Bollywood revisiting the classics

More and more filmmakers are revisiting the past, laying claim to iconic films from the yesteryears

Not only has Bollywood been looking South for inspiration, several filmmakers of late are also basing their films on yesteryear iconic movies. While 2012 saw Agneepath being turned into a blockbuster, the first half of 2013 has already seen the classics like Chasme Buddoor and Himmatwala being remade.

The purists may sneer at the thought of 'recycling' classics but looks like several of our filmmakers are willing to take a risk when it comes to revisiting famous films from the past. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is an acute shortage of fresh ideas and scripts in an industry that otherwise craves originality.



Zanjeer (1973)
They say one can never go wrong with classics. But sometimes it's better to wait and see. After a gap of three decades, the Prakash Mehra film - starring Amitabh Bachchan in the role of a righteous cop - is being remade by Apoorva Lakhia with Telugu star Ram Charan Teja donning Big B's memorable character.

Zanjeer (2013)

Status: The film is slated to release later this year although a court case over copyright dispute is presently going on between the writers (Salim-Javed) of the original film and the makers of the remake.

Shaukeen (1982)
This original comedy had three old men -- Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt and AK Hangal playing the lead roles - making the most of the screen time with a romantic entanglement between Mithun Chakraborty and Rati Agnihotri taking place alongside. The remake has been announced with Akshay Kumar and Nargis Fakhri playing the couple.

Status: The remake is slated to be directed by Rumi Jaffrey. Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal and Annu Kapoor are expected to play the three funny older guys.


Awaara (1951)
Directed and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor, this good old film had a strong socialist undertone. It starred a lot of folks from the Kapoor clan. However, the remake is said to have Rishi Kapoor and son Ranbir in leading roles.

Status: The project is expected to hit the floors early next year. But in one of his recent interviews, Ranbir shied away from committing to an exact date.

Gumnaam (1965)
The rights of this classic thriller starring Manoj Kumar and Nanda has been bought by producer Aditya Bhatia and Ajit Pal has been slated to pen the screenplay.

Status: Like the original, the remake will be launched under the NN Sippy production banner as well. Casting is underway and once the director is finalised, the project will move ahead.

Been there, never done that
There have also been instances where a film was planned to be remade but nothing materialised post the initial plans...

Jagte Raho (1956)
There were whispers about this Raj Kapoor film being remade with Ranbir in the lead role. On top of that, the young actor himself went on record to find comparisons between his angsty character in Rockstar and his grandpa in Jagte Raho, fueling further trade speculations.

Status: Unclear.

Guide (1965)
Adapted from RK Narayan's novel by the same name, the original film starred Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. Turns out producer Pritish Nandy was keen on remaking this particular film before Anand objected to the idea, citing the possibility of the remake violating the copyrights.

Status: Aborted.

1, 2, 3...
And sequels are never out of fashion. Be it the Bhatts or other filmmakers, the idea of a franchise seems to excite everyone.

Ardh Satya (1983)
After a gap of 30 years, director Govind Nihalani is planning to create a sequel to his cop drama. Om Puri bagged the National Award for his role in the film. The upcoming film will be contemporary in nature but rooted to the original concept. The cast hasn't been decided yet.

Status: The script is currently under construction and Nihalani has set a target for himself, `I hope to complete the script by Diwali.`


Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983)
This Kundan Mehta cult film ended with Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani's characters being framed for crimes that they had never committed in the first place. After its digitally restored version bagged a release last year, the sequel now is slated to follow their journey after they emerge from prison 35 years later. The cast has an ensemble of old faces as well as newer actors.

Status: Currently, in the making.