Text credit: Charishma Thankappan

The purpose of a remake is to reach out to a wider audience and make them aware of the brilliance of the original film. Often remade in other languages, the film is supposed to be a twice-born that should ideally keep intact the genius of the mother film. Filmmakers may take liberties to bring in variations to suit the target audience of the remake, but the purpose can be lost if the essence is missed.

The just released Bollywood film Dhadak has been much awaited for multiple reasons – being a remake of the wildly hit Marathi film Sairat (2016); being the grand debut of the newest princess in Bollywood – Sridevi’s daughter Jahnvi Kapoor; her pairing with Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother Ishaan Khattar’s first commercial film; and not the least – another baby from Karan Johar’s stable Dharma Productions.  However, the excitement of the months’ of anticipation is beginning to plummet rapidly as reviews pour in, which are mostly touting the film as a failure.

Sairat, the original Marathi film which has been remade as Dhadak in Hindi

Source: imdb.com

The increasing number of poor overhauls of films in the recent past makes one wonder if filmmakers are running out of ideas for original stories, or if they are in a hurry to launch their recreation. Feeble plots, bad casting, inferior scripting, shoddy technical work, weak imagination, lack of research, and a host of reasons contribute to the defeat of a remake. And in Dhadak’s case, it seems to be a combination of most of these, including a hurried stance of being a launching pad for the respective Bollywood starlets.

We take a look at some other substandard remakes that were miserable fiascos.

RGV Ki Aag (2007)

Sources: host2post.com and filmstreams.org

From the moment word went out that the legendary 1975 film Sholay was going to be remade, cinema fans could only wonder at the bravado of the director for daring to venture into such an act. Ram Gopal Varma had proved his quality with past films like Rangeela (1995), Satya (1998), Company (2002), etc., but this decision was considered too audacious even by his staunch fans. Despite casting Amitabh Bachchan, one of the heroes of Sholay as the villain in Aag, the film bombed superbly at the box office.

Ekk Deewana Tha (2012)

Sources: hamaraphotos.com and woodsdeck.com

Fans of Gautham Vasudev Menon had fallen head over heels in love with the romantic film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010). This heart touching love story was touted as perhaps the best performance of Silambarasan and his chemistry with Trisha was well loved, making the film memorable and reminiscent of Vaaranam Aayiram (2008).  However, the Bollywood remake of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa came and went without ruffling any feathers. With a nondescript cast of Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson, if at all the film created any presence, it was thanks to AR Rahman’s music.

Billu (2009)

Sources: netflix.com and galatta.com

After courting a bit of controversy with its original name of ‘Billu Barber’, the film, which was a remake of Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol (2007), failed to make any impact. While Mammootty was the face of the original, seasoned Malayali director Priyadarshan, who remade it in Hindi, banked on Shah Rukh Khan for the Bollywood film. Despite King Khan’s presence and Irrfan Khan’s performance, the film bombed at the Box Office.

Drishyam (2015)

Sources: woodsdeck.com and malayalam-movies2014.blogspot.com

The Malayalam film starring Mohanlal from 2013 had quickly turned into a cult film in Malayalam cinema. A film that took not just Mollywood, but the cinema industry by storm, it was quickly remade into other Indian languages, including Tamil and Hindi. However, neither came close to the performances by the stellar cast of the Malayalam film. Ajay Devgn was a pale shadow to Mohanlal, while newcomer Asha Sharath in Malayalam was far more formidable than the seasoned Tabu.

Chandramukhi (2005)

Sources: vinithtrolls.com and imdb.com

It is safe to say that the Tamil remake of not just Malayalam cinema, but perhaps Indian cinema’s cult film Manichithrathazhu (1993) was an utter disaster. Despite the presence of South Indian superstar Rajinikanth, his rendition of Mohanlal’s role was one of his most forgettable performances. Jyothika was a trifling substitute for Shobana, proving that the latter has no comparison, thus deserving the National Award that she won for her role. Manichitrathazhu was also remade into Kannada, Bengali, and Hindi, but none made any impact except the Bollywood remake – Bhool Bhullaya (2007) – starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan.

The post 5 Films That Proved To Be A Complete Disaster As Remake appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.

Text credit: Charishma Thankappan

It didn’t come as a surprise when the massive hit Premam that took a whole generation of Malayali youth by storm, was remade into Telegu and there were talks of it being redone in Tamil as well. And so it shouldn’t amaze film lovers now that the news of it being remade in Bollywood comes across.

However, what fans of the original film will be watching out for is the cast in the Hindi remake, and if it will match up to the brilliant original cast that was the hallmark of the Malayalam version. As the revelation comes that Arjun Kapoor will be stepping into the shoes of Nivin Pauly’s much loved George, fans are scratching their heads over the choice of the hero.

Nivin’s character is one which is spread across a long time span of around a decade, beginning with the high school days till his late 20s. The film narrates three stages of his life and his love relationships with the women in the respective phases. Nivin had successfully been able to master the transition between each of the periods in the life of George, masterfully portraying a range of emotions from the highs of young infatuation, to the depths of deep love, the abysses of disappointment and heartbreak, to the level headedness of maturity. Portraying the character of a romantic and besotted lover has been a forte of Nivin as an actor, little rivalled by others in the industry. His expressions of being  drunk in love, paired with his brilliant smile that makes many a women go weak in the knees has exalted him as the model lover. He has managed to thus become an ideal heartthrob for many young women film enthusiasts across South Indian cinema.

Source: The Indian Express

Where does then, Bollywood’s choice of Arjun Kapoor match up to this character? The actor, who has acted in films like Ishaqzaade, 2 States, Ki and Ka; has done well in serious and brash roles, but has been found extremely wanting in the guise of a romantic lover. Staid and expressionless, the actor has a deadpan expression in emotional roles. The actor being able to execute an emotionally demanding role as in the film Premam is then a question, where even Naga Chaithanya, who played the character in the Telegu remake of the film was found wanting.

Source: upperstall.com

The entire coterie of support cast in the original Malayalam film, comprising Shabareesh Varma, Vinay Forrt, Soubin Shahir, Krishna Shankar, Sharafuddin, Jude Antony Joesph, Wilson Joseph; etc proved to be a formidable team, contributing equally to the film endearing itself to movie lovers. Finding a similar team in Bollywood will also be an uphill task. The three heroines of Premam – Anupama Parameshwaran and Madonna Sebastien, led by Sai Pallavi; also played their respective roles to perfection, being evenly crucial to the film. While the female cast for the Bollywood remake is yet to be finalised, fans of the film will be watching with hawk eyes for the announcement and the fate of the remake.

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