One film, many versions. This seems to be the latest Bollywood trend. is it paying dividends?
Remakes of films in different languages are not a new phenomenon. The iconic film, The Sound of Music was adapted in several languages across nations — as The Rebel Novice in Brazil, The Melody of Happiness in France, My Songs, My Dreams in Germany and Yugoslavia and Parichay (Hindi), Jay Jayanti (Bengali), Santhi Nilayam and Raja Chinna Roja (Tamil) in India.
But what is new is the simultaneous production of Hindi films in regional languages and in English. Clearly, the aim is to draw in the maximum audience — both at home and abroad.
Veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam does this with Raavan, the Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starrer which releases on June 18. It has been shot simultaneously in two languages — in Hindi as Raavan and in Tamil as Raavanan; there is also a Telugu-dubbed version called Villain.
Ratnam’s films have always catered to multi-lingual audiences — Anjali (1990), Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995), his Tamil blockbusters, were all dubbed in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi. Dil Se (1998), his directorial debut in Hindi, was later dubbed in Tamil as Uyire and in Telegu as Prematho. The R Madhavan-starrer Alaipayuthey (2000) was dubbed in Telegu as Sakhi and remade in Hindi as Saathiya (2002) which had debutante director Shaad Ali. Yuva (2004) was remade and shot subsequently as Aayutha Ezhuthu (Tamil) while Guru (2007) was dubbed in Tamil and Telegu.
Chintu Mohapatra, the executive producer of Raavan and Raavanan, says, “All Ratnam’s films cater to the Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam market.”
Raavan, a modern take on the Ramayana, was originally meant to be in Tamil, says Mohapatra. “It was quite difficult to make two films simultaneously, they required separate artists, costumes and sets, even while the locations and technicians remained the same.”
Tamil actor Vikram Kennedy makes his Bollywood debut in Raavan as Dev, a positive character modelled on Ram, while he plays Veera, modelled on Ravana, in Raavanan. “More than the language, shifting between these two contrasting characters was difficult for me,” says Kennedy. Teaching himself Hindi was another challenge. On many occasions, Kennedy blurted out the dialogue in Tamil, but everybody was supportive and willing to help, he says.
But, of course, Raavan is not the only multi-version film. Last month's release Kites, starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, had a Hindi version directed by Anurag Basu (of Life In A Metro fame) and an ‘international’ one, called Kites: The Remix, edited by Brett Ratner (of Rush Hour series and X-Men: The Last Stand). The latter was crunched to 90 minutes, down from the 120 minutes of the Hindi original. It’s the first time a Bollywood film has been thus re-edited for the international market.
Remaking films with or without the same cast is replacing the old formula of dubbing, says filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, whose directorial venture City of Gold, simultaneously shot in Hindi and Marathi, released last month. “It was a conscious decision not to dub it,” says the director. Highlighting the plight of workers and their families post the great 1982 Mumbai mill strike, the Marathi version, Lalbaug Parel, cost Rs 6 crore and was the most expensive movie made until now in that language. Arun Rangachari, chairman of DAR Motion Pictures which produced the film, says, “Releasing the movie in two languages helps expand the industry and audience reach.”
Multi-lingual films ensure greater audience reach, agrees Manjrekar. “The objective was to reach out to as many people as possible. Profit is not what we are looking at now, but reaching out to a wider audience.”
The subject also mandated the use of two languages. “A movie like City of Gold had to be made in Marathi too, considering the movie centres around Mumbai,” feels film trade analyst Taran Adarsh. However, “While the Marathi version of City of Gold gave average returns, the Hindi version was a flop,” says fellow analyst Komal Nahata.
But is making two versions of a film cost-effective? Both Adarsh and Nahata feel it is. “Dubbing and remaking is a good option if the movie is able to generate additional revenue. Also the production cost works out lower.” Technicians working on Raavan were however paid twice the salary as they were working on two films and not one, reveals Mohapatra.
A remade version can be a risk too. “Kites was a big flop,” says Nahata adding, “The movie bombed at the box-office in India and abroad. In fact, the movie was a bigger flop at the international level. Reliance Big Pictures has lost Rs 30 crore on the project.”
