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OPINION: Do remakes of classic films carry any potential in today’s world?
Over the years in world cinema and Indian cinema, there have been instances of remaking classic films from the yesteryears and expecting a massive appeal. Would that work in today’s film world? Read on
Films from the early stages of cinema have often been remade into newer versions by adapting the film into something that is more catered to the present-day audience.
Hollywood films like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Westside Story, and Planet of the Apes are among a few that have been remade from classic films where the original ones still hold significant appeal over the audience, even today.
Attempting remakes of classic films may not always end in the right way, as some films may tend to end up being amateurish or even downright boring. This kind of attempt makes remaking classics a risky deal which may ultimately end up tarnishing the appeal of the original film.
Though the idea of remakes being relevant in today’s world is a matter of debate, it would go without saying that the wiser choice in considering a remake of a classic film would have an insane amount of pressure on the makers and would also be a cut-throat event for them to pull off.
Is remaking a classic film worth it?
In a recent update from Valai Pechu, it is speculated that Por Thozhil director Vignesh Raja, who actually turned heads with his film is eyeing make remake of Kamal Haasan’s iconic and cult classic film Sathyaa. Though an official update has not been made by any parties yet, it also said that he is considering Ashok Selvan to portray the role this time.
For those unaware, back in 1988, Kamal Haasan collaborated with director Suressh Krishna for the latter’s debut film called Sathyaa. The film which features Haasan in the lead role showcases the story of an unemployed youth who is vocal against any sort of injustice that happens before him. Making use of his innocence and the need for financial stability, a corrupt politician Dhandapani makes use of Sathyaa’s brawns and uses him for his own benefit.
The film is the official remake of the 1985 movie Arjun starring Sunny Deol in the lead role and is considered one of the best action films by the actor ever. Even though Sathyaa is a remake of the Hindi film, the cult status it holds even to this date has been surreal to some extent. Though being a remake, Suressh Krishna had opted to not make the film a shot-by-shot remake of Arjun but instead took the basic idea of the film.
Sathyaa being a tale told in the 80s, still holds prominence for how the unemployed youth are still struggling for wages and how many are hot-tempered and righteous in their young age, trying to fight a fair battle. The relevance of the story and character of Sathyaa resonates with people to an extent that they try to look the part as well.
Even since the time of release, people have adapted the style of short hair Haasan had in the film and also started to popularly don the silver kada on their hands. The significance of the kada can be even seen in Tamil directors like Gautham Vasudev Menon and Lokesh Kanagaraj who have openly admitted to wearing it due to Sathyaa. Moreover, Lokesh’s first feature film Maanagaram also features Sundeep Kishan in a role that was inspired by Sathyaa.
Understanding just these facts we can make sense of how the film Sathyaa, despite being a remake had its effect on the audience, especially in a time when the only source of cinematic entertainment for the mass audience was film theaters.
Coming to today, remakes themselves have been under extreme criticism and analysis making it required to undergo rigorous understanding and reworks to avoid tarnishing the original one. In such a situation, a remake of a film like Sathyaa is bound to make heads turn, with many bound to go up in arms over the casting of actors to adaptation of sequences from the previous one.
Interestingly, even a spiritual successor of Sathyaa was attempted back in 2019 which was called Dha Dha 87, which featured Kamal Haasan’s elder brother Charuhasan playing the role of Sathyaa. The film was a disaster during release and had received a huge amount of negative responses from both critics and audience.
On the other hand, remakes of classics can serve a purpose to the audience who have never attempted to watch the original one. Many audiences of today’s world may not have the time or interest to search up and watch a film from the 80s, citing reasons like being from a prior generation.
In such an instance, remaking a classic film, adapting it into the flavors of today’s cinema, and even using the technological prowess we have now could ultimately prone them into watching such classic stories. This also lends the original film to shine even better in the audience of today.
Remaking classic films
Though the intention of remaking a classic film in a preferable taste that would be appreciated today might work for some audiences, the larger audience, on the other hand, would not appreciate it and are most likely to pick both the films apart, from shot to shot.
Even back in 2023, director Aashiq Abu who is known for making films like Mayaanadhi, Idukki Gold, Virus and many more made the film Neelavelicham starring Tovino Thomas, Rima Kallingal, Roshan Mathew, Shine Tom Chacko, Rajesh Madhavan and many more in key roles.
The film was the official reboot of a classic Malayalam horror-thriller film called Bhargavi Nilayam (1964) which was adapted from a short story written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer called Neelavelicham, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. Upon release of the reboot, a widespread debate went on in Malayalam films over the film’s lack of authenticity, despite being technologically superior to the original one.
Many people from the audience preferred watching the 1964 version of the film starring veteran actors like Madhu, Vijaya Nirmala, Prem Nazir, and PJ Antony rather than opting for the new one. Moreover, the film is also considered as the first Malayalam horror film which makes it even more prominent for the pop culture of Malayalam cinema.
Though this is not enough to substantiate the effectiveness a film’s remake might have on the audience, it certainly shows how the audience might still prefer watching the classic over a new one. On a personal note, more than often, it feels like the use of remaking a classic film is unnecessary and childish, especially if it's going to be a shot-to-shot remake of the original one. The preservation and restoration of classic films are much better and more entertaining to watch rather than resorting to sub-par remakes.
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