Pooja Bhatt on her web movie Cabaret finally seeing the light of the day, why the film did not get a theatrical release, and on reuniting with dad Mahesh Bhatt for Sadak 2
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 13, 2019)

Like filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt minces no words in stating her opinions. She is an interviewer's delight. You don't need to ask too much. The actor-turned-filmmaker knows exactly what you are looking for. She's witty, entertaining and articulate. Right now, she feels akin to a mother who has just delivered a baby. Her production, Cabaret, which was stuck for over two years finally released on Zee5 on January 9. "All this while I was like a single mother, taking care of the project, I finally found a partner [the digital medium] with whom I can share my joy," she laughs.

About 14 years ago, Bhatt had announced Cabaret with Mallika Sherawat, who at that time, was her dad's protégé. This was after Sherawat had tasted stardom with Murder (2004). The project did not roll. But Bhatt is quick to point out that this Cabaret is different. "It is the writer-director Kaustav Narayan Niyogi's vision. Initially, I had thought of going along with my script, but he reworked it and made it his own. It's his debut and he, too, had to patiently wait for the film to release. The other day, he was driving past Juhu beach and saw a hoarding of Cabaret. He stopped the car and called me. There was a long pause, but we had said so much in those unspoken moments. We are relieved and hope to celebrate soon with the cast and crew."

Cabaret stars Richa Chadha, Gulshan Devaiah and cricketer S Sreesanth. "Richa has charted her own path, Sreesanth is still in the after-glow of Bigg Boss and Gulshan will find his way. The timing of Cabaret's release could not be better for me. Guess it was destined to release now."

Bhatt explains what went wrong. "Cabaret was complete and ready for release. Every film is allotted a budget for production and marketing. Budgets are written in stone. We live in a time where marketing is an important part of filmmaking. Whenever I make a film, I ensure that we don't lose money or that nobody wants to see it. Just before the release of the film, the producers [T-Series and Wave Film] slashed the promotion budget. The promos were on air and the buzz had been created. I had to take a painful decision: Whether to go ahead with the release with the truncated amount or pull the plug. I chose the latter. It was a tough decision but had to be taken."

The digital world is a whole new medium. "I may be an old school filmmaker and actor but I have got the maverick streak from dad. He made films like Daddy (1989) and Janam (1985) for Doordarshan, these were the days when no new film would release on the small screen. Filmmakers felt he was crazy to do it, but now, three decades later, films are being made specially for the small screen."

Bhatt says she is used to battling roadblocks. "Filmmaking involves a lot of people and there are differences. Obstacles do not bother me. I emerge stronger. It is a learning experience. At the end, all is well that ends well. I only need to head to my farmhouse in Kalote, a two-hour drive from Mumbai and I am recharged. It is another planet where I spend time with my dogs and get recharged to face new challenges."



'It's homecoming for all of us'
Pooja Bhatt begins work on her next, Sadak 2, in April. The romantic thriller is a sequel to her father's 1991 film, which starred Sanjay Dutt and her. The film is also remembered for the late Sadashiv Amrapurkar's performance as the villain, Maharani. Sadak 2 marks Bhatt senior's return to direction after a hiatus. It is also the first time Pooja is teaming up with sister Alia.

"It's homecoming for all of us. I am acting after ages. My last film as an actor was Everybody Says I'm Fine in 2001. I am working with my dad after long and so is Alia. I am reuniting with Sanju after ages. So, there will be a lot of bonhomie on the set." She also terms it as payback time for dad from whom she has learnt the craft. "I will be working in front as well as behind the camera. It is a matter of pride for me as I have never assisted him. We plan to roll in April."

Pooja also accompanied her dad for the location hunt in Uttarakhand. "We have already begun work on the music, it is heartwrenching. Aditya Roy Kapur is already on board. We will soon cast the rest."

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; September 22, 2014)

Last week saw the release of Khoobsurat, an official remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Rekha-starrer that was made in 1980. Shaukeen, rechristened as The Shaukeens, is all set to hit screens on November 7. Now there’s word that filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s 1985 autobiographical telefilm, Janam, will soon be remade. Stage actor Imran Zahid, who incidentally has played the lead role in all play remakes of Bhatt’s films, including Arth and Daddy, will be playing the lead role in this film as well.

“Kumar Gaurav, who was the lead actor in Janam, faded into oblivion, and as a result, the film didn’t get noticed either. Zahid, meanwhile, is on a high after tasting success with Daddy, the play. That said, Janam has a tricky screenplay but Imran has the resolve to hit the bull’s eye,” says Bhatt, who adds that Janam had actually won a lot of appreciation, including a berth in the panorama section of the 1986 International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The film tells the story of an illegitimate son (Kumar Gaurav) who wants to be acknowledged by his father (Anupam Kher) and goes on to become a filmmaker. Confirming the news about the remake, Imran Zahid says, “I was probably destined to kickstart my Bollywood journey as a lead actor with Janam. The film deals with the protagonist’s turbulent relationship with his father and draws from the life of my mentor. It’s not just a challenge but my responsibility to recreate that magic.”

It’s not just Khoobsurat, Shaukeen and Janam that are getting remade; there are number of ’80s films whose remakes are now being announced. Bhatt says, “Sometimes, we have to go back in order to go forward. I call this recipe, Past Future. Our films have become bigger but they are also emptier. There is a general dumbing down of our narratives. The eighties had some films which were poor in scale but were big in content.’’

Remakes: a safe bet?
Just a month ago, Karan Johar announced that he will co-produce the remake of Ram Lakhan with Subhash Ghai and that Rohit Shetty will direct the film. Since then speculation is rife about who will play the lead roles in the film; names of actors such as Arjun Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor have been doing the rounds.

Ghai, who has two of his 1980s films - Ram Lakhan and Hero — being remade, says, “Any film that entertains will earn good money. Make, remake or steal — today, watching films is more of an event. At that the same time, there’s nothing wrong with a remake since it is a democratic art and we ought to take it as fun.’’

Film writer Dilip Thakur does not see it as something new. He says, “Mehboob Khan remade Aurat as Mother India which became a superhit. In the ’70s, we saw many Hindi filmmakers get inspired by Hollywood films. Manoranjan, that starred Zeenat Aman and Sanjeev Kumar, took inspiration from Irma la Douce. Khatta Meetha, that was made in 1970, was inspired from Yours Mine and Ours.’’ Thakur adds that Sulakshana Pandit-starrer Sankoch was a remake of Parineeta and it was based on a novel, while Rajshri Productions’ Nadiya Ke Paar was later made into Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.

So is investing in a remake cheaper than paying a writer to come up with a new plot? Trade analyst Amod Mehra says that, “remakes are in fact the costlier option. There are times when one has to pay crores of rupees just to buy the remake rights.”

Like Thakur and Bhatt, Mehra feels theirs is a dearth of good stories and that remakes help. He says, “They are a tried and tested formula; here the audiences is able to relate to such stories and the film boasts of a high recall value. It is invokes nostalgia among older audiences and curiosity among the younger generation, so it works well.”

Script writer Jalees Sherwani says that today, business is of utmost importance to all filmmakers and remakes are a safe bet. “Since the film has worked once already, the producer tends to have more confidence that it will work again. It is not really about a dearth of stories; besides, it is fashionable to helm a remake these days.”

hitlist takes a look at some other ’80s films that will soon be remade…


Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
Kundan Shah has reportedly penned not the remake but a sequel of this cult film. Shah has apparently written it as a political drama with a dash of comedy. But there has been no official announcement as yet. It may be pointed out that Jaan Bhi Do Yaaro was rereleased in select cinemas in 2012.

Hero (1983)
Subhash Ghai’s musical hit, Hero, is being remade by filmmaker Nikhil Advani. The film stars Aditya Panscholi’s son, Suraj Panscholi, and Suniel Shetty’s daughter, Athiya Shetty. In fact, it will be the debut film for both. The film is being co- produced by Salman Khan. The film is set to release on December 14 this year.

Ram Lakhan (1989)
Subhash Ghai’s film (pic on top) had an ensemble cast that included Rakhee, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Dimple Kapadia. It is now going to being remade by Rohit Shetty. The casting is yet to take place. The film is being co- produced by Karan Johar and Subhash Ghai.

Satte Pe Satta (1982)
There have been reports about Raj N Sippy’s film being remade with Sanjay Dutt in the lead. The film is being produced by Rajesh Vasani and it will be directed by Soham Shah. Writer duo, Sajid-Farhan, has penned the script. The casting of the film is in progress.

Do Aur Do Paanch (1980)
There have been reports about the film being remade by debutant director, Akshay Puri, but there has been no official announcement so far. It is also being said that Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol have been approached for the film. The original had Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor in it and it was directed by Rakesh Kumar.