Why originality is an ugly word

Remakes will ruin the Kannada film industry, fear directors, but image-conscious stars and returns-conscious producers are happy taking the tried, tested and trite route

Why originality is an ugly word

Remakes will ruin the Kannada film industry, fear directors, but image-conscious stars and returns-conscious producers are happy taking the tried, tested and trite route

There's a creative drought sweeping the Kannada film industry. Uninspired filmmakers are busy churning out remakes and actors seem happy to play the roles that their counterparts in the Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam industry did months or even years ago.

Upendra's Dubai Babu, Gururaj's Gilli, Yogeesh aka Loose Mada's yet to be titled film, are remakes. Who is to blame for the crisis-producers who want guaranteed returns on investment or image-conscious stars, who dictate plot and premise, as they want nothing to shatter their carefully cultivated image?u00a0

Safe bet

Producer Rockline Venkatesh sees nothing wrong in taking the remake route. "If a film in another language has a unique story, then there is nothing wrong in adapting the story. The film industry is like a laboratory. We need to keep experimenting until we get the formula for success. Whether remakes can recreate the magic of the original film is something that should be left to the audience to decide," he says.

Remakes are seen as a safe bet. "In a way, it's easier for the producer to work on a product that's test
marketed and certified as a success," quips actor-director Ramesh Aravind.

An uneasy feeling

But director S Mahendar insists that a filmmaker passionate about his craft would never be comfortable doing remakes. "There is no creative satisfaction in directing such films. I too have made remakes and these films have even fared well. But to be very honest, I was not happy making these films. I had to accept such offers because I had commitments to meet," he confesses.

"There are some people in the industry who argue if a novel can be made into a film, then why can't a film be remade. I know of producers who have coughed up Rs 25-30 lakh to but the rights of a successful film, hoping to recreate box office magic. I don't fault their argument. But I am averse to remakes," Mahendar adds.

He wonders why producers do not want to pay a reasonable sum of money for an original script, instead of forking out lakhs of rupees for rights to remake a film.

Dubai Babu, a remake of Dubai Seenu(Telugu)
Intelligent copying

Ramesh Aravind says, "If at all I have to remake a film, I would rather remake the story and not the entire film." He cites his film, Rama Shama Bhama, as an example. "The film was a remake, but I changed the script to suit the sensibilities of our audience. And I must say that these touches made the film a hit. That should be the kind of approach one must adopt while dealing with remakes."

He explains that Ravichandran's Ranadheera, a remake of Subhash Ghai's blockbuster Hero, turned out to be slicker than the original in terms of production values. "The film should have the director's signature. There must be exciting twists to the tale, only then will the remake click," he adds.

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