Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma is hoping to recreate the enduring magic of the 1975 super hit 'Sholay' with his remake 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'.
MUMBAI: Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma is hoping to recreate the enduring magic of the 1975 super hit 'Sholay' with his remake 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag', featuring Amitabh Bachchan as the feared dacoit Babban (Gabbar) Singh.
"The original 'Sholay' created an excitement by giving the audience one slammer of a scene after another. I hope to do the same," Varma said.
Varma also confesses his take on 'Sholay' is the 'only original film' that he has made so far.
"I haven't made a single original film till 'Aag'. Every scene shot and frame of my earlier films have been copied from some source or the other. It could be a novel, a Hollywood or an old Hindi film.
"If I haven't been caught out it's because people haven't been able to locate my sources. 'Aag' is my first original film."
The film had nothing to do with the underworld, says Varma.
"It's almost a throwback to the kitschy films of the 1970s, like Nasir Husain's 'Yaadon Ki Baraat' or 'Chori Mera Kaam'. It isn't a gangster film nor is it a dacoit drama."
Varma, currently in Hyderabad shooting for the sequel to 'Sarkar', says he has made Aishwarya look different for 'Sarkar 2'. The film also stars the two Bachchans - Amitabh and Abhishek.
"Aishwarya plays a very strong part with shades of negative in it. I'm completely changing her image. I'm cutting her beauty down. I've gathered a large supporting cast of ugly people and have put her in the middle, so she'd come out looking stunning in her naturalness."
"'Sarkar 2' is far more original than 'Sarkar'. It will have far less of 'Godfather 2' than 'Sarkar' had of 'Godfather 1'. 'Sarkar 2' isn't about the mafia. It's a family drama."
In 'Sarkar 2', Ramu is showcasing the senior and junior Bachchans keeping their image in mind. "Only Aishwarya gets the privilege of revamping her image," Ramu adds.
Ramu feels Amitabh's role in 'Nishabd', in which he romances a 16-year-old girl, was the actor's most accomplished performance till date.
"I personally think 'Sarkar' was a cakewalk in comparison. To carry off a subject matter like that isn't very easy. However, making 'Nishabd' was a mistake.
"When 'Cheeni Kum' did an old man-young woman love story there was a tongue-in-cheek element to it. 'Nishabd' was too dark. There was resistance against seeing the film."
He ponders: "Mr. Bachchan in 'Nishabd' was over-cast. It should've been done with an actor with a much less strong image. When Victor Bannerjee fell in love with a much younger woman in 'Joggers' Park', it didn't matter. Whereas there was outrage about Amitabh Bachchan falling in love with his daughter's friend."
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