Hits & Misses - Remakes

First on the list is a name that speaks volumes in itself - Agneepath. The movie is a remake of the 1990 original by the same name, which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Neelam, Rohini Hattangadi and Danny Denzongpa in the lead roles. Featuring Hrithik Roshan in the lead role, the remake tried to recreate the magic a decade ago. The story revolves around Vijay Dinanath Chauhan who wants to avenge the immoral murder of his father by the dreaded mobster Kancha Cheena. To achieve this, he befriends and then overpowers the underworld drug lord, Rauf Lala. What worked for this remake, along with the soulful songs, was that the makers introduced new characters and circumstances while keeping the central plot the same. No wonder the movie was a success!
One name that shall be embedded in golden letters in the history of Indian cinema is Devdas. The 1955 Devdas had a phenomal star cast including Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala Bali and Suchitra Sen. The modern remake of this classic film was an effort by the talented writer-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to pay a tribute to the greater than life characters of Sharat Chandra's novella. The story is about Devdas, who comes from a wealthy background. After his studies, he wishes to marry his childhood sweetheart Parvati, whom his family rejects cause of her low family background, due to which Devdas takes to alcohol, leading to his ultimate demise. Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit Nene's stellar performances along with Bhansali's grand vision made the movie an all time hit.
Next we have with us the movie that literally causes goosebumps with its clever storyline - Don. The movie was first made in 1978, with Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and Pran playing the main leads. The action thriller adapted the story from the original, but with a taste of director Farhan Akhtar's creativity. Starring the Baadshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, and the gorgeous Priyanka Chopra, the film talks about an underworld don who the police (apparently of 11 countries) want to nab and hundreds of people want to destroy. The best thing that differentiated it from the original was the abrupt twist at the end of the film, leaving everyone in amazement and creating scope for a sequel.
The world is always on a lookout for some stress buster comical movies, and Bol Bachchan was everything a person needed. Remake of the 1979 film Golmaal which casted Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt and Bindiya Goswami, this movie is set in the modern times. Abbas Ali procures a job with Prithviraj Raghuvanshi (Ajay Devgn) under the guise of being a Hindu. The film progresses as to how Abbas, played by Abhishek Bachchan, keeps his job by weaving a web of lies to hide his first lie in a very hilarious manner.
Himmatwala, starring Ajay Devgn and Tamanna Bhatia in the lead roles was directed by popular director Sajid Khan. It is the remake of the 1983 Himmatwala starring Jeetendra, Sridevi Kapoor and Amjad Khan. The movie revolves around a street fighter, who comes back to his village to look after his family, only to fight against the corrupt landlord responsible for his family's miseries. Failing to attract viewers, the movie did not perform well at the box-office and was a disaster.
One disturbing name in the history of remakes is Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. The movie was a remake of the legendary Sholay made in 1975 starring some of the most phenomenal actors till date - Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachcan, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan. However, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the remake put the cinema to shame. Despite boasting of a strong star-cast including veteran actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Sushmita Sen with a few others in the lead roles, the remake was criticised heavily. The characters were named differently from the original, but nothing could save the movie from being the biggest flop of the year.
Next on the list, is the Himesh Reshammiya starrer Karzzz. Ravi Verma comes back after reincarnating as Monty, to avenge Kamini's (Urmila Matondkar) wrongdoings towards him and his family. The original movie came out in 1980 and included Rishi Kapoor, Simi Garewal and Tina Munim Ambani. The movie started off with a strong opening, but gradually the collections declined followed by the film being declared a washout.


The most recent remake which failed everyone's expectations is Zanjeer. The 1973 original with the same name was a big success with a veteran star cast like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran and Ajit. The film is a tale of an honest officer ACP Vijay Khanna (Ram Charan), who goes through numerous transfers for standing rock solid against criminals. This time, his fight against Teja involves an eye-witness Mala and a true friend in the form of Sher Khan. Will he succeed in destructing the man who not only is Vijay's present, but his past as well? Ram Charan's debut in Bollywood was predicted to be as good as his movies in the South, but contradicting everything said about it, the movie lacked a certain charisma to charm all and sundry.