Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Sholay (1975), Shaan (1980), and Shakti (1982) have given us not only powerful stories, but also iconic characters to cherish. Now, decades later, the characters are set to return. Shehzad Sippy, the nephew of filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, has taken charge of Sippy Films to mark a new run, which will use the banner’s Intellectual Property (IP) — its popular characters — to bring fresh stories to the screen. 

Speaking to mid-day from the US, Shehzad revealed that he has been working on the plan for the past decade. “The idea came to me when I [attended] a chat by Peter Cuneo, who spoke about how he had taken Marvel from bankruptcy all the way to its sale to Disney. He mentioned how they had a great asset in all the characters. So, I thought of building on the Sippy films’ characters, in the form of new films, animation series, games, and merchandise,” he shared.
The first step was to seek permission from his family, especially his uncle. How did the filmmaker react to the idea? “He was supportive. We’re building on his movies and characters. So, it was important for me that he’d be a part of the process.”