Meghna Gulzar will NEVER remake her father's films, here's why

She's simultaneously working on two films, based on real-life stories at the same time. Meghna Gulzar says she was "extremely inspired" by acid attack survivor Laxmi Aggarwal’s story, on whom one of the films is based. "The experience of making Talvar (2015) was liberating. The actors don’t need to look sterile and the surroundings don’t need to be rose tinted [in a film based on real events], not that all movies need to be or are like that. But I feel some of the most poignant films come from real life," she told a tabloid.

The director confesses she was looking for a good story after, Talvar, her critically acclaimed film based on the murder of Arushi Talvar. She feels fortunate to have found two good stories. Her other film is a story of a Kashmiri girl married to a Pakistani army officer and the 1971 war, based on a book by Harinder Sikka. Meghna has written both films along with her team, and she will direct them one after the other.

Gulzar Jr says the success of Talvar forced her to stop taking long breaks between films, saying, "I don’t want to wait for seven years before making my next film, as I’ve done so far (laughs). It was not by choice, but due to circumstances. Either the script wasn’t ready or I was looking after my son. Thankfully, the scripts are coming together, so I will be making more films now." She has also directed films like Filhaal (2002), Just Married (2007), and one of the 10 short stories in Dus Kahaniyaan (2007).

These days, remakes are the flavour of the season in Bollywood but Meghna is firm that she will never remake any of her father Gulzar’s movies. “There are two reasons: I feel some things should remain untouched, and one shouldn’t mess with their sanctity. Moreover, we need to let our following generation know about our past, and to do that, we should show them original films. We shouldn’t remake them," she says.