The Great Indian… Spoof… Is it Time?
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I’ve always been of the opinion that our Hindi film culture, or film lineage so to speak, is so strong that remakes are very risky ventures going in. I mean, there’s always the usual debates on whether the original screenplay should be kept in tact to appease us “purists” or whether the film should be “updated” with new twists and sometimes even new characters. Then there are the debates about who should, and should not, play those iconic characters, who should direct the film, etc etc. The debates create a great deal of publicity for sure, great for any film, but then with, umm, great publicity comes, err, great responsibility? How about pressure? Great pressure is put on the team of the remake to, you know, get it right.
I for one would never want to be put in that position. Better to take the risk, and the potential rewards, of an original than to try to live up to the impossible expectations of a remake.
There is, however, an alternate route, one that very few Bollywood films have attempted. But I think it may not be such a bad time to start experimenting. Yes, I think our audiences are finally ready to accept out and out “Spoof” films.
There have been some that have made the attempt, albeit not exactly full-on. Afterall wasn’t “Andaaz Apna Apna” spoofy, what with its goofball filmi-referencing comedy, the nutty double role (and associate confusions), the spoofy villians (Khandaani chor, Mogambo ka Bhatija.. Gogo!) and of course the overall tone of the film, which can only be described as “spoofy”. Even the music was a spoof of those charming classics of yore. I suppose the only thing preventing Andaaz Apna Apna from being labelled a true-blue spoof film was that it didn’t have too many direct references of specific films, of the variety one would expect from a “Scary Movie” or even an “Austin Powers”.
Anil Kapoor’s English take on the famous “Deewar monologue” may qualify as spoof material.. maybe? No?
By the way I’m well aware of “Ghoom”, the low budget spoof of “Dhoom” which I excidedly attempted to watch online. I was all for the concept.. the execution, not so much. Would have been great, IF it was funny.
Last years hit film “Om Shanti Om” parodied everything from South Indian films to the infamous Mother India fire sequence to the behind-the-scenes antics and politics within the Hindi film fraternity. But at some point it decided to change gears from an all-out parody/spoof film to a reincarnation/revenge drama ala Karz.
Which brings me to the new “Karzzzzzz”, which, with Himesh Reshammiya in the lead might as well be a spoof as far as I’m concerned. Unforunately Director Satish Kaushik didn’t quite see things that way and decided to take this whole remake business a bit too serioulsy, at least from the reviews that I’ve read. Anyways, let’s move away from Karz, as it seems to be the most abused film as far as remakes/spoofs go.
Imagine taking a film like, let’s say a campy classic such as “Amar Akbar Anthony”, and turning it into a modern day spoof, and then go all out. Imagine the potential to spoof those great cliches and turn them on their head. The coincidences when the various characters keeps crossing paths despite being “seperated”. The blind mother regaining her eyesight by bumping her head at the steps of a mandir. I can’t even begin to imagine what a clever, witty writer could do with the whole “Taiyabali Pyar Ka Dushman, Hai Hai!” sequence, or even the classic “My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves” number. Anthony Gonsalves, the iconic character himself, has a great deal of potential for a spoof material, if handled right. The climax, put in the hands of an able director, could be a laugh riot if placed into a pardody context today. Again, if done right (that’s the big question), a parody/spoof climax of Amar Akbar Anthony has the potential to rival the comic genius and pure hilarity of the Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron climax.
The beauty is that the 60’s and 70’s have provided a tonn of films which could, on thier own or in combined in an “Epic Movie” style spoof, result in some silly, witty, smart comedy films. I’m sure if we started a list (eh-hem) we could come up with a dozens of films which would make for great parodies. And I for one would much rather see a smart parody over a dumb comedy any day.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Have you seen “Duplicate Sholay”?
I have no words for that movie,.
Ha Ha Ha !!!
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A quickie on Andaz Apna Apna:
I laughed out load when Salman says – Mere baap ne Sholay banayi hai, simply too good!
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And those two songs, Yeh Raat aur yeh doori, by Lataji and Balasubramaniam, and Elo ji Sanam hum aa gaye, is simply out of this world..!!
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Even Salaam E Ishq had spoofy elements… and I loved the South Indian spoof in the otherwise not-terribly-funny Home Delivery! Mahima Chaudhary- awesome!
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tony your idea of spoofs likely being better than originls is good. even i wud like to see a good spoof rather than a silly comedy. but then i wud diverge with u on the commercial value of AAA’s spoof or for that matter for any of older films. I believe it may not make enough commercial as well as artistic sense, for the reason that lot of time has lapsed since the original. guess it is very important for spoofs to be ‘current’, for the generation that appreciates (or otherwise) the original film will be the best target audience. I think its better to make a spoof of a current film than older ones.
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Jahan: SeI had spoofy elements which stood out as the worst parts of the film, while in HD the southie spoof was the only good part. is there any learning hidden therein?
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AAA itself was quite spoofy in nature. I mean what spoof could you create on “Taiyab Ali” and “My Name is Antony Gonsalves”. For me the only serious character in AAA was Amar( Vinod Khanna), both Akbar( Rishi Kapoor) and Antony( Amitabh Bachan) were a laugh riot. So am not sure if a spoof on this would be really worth it.
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@Tanul:
It was Aamir Khan who says “Iske baap ne Sholay banayi hai.” But seriously AAA is too good.
@Tony:
You know whats the scariest idea about a good spoof?
The host of mediocre crap that producers will put their money on once one such movie becomes a hit.
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@Balwinder: I didn’t find all the spoofy bits in SeI bad, apart from the more obviously spoofy Salman-Priyanjka track, the rest of the film also had some in-jokes and nods to bollywood tradition. Nevertheless, you questiom is interesting…
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MTV’s come out with 3 spoofs on TZP, Jodhaa Akbar, and Chak De India. Only one (TZP) is good but everything else is BullCRAP.
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Besides, spoofs can be also seen in award functions like Filmfare and IIFA. Some of them were really good.And yeah, long back, I had written a short little spoof on Deewar once.
http://funthusia.com/deewar/
It’s not great. But then it’s an attempt.
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And MTV is at it always. They come up with the crappiest of spoofs. Bacchhe Zameen Par (on TZP) and Cheque De (on CDI) are the latest ones. They are silly to say the least.
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Spoofs even required great serious efforts to be taken healthy. Is not easy to make a successful spoof, in fact all characters has to be re-written with a new vision & treatment so that audience feel that with a new eye to an older reference.
I still believe in making films with new and original stories and spoof should only be made by some deserving candidates which know its real flavor more than just make it for sake of making it.
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Boman and Ritesh did some decent spoofs in IIFA. And Srk n Saif are always funny…
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@Oxy:
It’s bechaare zameen par.
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”With great publicity comes great responsibility.”
That’s a brilliant line. Sums up so nicely what is missing in our hype-driven world.
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Confession: Using Amar Akhbar Anthony as an example was purely random. I was scanning my brain for “silly scenes taken seriously”, like Nirupa Roy losing and gaining her eyesight so suddenly (imagine it happening at several crucial junctures in a spoof?).
Balwinder: Point to be noted, spoofs should be based on more current hits. Not to worry, films like the Dhoom series and Koi Mil Gaya/Krrish, Sarkar/Sarkar Raj..will provide lots of material… even hits like Guru, Chak De India, Singh Is Kinng, etc can provide plenty of ammunition for a spoof..
PS – Was Baadshah a spoof? I’m tempted to re-watch it in that light now…
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Shekhar Shimpi: I haven’t seen Duplicate Sholay, but the name alone makes me laugh! I’ll try and check it out!
Tanul: Andaaz Apna Apna has many such moments… remember when Aamir is arrested, and he’s cutting the ribbon of the jail cell? The song “Papa kehte the bada naam karega” plays in the B/G.. LOL! And yes, the songs for AAA were brilliant! I even liked “Do Mastaane chale zindagi banane!”
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Jahan: S-E-I, HD, and other movies have had a few spoofy moments… but then they keep changing gears back & forth so the audience in never really in that “mode”, know what i mean?
In that case Rajpal Yadav is the king of spoofs… he’s spoofed “Don”, “Sarkar” and even Amitabh’s character from “Mohabbatein”, but all were comedy side tracks…
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Ratnakar: Yeah, on second thought I agree.. spoofs of sequences which themselves were silly/comedic are kinda pointless… its the illogical moments that were taken seriously that I was getting at…
Gopi: I know your right… it’s that herd mentality that leads to so much mediocrity in the first place… but I’m not sure if the spoof genre allows itself to too many replicas in the first place… at least that’s what I’m using to console myself…
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Sameer: I think “Ghoom” was also an MTV production.. if that’s any indication, then I don’t think I’d what to see the others… (although “Bechaare Zameen Par” is a funny title)
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Deepak Mahajan: That’s exactly my point! It HAS to be done right, with a great deal of effort, of witty and smart writing and all the right references… that’s why Andaaz Apna Apna is the best example one can come up with for the genre… it’s done right…
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Rabindro: Thanks.. I wish it were to sum up the current scene, but it seems the HYPE over-rides the responsibility nowadays…
Sameer: Haven’t commented on your Deewar spoof since I haven’t read it yet… will try to today…
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Someone mentioned Duplicate Sholay here. Actually, the movie is called Ramgarh Ke Sholay and it stars lookalikes of the original cast. IS Johar’s Five Rifles was another movie made with lookalikes of established stars.
Talking of spoofs, there is a small industry in the small town of Malegaon in Maharashtra which is simmering with passion for cinema. Malegaon offerings are an absolute certainity on any spoof menu.
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1. Ramgadh Ke Sholey, which had original Gabbar but everything else was replaced with duplicates..
2. Teen Moti, a spoof on Subhash Ghai’s Trimurty
and not to forget the two great spoofs of 70s by IS Johar.
3. Five Rifles featuring Rakesh Khanna and Shaahi Kapoor and a superhit qawwali Jhoom barabar jhoom..
4. Nasbandi featuring Rakesh Khanna, Shahi Kapoor, Kanauj Kumar, Shatrubin Sinha and who else but Anitab Bachchan
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@ Tony: Nice point about S-E-I, I agree the spoofs were there, but the film changed tracks so suddenly, that the transition from ‘filmy’ to the normal screenplay didn’t create the desired effect.
But, the coolest spoof recently was in a scene of OSO, where SRK n Deepika are having a conversation in the tent, and SRK says the famous line from Maine Pyar Kiya, and the next scene shows Sooraj Barjatya noting the same lines in his notebook, wearing that ‘Friend’ cap. God, that was funny
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And also, Star TV used to had this series of spoofs, I remember Sholay being spoofed as ‘Chholey’ , Deewar’s famous Ma scene was also spoofed, in the conversation between Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachann(Duplicates, that is), Amitabh as usual says..Mere paas gaadi hai, bangla….bla..bla..tumhare paas kya hai?
The duplicate of Shashi Kapoor, all serious and intense, says “Mere Paas Rajma hai” and then shows his hand full of Rajma.!
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ref comment[24]: amjad khan actually looked like a duplicate of himself
he was bloated like a balloon, beyond belief
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the tv show as cslled “Kahaani me twist” if i’m not mistaken with most shows directed by Sachin. they also had a hilarious spoof of Saudagar.
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the tv show as cslled “Kahaani me twist” if i’m not mistaken with most shows directed by Sachin. they also had a hilarious spoof of Saudagar.
Coen brothers’ Big Lebowski was a spoof in a way of ‘The Big Sleep’ the Humphrey Bogart starring classic film-noir. a spoof of guru dutt’s ‘Baazi’ (i saw it recently and actually found it funny what with all the archaic filmy twists)with the same approach could be quite something.
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Or maybe just make a karan Johar-yash chopra style movie spoof – a happy nri family and a 5-word title starting with K (maybe a couple of extra k’s for effect) and with the word ‘Hum’ or ‘Dil’ or ‘Pyaar’. the patriarch could be a serial killer in secret and the dignified head of the joint family in public(two heroes with their wives atleast, right?, with one son who dresses up as a superhero-vigilante by nightfall and another who just likes cross-dressing! so many complex issues o be handled not so subtly.
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You know what once Ram Gopal verma took a dig on Karan Johar in his own inimitable style, this was 5-6 years back as far as I remember. One journo asked him, what would be the title of his next film, to which ramu replied – Hum Apke Dil me Reh Kar, Aapse Pyar Karne Lage.
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LMAO @ Hum Apke Dil me Reh Kar, Aapse Pyar Karne Lage!
I’ve also heard Humara Dil Aapse Pyar Karne Laga, which is pretty close as well. Jeez! Remember that spoof moment in Company, the film premiere of “Pyar Pyar Mein – It’s all about Loving your Lovies?” LOL! Clearly RGV isn’t one for the typical NRI romances… but I think he’d be great at directing the quintessential spoof on that genre.
Tanul, I also loved the Sooraj Bharjatya scene in OSO, it was great!
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@Tanul: ONCE? I can’t recall the no. of times RGV has taken digs at KJo in his films and real life… in fact Johar once said in an interview that RGV probably thinks about him more than he thinks about himself!
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talking about rgv i remeber a zee cine awards function shown on tv where SRK and Juhi Chawla were taking digs at the 5 films nominated, and the spoof for ‘Satya’ was called Satyanaash. Itwas quite funny with SRK playing Bhiku when he slaps his wife on the doorstep. they both keep slapping each other while the silent looks on)
scenes from China Gate (mere mann ko bhaya, main kutta kaat ke khaya!)and Ghulam were also parodied by the duo.
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@34,
I think it was Filmfare where SRK played Star Khan and Juhi played Sitara Devi. They also made fun of actors who says they don’t want awards and are honored to be nominated.
@18
I think Rajpal Yadav spoofed SRK’s role in Mohabattein in Esha Deol’s debut movie Koi Mere Dil se Puche (??). Jaspal Bhatti essayed AB’s role.
@31
In RGV’s Mast, Urmila says something similar when asked about her next film.
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you know, if we just let some b-grade filmmakers make their usual stuff and re-edit it, we wouldn’t really need a spoof. check out this trailer on youtube
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=bhWatrG4WTI
@vishesh
i’m pretty sure it was one of the earliest installments of
zee cine awards, srk saves his best for his business buddies(he almost had a fight with amar singh for them, didn’t he?)
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@36, abhisal,
I stand corrected. Thanks for pointing it out. It was Zee 1998.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDaXXW5H8tQ
Nothing wrong in saving your best for your buddies :-)
I think Deshdrohi is going to be a landmark film :-) I love the bit when the hero picks up the gun a la Rajni style and also throws the chair at Aman Varma. Howlarious.
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Thanks for posting the links to those videos guys… I;ll be watching them when I get home..
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@Jahan: ‘ONCE’ bole to once upon time waala Once..!
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