According to celebrated Bollywood Analyst cum Business Transformation expert Hirav Shah, remaking other language films has been a safe option for filmmakers in the Hindi film industry. Most of the time, the Bollywood filmmakers pick South hits to remake in Hindi. But a few filmmakers even choose to remake iconic Bollywood films yet again. After remakes such as Don and Agneepath turned out to be huge money-spinners at the box office, many directors tilted towards remaking iconic Hindi films. On the flipside, Ajay Devgn-starrer Himmatwala and Ram Charan’s Zanjeer, which were remakes of yesteryear blockbusters, ended up as disasters at the box office.”
But on a few peculiar occasions, after a grand announcement, things don’t work out, and the makers have to shelve some interesting projects.”
Now, let’s have a look at the list of iconic Bollywood film remakes which were shelved after an official announcement.
Table of Contents
Satte Pe Satta
Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan, who earlier delivered hits like Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om, and Happy New Year, planned to remake Raj N Sippy’s comedy-action drama Satte Pe Satta. Starring Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role, the film was a sensational hit back then. Talks happened with Hrithik Roshan to step into the shoes of Big B in the remake. But after keeping Farah Khan waiting for months, Hrithik Roshan decided not to be a part of another Bachchan remake after Agneepath and opted out of the project. Later, Farah Khan approached stars like Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan for the same remake, but as they also said no to doing the project, Farah Khan shelved the project completely.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Satte Pe Satta was released in1982 and also featured Hema Malini, Shakti Kapoor, Sachin, and Amjad Khan, among others, in key roles. The film was inspired by Hollywood films like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan (1957) and made in Bollywood with changes made to suit Indian nativity.
Ram Lakhan
Starring Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles, Ram Lakhan was written and directed by Subhash Ghai and is one of the biggest hits of 1989. Sometime in 2015, director Rohit Shetty announced the Ram Lakhan remake leaving fans excited. Rohit Shetty had even announced teaming up with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts for the remake.
Reports also came out that reputed Bollywood names such as Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, and Arjun Kapoor, among others, are also approached for the film. Due to unforeseen circumstances, in 2017, Rohit Shetty revealed that he had decided not to go ahead with the Ram Lakhan remake and shelved the project.
Hirav Shah tells us that the main reason for this remake getting shelved is no two big heroes want to work together. They just want to promote each other’s films on social media. It was because of their insecurity that Ram Lakhan was shelved.
Chaalbaaz
Legendary filmmaker Pankaj Parashar’s Chaalbaaz, featuring the late Sridevi in a double role, was loosely an adaptation of Seeta Aur Geeta and turned out to be one of the biggest hits in 1989. Even Sridevi won the Filmfare Best Actress award for her performance in the movie.
A few years back, Bhushan Kumar and Pankaj Parashar revealed their association on Chaalbaaz In London in April 2021. Shraddha Kapoor is roped in to reprise Sridevi’s role, and the actress was even excited to play the first double role of her career in the film.
While the script preparations were going on, COVID-19 played a spoilsport, and the makers decided to put it on hold. Later, reports came out that the film had been shelved, but the makers are yet to confirm it.
Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “The remakes fad is out of fashion now as all the content is available on OTT platforms. People are interested in watching original movies.”
Frequently Asked Questions on Bollywood Remakes
Which are Bollywood’s best remake films?
SRK’s Don, Devdas, Agneepath
Which are the worst Bollywood remake films?
Himmatwala, Zanjeer, RGV ki AAG
What are the Upcoming Remake films of Bollywood?
Laal Singh Chaddha (remake of Forrest Gump), Cirkus (remake of Angoor), Vikram Vedha.
Video courtesy: youtube.com / respective channels
