The Remake Trend

The remake trend in Bollywood

Name: Palak Agarwal Class: SYBBA-C Roll No: 150

Acknowledgement

So many people to thank… * First of all I would like to thank my parents for providing me the quiet place to type down my speech. * In addition, a sincere thank you to my brother, a movie buff, who suggested me the topic. * I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to my computer engineer who came rushing in at 7 in the morning to repair my laptop. Without him I wouldn’t have been able to complete my speech. * Last but not the least; I would like to express a special thanks to Ms. Christine, for giving us the opportunity to write a speech on the topic of our choice.

Preface

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend about upcoming movies. We drifted to the topic old movies being remade. It was around the time when we were allotted this assignment. I picked this topic because it stayed with me and I found it very interesting. I felt that it was a topic everyone would connect to since us all watch movies.
This topic is mainly about how the sudden trend of remakes has invaded Indian cinema. The rate at which remakes are being made would make one feel that Bollywood has lost its originality. However, that is not the case.
Considering the increase of remakes, I want to throw some light on this topic.

Index

1) Introduction to the remake trend

2) Southern remakes in Bollywood

3) Hollywood remakes in Bollywood

4) Bollywood classics remake

5) My take on remakes

Remakes of old films seem to be the fad in Bollywood these days. A series of remakes of Hindi classics is under way. Filmmakers are capitalizing on the emotional appeal of the old plots while trying to serve up old wine in new and fancy bottles
The remake rage, it seems, is not propelled by commercial considerations alone. Filmmakers urge that old stories need to be retold. Remaking classics is like reincarnating them. The very fact that these movies were big hits of their time brings with it an assurance that the subject of the movie has the approval of the audience. So, while this gives the movie the initial publicity and audience, the rest entirely depends on how the new directors mould the subject according to the present requirements.
The other challenge while attempting a remake of a classic is to be able to mould the subject according to the tastes and sensibilities of the new generation. The success of a remake depends on the sensibility of the director to make a movie which appeals to the new generation and at the same time keeps the spirit of the classic alive. Given the many disadvantages, it is no surprising that the trend of remakes comes in fits and starts.
The trend of remaking is extremely popular these days but it doesn’t enjoy support from all sections of people. There are some who feel that classic works of cinema are like gems that should be preserved and the sanctity of which should not be desecrated by the materialistic visions of the present century directors. Says Dev Anand 'The way I see it, a classic is something that has been honoured and appreciated. Why should anyone touch it? The directors, however, regard it as their way of paying tribute to the legends.
Remaking is also considered as a means of bringing classic works to the notice of the younger generation and making it popular among them. Priyanka Chopra who was slated to play the leading role in the remake of Saheb, Biwi Aur Ghulam had remarked in an interview, “My generation may not watch old classics and miss out on them completely, what is the harm in retelling classics in a contemporary format? That way they would learn about our rich cinematic heritage.”
So what exactly, sparks off a remake? Is it the easy availability of material at hand that reduces burden on the makers grey matter, with virtually no writing talent involved? Or is it the exciting urge to bring to a whole new generation, a film of universal appeal? Or is it playing safe by making a film that has already proved its credentials at the box office that any star today would agree to relive? Or is it just a lazy way to make a movie?
The reasons are varied and debatable. But if one delves into the psyche of a producer or director targeting a film for a remake exercise, the journey is fascinating and amusing. Official, plagiarized, distorted or disguised many are the facets of the much fancied remake.
A brochure at the 2004 Cannes festival proclaimed that filmmakers are at their most original when being unoriginal. What they probably meant was that a good film maker is more likely to make a good film even if it is a remake and a bad film maker is more likely to make a bad film, even if it is original! One then has to decide which is bad enough today, the originals or the remakes.
Southern remakes in Bollywood
The south Indian influence on Hindi cinema was slow to begin with but has progressively grown in reach and impact. It brought a spate of family dramas and musical spectaculars in Bombay mainstream.

Southern remakes seem to have blitzed Bollywood 's box office. Bollywood has always drawn inspiration from South Indian films and the last six years have been no different.
It all began in a sense with not a complete remake of Telugu hit ‘Pellam Oorelithe’ [If wife goes to village] as ‘No Entry’ [2005] in Bollywood. No entry proved to be a money spinner at BO and what followed was a curiosity among many Bollywood producers to look down at south cinema for a possible remake.
The year 2008 's biggest hit Aamir Khan starrer 'Ghajini ' was the remake of a Tamil film by the same name while Shah Rukh Khan 's 'Billu ', which released in 2009, was a remake of a Malayalam film 'Katha Parayumpol ', which was remade into Tamil as 'Kuselan '.
In 2009, Anil Kapoor 's 'Shortkut-the con is on ' is a remake of Malayalam film called 'Udhayan aanu Tharan '. Roshan Andrews directed its original version. The Bollywood version has been directed by Neeraj Vora and stars Akshaye Khanna, Amrita Rao, Arshad Warsi and Chunky Pandey.
Boney Kapoor 's film 'Wanted ' starring Salman Khan is a remake of Tamil film called 'Pokhri '. 'Wanted ' has been directed by Prabhu deva.
Priyadarshan 's earlier film 'Bhool Bhulaiya ' starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan was a remake of another Malayalam film 'Manichitratazhu '.
Bollywood has always survived on the pillars of inspiration and remakes, whether it is the west or the south, it has always copied content. While half of it has been successful, others have been blunders.

Hollywood remakes in Bollywood Take a Hollywood plot, sprinkle in cheesy song-and-dance numbers and pour in a gallon of melodrama. Shake well, and you 've got a Bollywood movie.
With an abundant goldrush passing through every producer’s veins, they’re ready to pay-n-buy the remake rights directly from Hollywood. Gone are those days, where those auteurs had to keep themselves working ardently on polished desi version. The number of Hollywood remakes seems to be increasing by the year.
Here is a list of some identical remakes. 1) The original: 3 Men And A Baby (1987)

The remake: Heyy Babyy (2007)

How similar are they? It’s set in Australia but otherwise the majority of the film is near identical.All three of the blokes in Babyy are womanisers, as opposed to just the Ted Danson character in the original. There’s also some more complicated love triangle business to deal with in the remake as all of the three men are pinpointed as a possible father for the child.

Recommendations: The original features the mighty trio of Danson’s smooth charm, Tom Selleck’s ‘tache and Steve “The Gut” Gutternberg. It’s also directed by Leonard Nimoy. No contest.

2) The original: Collateral (2005)

The remake: The Killer (2006)

How similar are they? Identical.

The Killer features Vikram, a ruthless and well-dressed hitman who, who slaughters his victims professionally and without batting an eyelidOne fateful night he gets into the cab of Nikhil, who ferries him around at first without realising just how dangerous his latest fare is.
The only real difference is that Nikhil has a bar dancer as a girlfriend instead of Jamie Foxx’s flirt-target, US prosecutor Jada Pinkett Smith.

Recommendations: Despite the presence of Indian beauty Kothari, I would still go for Michael Mann’s broody, digi-noir style thriller.

3) The original: I Am Sam (2001)

The remake: Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005)

How similar are they? 90% similar.

The essential plot is the same – mentally handicapped man fights to keep custody of the little girl he’s raising, even as the authorities try to move her to a foster family.

There are a few changes in the Sean Penn version, Sam loses custody of Dakota Fanning. The Bollywood version prefers a happy ending, in which the main character (Ajay Devgan) marries his lawyer and the pair win custody of the girl – from her grandfather, not a social worker.

Recommendations: I’m a sucker for happy endings. Definitely the remake.

4) The original: She’s The Man

The remake: Dil Bole Haddipa

How similar are they? Identical, for the most part, except for the sport played.
The Rani Mukherjee come back movie, ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ is inspired by the movie ‘She’s The Man’. Amanda Bynes played the role of the protagonist in the English movie. In both the flicks, the woman takes up the disguise of a male to play her favorite sports and ends up falling in love with her team mate. The English movie revolved around the game of soccer while the Indian version showcased cricket, as it is the most popular game in India.

Recommendations: No comparison. The original wins hands down.

5) The original: Bruce Almighty

The remake: God Tussi Great Ho

How similar are they? Identical. With addition of some desi masala.

Recommendations: The original. Enough said.

Imitating success is nothing bad. As the movies have proven to be huge hits in Hollywood, it is natural to imitate them in Bollywood, in the hope of success. Such projects in Bollywood are financially attractive and get the producers easily. As the majority of Indians still do not watch English movies, the Bollywood remake flicks are almost always a fresh idea to them.
Bollywood’s classics remade
Another wave hitting Bollywood these days is the remake of old classics. In the past few years there have been more remakes than original plots.
Some of them are 1) Aag: Butchered is the word you remember when you watch the remake of Sholay – ‘Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag (2007). The film was panned by critics, and audiences expressed their disgust after watching their favorite film come out so cinematic-ally twisted. In his defense, Ram Gopal Varma said, “I saw Sholay at least five times when it was released, I wanted to make that film for today’s generation.”

2) Umrao jaan: Umrao jaan is a poor remake of the original film which was made in 1981. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could not live upto Rekha’s level. Also the sets taken were downright horrible.

3) Don: It is the remake or rather adaptation of the 1978 Don starring Amitabh Bachchan. This is one remake which was widely appreciated. In a nutshell, Farhan Akhtar does succeed in giving a just tribute to the timeless 'Don '

4) Karzzz: The original Karz was made in 1980 starring Rishi Kappor. It’s remake was made in 2008. The lead role was played by actor/singer Himesh Reshamiya. This remake is considered as one of the worst in the history of Indian cinema. It is an insult to the original blockbuster.

My take on remakes
I personally feel that classics or for that matter any movie should not be remade. Only a mentally bankrupt person would opt for a remake. Indian cinema today has gone way beyond just ordinary love stories. The audience is open to genres such as comedy, sci-fi and various other artistic films. We have seen movies such as My Brother Nikhil which talks about a yet taboo topic of AIDS. Though the movie dint hit well at the box office, it was critically acclaimed. Yet another example of the audiences broad-minded attitude is the acceptance of the movie Guzaarish which talks about euthanasia. When there are such wide varieties to choose from, why would one want to make a remake?
In spite of this I believe that remakes are not such a bad thing. Today’s generation has not seen most of the old classics. Re making a few of them, just few, not the cult classics, would be a good way to educate the youth about the old Indian cinema.
How well a remake does at the box office depend upon the director and the cast. Not all re makes are appreciated.

Bibliography www.bing.com www.google.com www.wikipedia.com www.bollywoodhungama.com

Bibliography: www.bing.com www.google.com www.wikipedia.com www.bollywoodhungama.com