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Pink vs Vakeel Saab debate: Both Amitabh Bachchan and Pawan Kalyan version CAN and SHOULD co-exist
Have the Vakeel Saab makers destroyed the essence of Pink by taking an over the top route? Pinkvilla discusses.
Pawan Kalyan fronted Vakeel Saab, the Telugu adaptation of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Pink with Taapsee Pannu, Kriti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang, hit the big screen on April 10, with packed houses across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In it’s five day run, the film has done a roaring business with total gross collections in excess of Rs 90 crore, conveniently crossing the lifetime collection of the Amitabh Bachchan thriller. The phenomenal performance of Vakeel Saab, and the story telling template adapted by the makers of this Telugu film, has led to a debate on social media.
There is a section of audience, who believe Pawan Kalyan and co. destroyed the essence of Hindi original with it’s larger than life and over the top treatment, whereas there is another segment which feels films are meant for entertainment and the commercial template has helped the message “no means no” reach out to a wider section of audience. There has been a commentary from both ends trying to run down the world of cinema that they don’t believe in, don’t wish to endorse. But the question we need to ask here is, what’s the need to compare?
There is a section of audience, who believe Pawan Kalyan and co. destroyed the essence of Hindi original with it’s larger than life and over the top treatment.. There is another segment which feels the commercial template has helped the message “no means no” reach out to a wider section of audience
A single story can be interpreted and narrated in different way by different filmmakers based on their understanding of the incident. Neither of them are compelled to narrate an incident the same way, as other person did. Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury interpreted the idea “no means no” as something hard-hitting, warranting tons of drama in courtroom backed with some amount of thrill. Likewise, Vakeel Saab director, Venu Sriram, wanted to explore the commercial aspect of the same incident, by showcasing how three women and one powerful lawyer standing up for truth can rattle the entire system, leading them to take extreme moves.There is an audience of Vakeel Saab, probably, a much wider audience, and there is an audience for Pink, which is far lower than the same. But then comes the budget factor too. The total cost of Pink including PnA, would have probably been lower than the acting fees of Pawan Kalyan. What’s the harm if there’s a story, narrated in any way, if its in sync with the budget?
Today, the Telugu makers went commercial with their approach because they knew about the audience they are appeasing too, they knew that it would be difficult to recover the costs if they make it taut court room drama - thriller like Pink. They knew, the fans won’t accept Pawan Kalyan as a bipolar (a characteristic of Amitabh Bachchan from the original), so they put it on the backburner, and brought in a different sub-track to showcase the return of lawyer to the court.Instead, they used PK's stardom as a vehicle to reach out to the least common denominator.
End of the day, it’s about creating content for the target audience i.e. audience the film is catering to.Tomorrow, someone may reimagine the story of Pink strictly as the journey of three girls, by totally bypassing the court room. Is that wrong? Nope, it’s the perspective of the filmmaker. Today, a commercial film like Vakeel Saab is as important as a relatively small film like Pink. It’s the balance of art with commerce, in all cases. The trailers of both films gave an idea about the approach taken. Criticizing even after that is like, expecting a good Punjabi food in an Italian restaurant.
Vakeel Saab makers knew, the fans won’t accept Pawan Kalyan as a bipolar, so they put the sub-track on the backburner, and brought in a different narrative to showcase the return of lawyer to the court
Rather than pulling anyone’s vision down, one should watch the version that blends with their own sensibilities. Some may like Pink, some may like Vakeel Saab, and then there’s Thala Ajith’s Nerkonda Paarvai, which took a route that’s somewhere in between Pink and Vakeel Saab, attempting to win over both classes and masses. The pattern of putting out the message loud and clear changed, but always remember, “NO MEANS NO”.
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