You watch certain films and you instantly know there will be a clamour for the remake rights just like you pray some others are just appreciated and left alone. It’s a sort of parallel industry with producers keeping an eye open for box-office hits in other languages. Success is the only criterion. The price for remake rights is pretty high these days. Sometimes middlemen buy a film hoping to make a killing and there are instances where they’ve been left holding it for lack of interest. It also gets stale over a period of time with trends changing. Nowadays nobody takes such chances. There are certain heroes who have a policy of not being a part of remakes more because of the ensuing comparisons that are inevitable. Others just call a prospective producer and tell him that if he can acquire the rights of a certain hit he’ll condescend to dole out dates. It makes things easier for the producer but replicating success is not as easy as earlier imagined. You have to realise the core in the original that managed to strike a chord or you end up with a ‘Dayavan’(Nayakan) which was probably a lesson in not only how but why not to attempt a remake. Mani Ratnam squirmed through a part of the film before walking out and exclaiming, “He’s missed the whole point.”
Most producers settle for any director because they assume the job to be menial but the loss in translation most times is verbal, visual and visceral. There have been some terrific remakes too like ‘Aakhri Rastha’ (Oru Kaidhiyin Diary) and ‘Thillu Mullu’ (Golmaal) to name a couple offhand. K. Bhagyaraj who had only written the Tamil original did a fine job handling the Hindi version with Amitabh who was apparently intimidating on the sets. Bhagyaraj, it’s reliably learnt showed the superstar who the real boss is on the film set. It does not take arrogance but confidence in one’s own abilities to do that. Amitabh recently spoke in glowing terms about Bhagyaraj’s directorial and writing prowess. Anyway, the film was delightful and did not pale in comparison. To be honest, Amitabh was better in the father’s role than Kamal in the Tamil version. ‘Golmaal’ is one of Hindi cinema’s finest comedies. I wonder if Hrishida intended a ‘tongue in cheek’ take on heroes playing double roles but the result was hilarious. K. Balachander should be hailed for his gumption to not only attempt a remake, but cast Rajni and draw out his flair for comedy. Sadly, save ‘Ek Dujhe Ke Liye’, KB’s attempts to remake his old hits in Hindi fared badly. Anyway, it’s wrong to deduce that anybody can helm a remake. It took a Bapu to make a worthy version of ‘Andha 7 Natkal’ (Woh Saat Din). ‘Eeshwar’ (Swathi Muthyam) could have been remade only by K. Vishwanath though he could not extract the same sensitivity that Kamal so effortlessly exuded. Raj Kapoor was so impressed he wanted to remake the film with Kamal. KV could not recreate the same magic with ‘Sur Sangam’ a remake of his monstrous hit ‘Shankarabharanam’ .Those were days when Anil Kapoor would keenly watch what Kamal was up to next. Priyadarshan remade ‘Thevar Magan’(Viraasat) not just because he liked the film and it was a success but also understood what Kamal’s screenplay was attempting to convey.
Remakes across languages are nearly as old as cinema itself. In the eighties, ‘Madrasi’ films as the Bombay film industry called them were looked down upon as loud, vulgar and garish. Ironically, while the sensitive ‘Solwa Saal’ and ‘Sadma’ failed, ‘Tohfa’, ‘Mawaali’ and ‘Himmatwala’ raked it in. It took a ‘Sadma’ for North Indian viewers gaze to pan from Sridevi’s ‘thunder thighs’ to her sensitive face. Emotions are universal and that’s what makes you wonder why ‘Zehreela Insaan’( Nagara Havu) a relatable tale of love, friendship and sacrifice failed to strike a chord though it was directed by the maverick Putanna Kanagal. Raj Kapoor’s ‘Prem Rog’ loosely based on ‘Gejje Pujje’ did well though.
While watching the Telugu ‘Temper’(2015) you recognised elements that would make it ripe for remake. When the film was declared a blockbuster you pictured moneybags taking the next flight to Hyderabad and a veritable bidding war. The film not only had a bravura performance by the underrated Junior NTR but also brought back Puri Jagannath who had lost his Midas touch. Rohit Shetty a sucker for high octane action remade it successfully in Hindi with Ranveer Singh perfectly cast. There was talk of a Kannada remake but nothing has come of it. A Tamil version was planned in 2017 with various stars names doing the rounds before Vishaal signed on the dotted line.
The much delayed ‘Ayogya’ hit the screens after financial ‘Panchayath’ and a few shows cancelled which has become the norm for every other release these days. It’s that typical film which some refer to as ‘time pass’, whatever that means. I would rather sit in Lal Bagh. Don’t look for anything plausible or remotely possible. Anyway only heroes have a solid reason for being evil and then transform over a triviality in our films. Villains are born and buried bad. So Karnan, a devil in uniform aids and abets crime for most part of this loud enterprise. He raves and rants like everybody else is stone deaf. There’s the fair heroine who loves animals, a constable who questions his conscience and of course a gang of despicable goons. Director Venkat religiously sticks to the original but decides the end needs a tweak and it turns out pretty effective. Junior NTR was more restrained and effective Vishaal feels the character should have a restless quality. He goes over the top often in the bargain. A positive review for ‘Ayogya’ would be calling it an efficient remake which cannot be said about most others. The film is doing well too reiterating the fact that success not only sells but can be resold too, sometimes!
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