By Dr.Priyanka Mathur
Indian cinema has produced some rare gems which outshined because they were way ahead of their times in thought and still offer a contemporary relevance. Filmifiles brings to you some of these gems which can once again be explored with a new approach to create a remake relevant to contemporary times.
Jewel Thief
Produced & Directed by Vijay Anand the film brought the double role concept as a plot, which sparkled like a gem holding a special place in the space of thrillers in the Indian cinema. It Starred Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala, and Ashok Kumar in the leading roles.
Dev Anand plays Vijay who’s a jewellery expert, is often mistaken for a look-alike jewel thief, Amar. He joins hands with the police to clear his name, thereby helping them crack the crime ring and impersonate the thief, but in the process, their true identities get thoroughly muddled. The film had such twists in the story which compelled the viewer to rewind the whole film in his mind to judge whether the filmmaker had played fairly to reveal the truth in the climax making complete sense.
The storyline of the film had all the ideal ingredients and great scope for suspense, mystery, thrill, action, twists and turns, intervened with a love story which certainly has a remake value that could hold today’s modern viewer with serious attention deficiency.
Mukkadar Ka Sikandar
Produced and directed by Prakash Mehra, Mukkadar Ka Sikander was an action-packed romantic drama starring Amitabh Bachhan, Rekha, Vinod Khanna, and Raakhee in the lead roles along with Amjad Khan, Kader Khan, Mayur Raj Verma, Ranjeet, Yusuf, and Nirupa Roy in the supporting cast.
The Conqueror of Destiny as its meaning suggests Mukkadar Ka Sikander is the saga of an orphan boy Sikandar (played by Mukul Raj Verma as a child and Amitabh Bachchan as an adult) who works his way up to become a wealthy man. He is left heartbroken when he is rejected by his childhood love. While he is depressed, he gets solace in the arms of a prostitute Zohra (Rekha) who falls in love with him.
The film bestowed a compelling screenplay and a gripping story with a beautiful mix of love, sacrifice, and melodrama, which relates completely to temporary audiences. The film is ideal for a remake in these times where original ideas are hard to find, but what will be challenging is its treatment.
Mr. India
Directed by Shekhar Kapoor Mr.India was a super entertainer especially for children but was enjoyable for all ages. The film starred the gorgeous Sridevi and Anil Kapoor as romantic leads, while Amrish Puri played Mogambo, the most popular villain of all times. The film is one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers in the Indian cinema wherein Anil Kapoor finds a gadget that makes him invisible although his voice could be heard, which he uses to combat the evil motives of Mogambo while he enters his den.
The film showcased various shades of one’s personality beautifully layered in every character, which were interwoven in the script. From Sridevi’s hilarious self to her spontaneity in the song ‘Hawa Hawai’.From her lovely childlike expressions to moments of her sizzling romance in the song ‘I love you’ with Anil Kapoor, to the ultimate thrill and fear of death created by Amrish Puri, to the Superhero avatar of Anil Kapoor who becomes vigilant and saves the world from being destroyed by Mogambo, with the help of his device.
The story has all the ingredients to create a mega superhero flick to utilise the contemporary filming technology, graphics and VFX which can act as an arsenal to create a Sci-Superhero film 2021 version, all together with a new dimension. The only challenge would be to find the replacements of the legendary actors Sridevi and Amrish Puri.
Sharaabi
Directed by Prakash Mehra, Sharaabi is based on the life of a rich alcoholic Vicky played by Amitabh Bacchan who irrespective of all riches feels lonely and neglected by his forever busy father (Pran) who’s a wealthy Businessman. Vicky starts reciting poetry and laments his yearning for love in the song ‘Inteha ho gayi intezaar ki’ while he falls in love with a beautiful dancer Meena played by Jayaprada.
Vicky’s character bestows many shades from being a poet in his drunken stupor to, from being extremely hilarious at times with perfect comic timing to being extremely emotional, while he outbursts against his father bringing out the angry young man persona Bacchan is known for. The film happens to be one of the finest performances in Bacchan’s peak era which brought him the crowning glory making him the Big B of Tinseltown.
The film is not just known for its acting but also its direction and a great script and memorable dialogues. There are many layers to this character of a drunkard, who although intoxicated with alcohol is funny, romantic, and classy at the same time, while he knows how to treat his lady love, giving it all ingredients for a perfect remake for today’s audiences.
Chandni
Director Yash Chopra was in love with the feeling of love and he portrayed it in his films in the purest form, intervening with different shades of life. ‘Chandni’ is one such romantic masterpiece with a matured love triangle starring Sridevi as Chandni, Rishi Kapoor as Rohit, and Vinod Khanna as Lalit in the leading roles.
Chandni is a typical Punjabi bubbly girl who meets Rohit at a friend’s wedding, who falls for her carefree and fun-loving nature and proposes to her instantly. While he belongs to an upper-class conservative family who is against his choice, he marries her.
The story takes its turn and Rohit meets with an accident and gets paralyzed. He feels he’s not worth Chandni anymore and starts avoiding her, eventually their marriage ends. Thrown into the whirlwind of life, Chandni moves to another city and starts working where she meets Lalit, a widower who falls for her. Lalit advances towards her but she rejects him as her heart still waits for Rohit, who re-enters her life.
The character of Chandni was both magnificent yet so normal that every woman could relate which had a multi-dimensional persona. While at times she was childlike, silly and sensual yet at other times she was wise, dignified, serious, as if Sridevi infused her own personality into the character.
The film had a tender love story, fabulous photography, lilting music, and beautiful romantic interludes which evoked lovely emotions. It was indeed a vintage masterpiece that brought back the class in romance, which if touched for a remake needs to be made with utmost dignity, and the perfection which Yash Chopra had, which is rare to match!
