Foreign films, desi twist

Bollywood is currently on a remaking spree. Either they are digging out old Hindi films and giving them a new spin or simply sourcing from the South. Hollywood continues to be a major source of inspiration for our makers. But with international studios like Fox Star, Warner and Sony Pictures having gained a firm foothold in the Indian market, producers can no longer hoodwink the audiences or the original makers with unofficial adaptations.

Come October, Siddharth Malhotra's Bang Bang, an official remake of Knight And Day, hits theatres. Karan Malhotra is helming the desi version of Warrior titled Brothers starring Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra. Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa is being adapted from Korean crime thriller Seven Days. Bipasha Basu-starrer Alone is being borrowed from a Thai film by the same name. French film Intouchables will see a Karan Johar makeover, which will be directed by Mohit Suri. British film Infidel is being given a desi twist with Dharam Sankat Mein starring Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Annu Kapoor. Then there's the French film Priceless - Earlier Katrina Kaif was keen on buying the remake rights and turning producing with the desi version but it fell through - the Korean My Girlfriend Is An Agent and the Hollywood hit Fault In our Stars, the rights for which have already been snapped up and are in the process of getting Indianised.

Getting official
Sanjay Gupta, whose films Kaante and Zinda were inspired from foreign films has now said to have bought the rights of three Korean films, the first of which is Jazzba. Though Sanjay refuses to speak about Jazzba saying he has signed a Non Disclosure Agreement, he says that earlier it was difficult to get access to foreign filmmakers to procure rights. "Thanks to technology, the world has become smaller and we can close deal over emails. Also legal teams have become stronger," he admits. Sneha Rajani, Dy President and Head, MSM Motion Pictures, points out that studios world over have become more open to remakes than ever before and it helps build the brand. "We have been receiving quite a few queries from producers regarding remaking Sony Pictures titles and are evaluating the same," she adds.

What works?
Trade analyst Amod Mehra points out that Hollywood remakes don't find much favour with the Indian audience because their culture and story-telling technique is different. "No doubt, they look exciting and there's grandeur but we don't have their sentiments. However, when it comes to Asian, Korean or Iranian films where the culture matches with ours, it works." Critic Anupama Chopra, on the other hand feels that any remake will work provided it is adapted to the Indian milieu. "Remakes are one way of bringing unusual and interesting stories into our lives," she says. Rajani avers that remakes if dealt with smartly, can work at the box office, because the story and script has found success and resonance with audiences in some other part of the world. "What matters is how well you can Indianise the content without losing the essence of the story being retold. Even if the Hollywood film has released here and is met with success – remaking it is an opportunity to take that story to far larger audiences," she says. Aalif Surti, Chief Creative Officer, Fox Star Studios, which is producing the Hrithik Roshan – Katrina Kaif starrer Bang Bang reveals that director Siddharth Anand and his writers got access to all earlier drafts of the script of Knight And Day, which helped them discover angles of the story that were not used in the Hollywood version!

Value for money
Remake rights cost anywhere between Rs 5 lakhs to 15 crores depending on the popularity of the film, how recent it is and the country it's being bought from. However, producers are unanimous about Holly films being the most expensive when it comes to buying rights. As Surti says, "In terms of costs and legal complexities, Hollywood films are the most difficult. And if it is based on a bestselling video game, like the movie Hitman, it is even more difficult to get the rights. But it varies from film to film." He cites an incident that happened when they were buying the rights of a Korean film. "The four partners who were producers didn't see eye-to-eye after the film released and therefore, were unwilling to come to a decision on selling!"

Deviations from the original
Gupta says that there are no set rules. "It depends on the filmmaker and the script. If it can be Indianised fluidly, it may remain true to the original. Sometimes you may just buy the creative rights and use the germ of its idea and develop it the way you like," he elaborates. In the case of Bang Bang, the makers have retained the essence of the original, but the storyline is different. Says Surti, "The fun of Katrina's character meeting a man who is charming and yet dangerously unreliable is retained, how they meet and what his mission is, is very different. Bang Bang is much more emotional than the original."

Track record
Not all remakes are hits, but some do exceptionally well. The recent Hansal Mehta film CityLights, a remake of Metro Manila was critically acclaimed, Mohit Suri's Ek Villain inspired by the Korean film I Saw the Devil was a hit, though it was not an official remake. There have been disasters like Players (based on The Italian Job), and We Are Family (official remake of Step Mom) that had a tepid run at the box office.
But one thing's for sure. Buying the rights of a successful or an acclaimed foreign film does not translate into great box office performance here. The key still lies with how well that story is told and if it can give viewers a bang for their buck.