Remakes - 2

In the previous post on remakes, I looked at remakes from other languages. This one focuses on remakes of old classics. While we are yet to have an official remake of an old Tamil movie, it appears imminent considering the success of such remakes in Hindi and the advantages of going in for such remakes. Not that these kinds of remakes are any easier. Remaking an old film from the same language just leads to a different set of problems than what one would encounter when remaking a film from another language.

The biggest problem ofcourse is the perception that the makers are besmirching a classic. Many old films are viewed very affectionately by moviegoers and they may consider it blasphemy that the film is going to be remade. Considering that most films from previous eras were clean and family-friendly and looking at the content of movies today, fans of old movies will no doubt be alarmed by news of remakes. This will lead to the film getting a negative image even before it is launched. Worse, our Tamil viewers being an emotional(and easily-swayed) bunch may lead to more problems than just bad publicity(case in point - the troubles faced by the Dhanush film just for naming the film Thiruvilaiyaadal).

There is also the question of how to handle the remake. While the new version should have the same basic storyline to identify it as a remake, it should incorporate enough changes so that the film isn't completely predictable and boring to people who have seen the original. This could be a change of setting, minor changes in the screenplay, etc. Again, these changes, however good they may be, run the risk of being criticized simply because they make the movie different. "If it ain't broken, don't fix it!" may be what the moviegoers are thinking.

Once the film is released, there are the inevitable comparisons that will arise. Assuming that only successes will be remade, they will probably have been seen by a large number of viewers. This is essentially what drives the remake since the curiosity factor alone will bring in all these viewers to the new version. At the same time, these viewers have a benchmark for the same film and will constantly compare the new film with that (this is very clear from all those reviews of Don by reviewers for whom the older version is still fresh in their minds). And since they view the old film so fondly, the newer version will almost definitely compare unfavorably and lead to bad word-of-mouth.

Inspite of all these problems, it probably won't be long before this phenomenon hits Tamil films. The guaranteed publicity that the launch of a remake will bring and the aforementioned curiosity factor will make a remake hot property. And as always, if one succeeds, it will open the floodgates to a slew of remakes.

A couple of factors could be used to decide what film to remake. An obvious choice would be a film that was ahead of its times. One film I can think of in that category is Rajapaarvai (though I don't think any of the current actors is capable of the kind of performance Kamal gave in that film). There are also films that have aged. There was recently talk of remaking some of Rajni's old films like Billa. But I think we should look back even further to pick a film to remake. Rajni is still going strong as a hero and most of his past films(atleast the successful ones) are still entertaining and haven't aged. The re-releases in the smaller theaters and the countless reruns on the TV channels have also helped them remain fresh in people's minds. But MGR films have probably been seen by a lot less viewers of the current generation and he has acted in enough police thrillers that would work well if updated with the current technology.

At the same time, I think some films should be left alone. These movies have a special place in our hearts and and their characters are inseparably associated with the actors who played them. Veera Paandiya Katta Bomman, 16 Vayadhinile, Naayagan and Mouna Raagam are a few I can think of right away, that should be left untouched.

So what old movies would you like to see remade? And what movies do you think should be left alone?