( Neram – Malayalam and Tamil) and Selfie Raja(Victory – Kannada).
Then came Dhruva . All eyes were on it, to see if Surender Reddy would pander to Charan’s image. Charan got an intro song where he showed off his rippling muscles and six-pack abs, the song sequences between him and a sweltering Rakul Preet Singh punctuated the proceedings, but the talking points were the script and the smooth-talking villain played by Arvind Swamy.
Thani Oruvan didn’t release in Hyderabad and isn’t easily available online. The few who had watched the Tamil version pointed out how Thambi Ramaiah looked believable as the vulnerable father than Posani. The easy access Ram Charan gets into Swamy’s laboratory is implausible. But those are pointed out by a minuscule percentage of the audience. What matters is Dhruva has enough to keep its viewers hooked, irrespective of whether they had watched the original or not.
Remakes in the pipeline
Srinivas Avasarala starrer Babu Baga Busy , ( Hunterrr – Hindi)
Chiranjeevi’s Khaidi No.150 ( Kaththi - Tamil)
Pawan Kalyan’s Katamarayudu ( Veeram - Tamil)
Pawan Kalyan is reportedly keen on a remake of Vedalam (Tamil)
Venkatesh’s Guru ( Irudhi Suttru - Tamil)
