Playing with Fire

Karan Malhotra hopes that his remake of Agneepath,with less melodrama and more nuanced characters,will not sink at the box-office like the original.

Nearly three years ago,directors at Karan Johars Dharma Productions,and their assistants,were discussing their favourite Bollywood films in an informal chat session. Karan Malhotra,who was then assisting Johar on My Name Is Khan (MNIK),spoke about Amitabh Bachchans Agneepath. Karan asked me then if it should be remade and I replied it should,also suggesting names of directors who might remake it well, recounts Malhotra. While Rajkumar Santoshi (with whom Malhotra had worked on Lajja and Pukar) was one of the names that came up,Johar had other plans. The discussion ended,but the idea remained with Karan. After completing MNIK,he asked me to pen the screenplay for the remake and also direct it, he says.

His wildest dream came true,but Malhotra was unsure how the remake would be received,especially since the previous films characters had become bigger than the film itself. However,his industry experience his father Ravi Malhotra was a producer in the 1970s and he himself has assisted Farhan Akhtar,Farah Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker encouraged him to take the risk.

The original film,directed by Mukul S Anand in 1990,had Bachchan play Vijay Deenanath Chauhan,today considered one of the most powerful performances by the veteran actor. However,Agneepath not only failed at box-office but was also panned by Bachchans fans for the altered voice he had dubbed with. As a result,the actor had to re-dub the entire film in his trademark baritone. This,too,failed to bring the audience to the theatres.

But these factors did not deter Malhotra. Filmmaking is an unpredictable business. What is liked today may not be enjoyed tomorrow. How else can one explain Agneepaths cult status today,after the initial reception it got? Malhotra says. The plot of Malhotras remake remains the same and Vijay (played by Hrithik Roshan) will seek revenge for his fathers death to reclaim Mandwa from Kaancha Cheena (Sanjay Dutts character is called Kaancha). Malhotra,however,has taken the liberty of changing the approach to suit the sensibilities of todays audience. In the 90s,the heroes went over-the-top and mouthed punchlines despite the characters already being larger than life. Hrithik as Vijay is a younger character. Vijay has not been given a melodramatic treatment and his silence speaks louder than words, says Malhotra.

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