Once is not enough, they say. A remake is something which is based on one made before. The industry people always consider remakes as bestsellers and as a source to success due to their proven formulae, for lessening the burden of research and number of working days and for having great scope to offer improvisations to the original.
Sometimes these films become a source of controversy, especially when you don’t find an able director to satisfy the expectations of the loyal fans of the original. So, what if both original and remake were made by the director who helmed the original version? Certainly, there won’t be any conflict!
A year ago, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga made a stunning debut as a director with Arjun Reddy. This small-budget black-comedy remains one of the finest films of Telugu cinema of recent times. He has not directed another Telugu film after that, as he continued to be busy with the remake of its Hindi version. Incidentally, the film also marks his Bollywood debut.
Ask Sandeep why he has taken another shot at this own movie, he says, “The story of Arjun Reddy has pan-India appeal and the magnitude of success it has achieved accentuates my belief. Even though it’s the story of a Telugu boy and a Tulu girl, the remake will have a different cultural background and will be shot in several popular cities across North India. I’m excited to tell my story again and I hope the content of my film will break all the barriers.”
Director Pawan Kumar, who is relishing the success of U Turn apparently always wanted the original to be made in Telugu and Tamil. “The reason why I directed U Turn again was for Samantha. She analysed the film based on its content and not on its box office success. In fact, I believed that the script had the chance to reach a different audience and wanted to make it with her even before the Kannada version hit the screens,” recalls Pawan.
He agrees that remakes limit a director’s creative concepts, but is happy with the second effort. “Telling the same story again is creatively exhausting. Inadvertently, you end up making comparisons with the original and always worry about the output. On the other hand, it’s really satisfying as we have made a technically better film than the original and also changed the climax portions, which were received well by the audience. With this experience, I would say remakes are better.”
Director Deva Katta’s 2010 Telugu political thriller Prasthanam is being remade in Hindi with Sanjay Dutt reprising Sai Kumar’s role. “Except for the cast and crew, the story and the events are basically the same as the original. We have made a few changes keeping the sensibilities of Hindi audience in mind. The best part of Prasthanam is that the story is realistic and all the characters carry authenticity which is always a crucial factor to make the audience believe it.
I can confidently say that the audience will never feel like watching a remake as it will comply with the movies that are being made in Hindi,” explains Deva. He says that the story of Prassthanam have the scope to be to told on a bigger canvas and insists that it’s impossible for any other director to recreate the success.
“I have worked on this story with deep passion and I’m emotionally attached to all the characters. That way, it’s impossible for anybody else to recreate it. I’m deeply rooted in its theme. Even though I’m recreating my own work, I still carry the same excitement. It’s like a composition played with different instruments. Adding to that, Sanjay Dutt wanted me to direct this film and he felt only I can do justice to it,” says Deva. Ask him which one is his favourite? The director claims, “They really are too close to call. I enjoyed doing both versions.”
Another director who is making his debut in a relatively new language with his successful film is TN Santosh. Titled Mudra, the film is the remake of Tamil film Kanithan and features Nikhil in the lead. “We believe its theme impacting real life resonate more with all sections of audience and the tone is much more in the same vein as any other thriller,” says a source. So, what’s different in the remake? “Quite a lot! We have tweaked a few aspects in the story and made the narrative crisp. We hope to do better the second time,” the source adds.