Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay- Movie Preview - Page 2

The Big Q: Will Ram Gopal Verma do justice to Sippy's Sholay?

26 May - Tanushree Chatterjee 11:19 pm

Ever since Ram Gopal Verma announced the remake of Sippy's magnum opus 'Sholay', he has been criticised everywhere. From the streets to the courtroom, Verma had to deal with charges of infringement of copyright of the popular title 'Sholay' and the character name 'Gabbar'. We will now try and bring to you the plus and minus points of making a classic for the new generation and for showing one's own creativity in Ramu's own unique style.

The Why's and Why Not's of making the classic 'Sholay':

Why 'Sholay' should not be remade by RG Verma:

• Is Ram Gopal Verma the right person to remake 'Sholay'? - When we have great film-makers in the form of commercial greats like Yash Raj Chopra, Karan Johar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra et al, then why Ram Gopal Verma has decided to go on with this big project? And remember Verma has only had semi-hits or flops in the form of horror and action films.

• Why to remake a classic? - It has been said repeatedly that classics of Indian cinema should be let alone and not be remade just to tamper with them. A classic should be cherished and passed on from generation to generation and not be degraded by someone else's interpretation. They are a source of great inspiration and learning of Indian cinema.

• Inappropriate of Verma to use the film title and character name (Gabbar)? - The copyrights of the film rests with the Sippy's firm and the use of the title and the character name is illegal as per the copyright act.

• RGV's main focus is on Gabbar Singh - Unlike the original classic, Ram Gopal Verma has glorified the character of Gabbar and has given him the focal importance in the film. The classic had all the characters with equally specific and vital role to play in the narration. But, R G Verma wants to cash in on the popularity of Big B as Gabbar.

• Verma's degrading of female characters is an insult to the original script? - In 'Ram Gopal Verma Ki Sholay', the female characters have been reduced to side kicks unlike the original film where each female character had an important role to play.

• Sholay Part II a better idea than the remake of 'Sholay'? - If one remembers the end of the blockbuster classic, Gabbar Singh never got killed by Veeru or Thankur, but was arrested by the cops. So, a second part to the classic could have build up more curiosity among the viewers and no question of tampering with the great work would have been discussed.

Why Not- No harm in making the remake of a classic:

• A film-maker's effort never goes a waste: If Ram Gopal Verma has decided to take such a bold step and remake a classic then we are nobody to comment on his potential. Whether he is among the ranks of great film-makers or not or he delivers mindless family dramas or love stories or not, he is definitely a film-maker of high repute in the inustry.

• Another Sholay cannot disturb the real classic: A lot has been said that a classic should not be remade but a classic cannot be disturbed by another film based on it. Sholay has its placed fixed in the history of Indian cinema and another Sholay can only add on to its list of honours.

• The title and the character names have been changed: After legal action, Verma has already changed the name of the film. Moreover, the actual owners of the Sippy firm have already passed away and there is no such rule that their grandson S. Sippy has the copyright to the film's title or character name as the firm got dissolved in the late 90's.

• Why to judge Verma before the film's release? - Not just Sholay, but the combination of Big B and R G Verma has hyped the film and so has the controversies surrounding it. But why to fail a film-maker of his calibre eeven before the release of his film. A piece of creativity has to be seen and understood and then criticised if and where required. Its Verma's decision to highlight Gabbar or whosoever he wants. He is not attempting to revisit Sippy's Sholay but only to pay his tribute to the great work in his own way.

• A film-maker should experiment - Actors and MPs like Hema Malini and Dharmendra are raising fingers at Verma that he has changed the script, degraded the female characters and weakened the storyline of the original. But if he had kept everything like the original then where is the creativity and originality. The challenge is to live up to the stalwart's name and to present your own work in your own style. With a trademark experimental director we can only expect surprises with this mega release.

• Remake is only a tribute and not a piece for comparison - A Sholay Part II is definitely a good idea and S. Sippy should go ahead with it rather than fighting court cases for infringement of copyright with Verma. But a remake should not be seen as an attempt to degrade a classic but a way to pay tribute to the timeless genius produced by our industry. A remake should always be seen as a reflection of the past great and not a mirror image of it. Comaprisons can only lead to dissapointment and a good film will not be appreciated for its originality but its failure in matching up to the classic.

Lastly, I would say that leave comparisons aside and sit up to watch this film in the nearby theatres and treat it like a new film with a fresh storyline. The name and characters may well remind you of the original, but this a different film with different characters and to watch the superstar in this mega villainous role can only be a treat that you cant afford to miss. If you have to compare then compare with Ramu's previous works because success or no success this film-maker sure has oddles of talent and a genius in him.

Tanushree Chatterjee

Sachin to play Gabbar's brother in RGV's Sholay

IndiaFM | Monday, 28 May , 2007, 08:43

Sachin began his career as a child artist and went on to become a teen sensation with Geet Gata Chal. However, one of his most memorable roles was that of Ahmed in Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. He played the innocent young son of A.K.Hangal in the film who gets killed by Gabbar Singh and won the affection of the audiences all over. And now, after more than three decades, the actor is all set to appear in RGV's Sholay but this time, not as a vulnerable Ahmed. He instead plays Gabbar Singh's brother in the film. The character is a new addition by Ramu which was not a part of the original film. Sachin earlier was reluctant to play the role but Ramu convinced him for it. Ramu told Sachin that he had visualized him as Amitabh's brother after watching Satte Pe Satta. Sachin will now be seen as Amitabh brother again in RGV's Sholay. Sachin will also be seen on the Hindi silver screen after a long time. He has however been busy with Marathi cinema and producing television content for some of the biggest cable network channels.

 

Justifying the remake of Sholay by RGV, Sachin says that this film is very different from the original and targets different audiences

i don't even know who the guy is who is playing Jai, i think they should have just left sholay alone

Wait so theres so basanti? or is Sush Basanti?
Ajay is a brillant actor to fit in 😉
Maybe Amitabh could give them some tips on how to act lol since he has experinced it 😉

First of all I don't like the name 😆 😆 😆 and secondly the cast is not good

Originally posted by: Fashion_2005

Remake of Sholay is a big No No I loved the original sholay. I saw the first look of Gabbar singh and am hugely disappointed 🤢 Original Sholay Gabber was the best and he totally rocked but ramu ki sholay gabbar look is sick and disgusting 🤢 Ram Gopal should stick with his underworld movies, which he is best at. Then Ajay doing Dharamendra role???? ANd hema's role is some Z grade actress 😡 and jaya's role sushmita?????a joke????????and other cast gets horrible. 😭

Hem hem...Sholay cannot be remade and some ppl had no problems with Don being remade!😆 If SRK had done Gabbar man he wud have looked "best" and "totally rocking"😉 btw I am quite surprised u loved a film in which AB  was a part of even though that was mainly for another character i guess!😆

Don is NO LESS than Sholay(perhaps better than Sholay!_). PPL who supported the remake of an equally brilliant classic have no right to say another cannot be remade.

As for me, I am sure RGV will ruin this one no matter who be in the casting. I will watch i for AB and I am someone who do think RGV is Damn talented. THis will be a herculean task for him-kyonki is story mein action hai, drama hai, comedy hai, tragedy hai, romance hai, love hai-sab kuch hai!😉---N RGV is normally related with dark films😉 N ah RGV IS CRAZY!😆 N I like him bcoz he is crazy😉 n I am sure he wont ruin it as much as Farhan Akhtar did to Don😡😡😡

PS:This film is controversy ka baap!

Edited by lucky_lakshmi - 16 years ago

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

31 Aug, 2007 10:24 am ISTlPraveen Lance Fernandes/INDIATIMES MOVIES

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Ajay Devgan, Prashant Raj, Sushmita Sen, Nisha Kothari, Sushant Singh.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Music: Amar Mohile, Nitin Raikwar, Ganesh Hegde and Prasana Shekhar.
Genre: Action
Rating: **

Comparisons are inevitable but then again it's impossible to watch this film without drawing parallels with the original Sholay . No matter how many character names or movie titles he changes, at the end of the day Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag is a remake of the yesteryear hit.

Narsimha (Mohanlal) was a police officer who helped in capturing the dreaded gangster Babban (Amitabh Bachchan). In the process, Narsimha ends up accidentally killing Babban's younger brother (Sachin Pidgaonkar). Babban escapes from jail and swears revenge. He ends up killing Narsimha's father, his wife (Suchitra Krishnamoorthy) and brother (Chakravarthy). Only his sister-in-law Durga Devi (Sushmita Sen) and he survive but not before Babban cuts off Narsimha's fingers. Now Narsimha is hell bent on revenge and he hires two local thugs Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj (Prashant Raj) to get hold of Babban. This is where this Indian curry begins.

If you are a hardcore Sholay fan, you will see that Ramu has lifted about 70% of the original screenplay from Ramesh Sippy's film. In fact, Ram Gopal Varma toys with the audience when he modifies some of the more popular scenes and dialogues of the film. For instance: The Veeru attempted suicide scene at the tank is now Heero's attempted suicide scene at a well or Tera Kya Hoga Kalia becomes Tera Kya Hoga Mehbooba . You expect it to happen and it does but sometimes is an intentionally funny way or sometimes in a plain obnoxious way.

So is this three hour 'inspiration' worth the effort? Just like any other Ram Gopal Varma film, this one too is brilliantly shot but in the process of adapting and adjusting the original, the sequences turn out to be very bland and the modifications fall on your face.

The characters just do not remain with you at the end of the day. The Heero-Raj bonding is not as powerful, mainly because they have very few scenes where they can show the power of their friendship. The focus should have gone there rather than the Durga Devi- Raj chemistry which is very forced and pretty much non-existent.

But unlike the original, the villain is more human in this one. He scrambles for dear life and the fear element from the audience point of view is just not there. You are never going to hear a ' Beta, so ja warna Babban aa jayega. '

The first half begins well but it's the post interval scenes which drag on for quite sometime. The fight sequence towards the climax is very shallow and leaves much to be desired.

Though the film ends up with an extra couple of songs (especially the Nisha Kothari-Ajay Devgan track), the background score of Amar Mohile deserves a special mention. The RGV regular has done a fine job once again.

Does this film belong to anyone? Amitabh obviously makes an impact as the feared baddie. No, rip-offs here. He is the real thing and with his own mannerisms, a new villain is born. Ajay Devgan looks much fresher in this one and is more focused than what he did in Cash. Prashant Raj would want to work on his dialogue delivery but nonetheless he makes a good debut. Sushmita is her usual self and is not required to do any histrionics. The original Sholay had an ' angrez ke zamane ka jailor ' and a 'Soorma Bhopali' along with Basanti for comedy. But when that department is left in the hands of Ghungroo (Nisha Kothari) you end up pulling your hair out. The rickshaw driving tomboy just irritates whenever she enters the screen, but at the same time you have to give credit to Nisha for showing more than one facial expression unlike her previous films. Sushant Singh as Babban's trusted aide Tambhe is quite good as well. Urmila Matondkar's dance sequence is sizzling.

And finally Mohanlal as Narsimha is terrific as the silent sorts. Bollywood is calling you Mr. Mohanlal- do respond. Loha Garam Hai !

Aag should not be compared to the classic but then again, there is no way out. The similarities are in your face and Ramu has gone out of his way to show us just that. However, on the way Ramu has tried too hard to fit in his tribute as well making sure that the courts pass it without any problems. Result- an awkward amalgamation of plagiarism and originality. A combination which can go both ways and unfortunately it goes the wrong way.

The reviewer can be contacted at [email protected]
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http://movies.indiatimes.com/Reviews/Bollywood/Ram_Gopal_Var ma_Ki_Aag/articleshow/msid-2325386,curpg-1.cms

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

Oh my gawd-y!
RATING - Ok 0k

Starring: Big B, Mohanlal, Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen, Nisha Kothari, Prashant etc.

Director: Hmm... really?

Bole To: Don't play with fire!

STORY: Have you seen SHOLAY? OK, then change Gabbar To Baban, Thakur to Narsimha, Basanti to Ghungroo and so on. Take all the fun, popularity, memorable dialogues etc. out of SHOLAY. What remains is RGV KI AAG - a half-baked attempt at recreating the magic of Bollywood's most popular film.

REVIEW: To say that the movie is stupid, would be an understatement. Bachchan shines in his role as the new Gabbar and that's the only redeeming factor in this otherwise insipid movie. Ramu's vision/homage/remake of SHOLAY falls flat right from the first scene. The worst part of it, is the Ajay Devgan-Nisha Kothari story which is a complete opposite of the charming play of Dharmendra-Hema Malini. Nisha Kothari looks too gawdy while Ajay's over-garish look is something out of a straight-to-videotape 80s movie. Even if we don't compare this with the original, as a stand-alone film this one is still faltoo.

WHAT'S WITH: The constant in-out zoom and pan shots? Ramu's love for action scenes set on construction sites? Dialogue delivery of the new guy? "Yeh Dosti" tune used in the background?

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: RGV has given in to the temptation of featuring father-son in one frame. And yes, the "Mehbooba" song (feat. Abhishek-Urmila), though looks like a separate music video, is the highlight of the film.

BOTTOMLINE: Ramu has burnt his fingers in this aag!

By Vaibhav "CFT winner" Wankhede

http://www.mtvindia.com/mtv/movies/reviews/07/rgvaag/index.p hp

Annoyed Bachchan walks out of RGV Ki Aag screening

After what he saw Ram Gopal Varma made out his villain's character Babban in his Sholay tribute, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Amitabh Bachchan was seen walking out of the special screening hall visibly annoyed.

Our sources present at the screening gave us first hand account of what happened. He narrated, "On Tuesday evening Big B had arrived with daughter Shweta for a special screening of the film at Adlabs preview theatre situated in Film City, Mumbai. Bachchan till then had only seen his portions during the dubbing of the film and was very excited to watch the complete film, as he arrived with Shweta who was in back in town from Delhi for Raksha Bandhan."

"But as the film progressed, his enthusiasm started turning into infuriation. He had total faith in Ramu's handling of his villainous character modeled on Sholay's Gabbar Singh. The ageing super star had very rarely experimented into playing negative characters in films and had high hopes from Ramu who had extracted fabulous work from him in Sarkar (2005) and Nishabd (2007). But what transpired on screen was not what Bachchan had expected. It was not only just his role but the overall film as well, which appeared far from a fitting homage to a timeless masterpiece," our sources said.

"We could see him visibly upset and at times even shaking his head in annoyance but not speaking a word about it. Perhaps the attention he attracted while even watching the film stopped him from doing so. As the show ended, he quickly left without exchanging pleasantries or offering reactions to anyone. The peeved expression on his face said it all," our source concluded.

Abhijit Mhamunkar
Thursday, August 30, 2007

http://news.indya.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2007/August/New s_20070830_259

By Taran Adarsh, August 31, 2007 - 02:00 IST

Let's get one thing straight! To remake a film that not only set box-office records and is referred to as a classic, but also one that by far has the biggest recall value, is playing with aag. Ramgopal Varma, the maverick film-maker, has the courage to remake SHOLAY, a film that continues to be one of the favorite entertainers across the globe.

Comparisons with SHOLAY are obvious and one presumes, RGV knew it all along that's he's bound to feel the heat by those who swear by SHOLAY. To give the credit where it's due, RGV remains faithful to the classic, not once does he deviate from the plot, not once does he twists facts… you know exactly what to expect and where the story is heading.

Jai, Veeru, Thakur, Basanti and above all Gabbar are characters that attained cult status over the years, especially Gabbar. RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG does justice to those characters, especially Gabbar, who wore a sinister look on his face all the while. Terror has a new name now. It's Babban!

Write your own movie review of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
Shortcomings? Oh yes! The romantic track, involving Ajay - Nisha Kothari, is a yawn. To be more specific, the by-now-famous 'suicide' sequence doesn't work. Prior to that, Prashant and Sushmita's meeting with Nisha's parents to seek her hand in marriage for Ajay also falls flat. Besides, this is not for the faint-hearted who detest violent films. RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG is sure to give them hiccups.

To cut a long story short, the comparisons with SHOLAY will tell on RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG.

In the dark underbelly of Mumbai city, a nihilistic new leader has risen to rule the fetid underworld. His name is Babban [Amitabh Bachchan]. Cruel beyond imagination, psychotically violent and far more devious than any gangster the city has ever known.

Nobody has ever seen him and if they did, they didn't survive to tell the tale. But one man believed in his existence. And that is Inspector Narsimha [Mohanlal], who has a single-minded determination to finish Babban.

RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG is SHOLAY, yet different. Sure, the story is the same, but the setting and interpretation of the story are different, very contemporary. As a storyteller, the RGV stamp is visible in a couple of sequences. Note Bachchan's spine-chilling introduction. Nisha's introductory sequence also makes you break into a chuckle. The Sachin episode that gives birth to a bitter enmity is tremendous. The sequence outside the courtroom [Bachchan - Mohanlal face off] is remarkable. Bachchan avenging his brother's death by eliminating Mohanlal's family is terrifying…

After a riveting first half, the pace suddenly slackens in the post-interval portions. Courtesy: The prem kahani. These scenes are far from exciting and only add to the length of the film. In fact, the second hour should be judiciously trimmed by at least 20/25 minutes so that the events unfold at a feverish pace.

There aren't many songs in the narrative. The song that deserves 10 on 10 is 'Mehbooba'. The track is foot-tapping and Urmila's presence sets the screen ablaze. Abhishek Bachchan's appearance in the number will be greeted with surprise and of course, whistles. The Holi track is interesting as well, more for the picturization, not as much for the tune.

Amit Roy's cinematography is outstanding. Note the scene when Bachchan plays with an apple and simply watch the movement of the camera. Awesome! Dialogues [Sajid-Farhad] are in sync with the mood of the film. Besides, the writers haven't lifted any of those legendary lines ['Kine aadmi thhe?', 'Soja, warna Gabbar aa jaayega', 'Yeh haath mujhe de-de Thakur'], but provide interesting alternatives. Action scenes [Pradhyumna] cater more to the desi audiences. Do not expect the MATRIX stunts here!

Bachchan as Babban is exemplary. The veteran has portrayed a variety of roles in his illustrious career: Vijay in ZANJEER, Vijay in DEEWAAR, Jai in SHOLAY, Anthony Gonsalves in AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, Don/Vijay in DON, Vijay in TRISHUL, Sikandar in MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR, Vijay Dinanath Chavan in AGNEEPATH, Baadshah Khan in KHUDA GAWAH, DCP Anant in KHAKEE, Debraj Sahai in BLACK, Sarkar in SARKAR and Eklavya in EKLAVYA. Now add Babban to this enviable list!

Mohanlal is topnotch. He matches up to Bachchan in every sequence. Ajay Devgan is competent and balances the mischievous streak with the serious one with ease. Newcomer Prashant Raj does very well. He stands up to the veterans and looks confident all through. Sushmita Sen is restrained. Her performance is perfect. Nisha Kothari does well in her introductory sequence and maintains the pace all through. Sushant Singh is first-rate. Rajpal Yadav irritates. Virendra Saxena is okay. Rasika Joshi makes her presence felt. Sanjay Narvekar, Jeeva, Raju Mavani, Ravi Kale, J.D. Chekravarthy and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi are adequate.

On the whole, RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG has a strong first half, but a lengthy and violent second half plays a spoilsport. At the box-office, the film will find the going tough in the wake of its comparisons with the mighty SHOLAY. Its dull opening coupled with uninspiring publicity [the posters/billboards give an impression of an outdated film] will make a dent in its prospects.

**

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