Where are the Superheroes of Bollywood?
iView Author: Navinder Singh (Ludhiana, India)
Where are the Superheroes of Bollywood?
If we’ve to name one Hollywood movie which will be a guaranteed success in India then it, indubitably, would be Spiderman, or the whole Spiderman series. There is something about Spiderman which appeals to people of all over the globe. And as a matter of fact, it is not only Spiderman but the whole genre of super hero movies. Be it Hulk, Superman, Iron Man, or even Hancock, every super movie, well almost, has tasted success at the box office.
And you must be wondering why I haven’t put Batman in the list, well that’s because Batman is not a superhero, technically. He is just a guy with a lot of cash and advanced technology which he uses to fight the bad guys. He doesn’t have any super powers.
Coming back to the point, the success of superhero movies makes me wonder where the Bollywood superheroes are. I still remember those good old days when the whole family used to gather around the idiot box to watch Shaktiman and I also remember those morbid accidents in which kids used to copy his moves and lost their precious lives in doing so.
But, after him, I’ve not seen even one superhero on the small screen, forget the big screen and don’t count Krrish in this. The film sucked, and so did he. And later in 2008, we had our Drona who tanked at the box office even before flying in the air.
All of this raises one important question in my mind, why are not we able to make some good super hero movies? Is it that difficult? Or are the directors and producers are afraid of investing in it considering the amount of talent they have? Or is it because they don’t know how to show soft porn in a super hero movie?
Couple of months back, according to media reports, Anurag Kashyap was making a superhero movie on Doga, with Kunal Kapoor as the lead. Well, that movie, if made, also doesn’t qualify as a superhero movie because Doga doesn’t have any superpower other than he can communicate with dogs (now that’s what we call Indian superpowers!)
We’ve the talent (young people), we’ve the money, we’ve the technology, the only thing we don’t have is originality and ability to think a superhero as a new age guy who doesn’t belong to religion and stuff. Most of the superhero movies in Hollywood are inspired from comics and that’s where the problem lies for us.
I don’t blame producers that much because our superheroes in comics don’t qualify to be made for big screen. This is because many of them are related to religion or some backward thinking. Moreover, they’ve weird names for the hero and the villains.
For example, Daku Halkan Singh, Kaal Paheliya, Bihari Bhai (enemies of Doga), Nagraj (Superhero), Super Commando Dhruva, Chandakaal, Grand Master Robo, Mahamanav (enemies of Super Commando Dhruva ) etc.
Imagine these characters on the big screen? I don’t think there is any chance of becoming a success. Krrish was the only one with a modern touch and who could have been a great superhero and our answer to Hollywood, but, sadly, due to the direction of Rakesh Roshan and his commercial extinct, he was just another wannabe.
I know I’m no one to say this, but, Anurag Kashyap, if you’re reading this, I really request you to make a superhero from scratch with modern touch and modern values who, in turn, can appeal to the youth and has some equally cool villains, instead of Doga. We really need our FIRST superhero on the big screen.
To be very frank, Krrish was a wonderful opportunity wasted and I hope that someday, a new director with a good screen writer take up the character and reinvent him.
Till then, I’m sitting down on my chair and watching a superhero movie and imagining our Bollywood superhero in it that can fly in the air, can jump from the tall buildings of Mumbai, can kill the bad guys, can sacrifice his love life for his duty, can save the life of his love or bear the sadness of her death. Also, I’m waiting for the super killer dialogue in Indian version, “Who am I? I’m Spiderman.”
Tags: Spiderman, Superhero Films
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
ur definition of modern seems to be everythin that’s american. that’s ur definition of cool as well. what do you think, names lik Storm, Batman, Spider-Man, Cyclops, Wolverine, make any sense? they’re actually as stupid as they get. but, oh, my word, they sound so cool!! ur some wannabe i tell ya.!
@Naviner Singh,
Super heros are incarnations of gods here in this land.
Rest all may be extra ordinary human beings but not more than that.
and few themes are suitable for TV only here. The kind of budget used in making films here cant afford technical expertise needed to make these machinized super heros based films as hollywood makes.
and then it depends on audiences approval also. You invest 1000 M Rs on a film and audiences ae not interested in watching special effects and these films ae completely departure from reality. even So called escapist cinema provides some thing as far as feelings, emotions of people are concerned and some may correlate the films with their real lives.
Fertility is good in India and everything has to produce something fruitful here
@Nishant
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Your way of writing is like American, too (read your “ya” in the end). You’re one wannabe, too.
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Anyway, they are cool, you can’t argue with that, the whole world loves them. These movies are making billions for no reason.
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My definition of modern is something that can appeal to the youth of India, be it Indian or American. I assume you wear jeans, listen to English music, watch technically advanced Indian movies, right? Where did all that come from? The West.
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Getting back to the point, we need superheroes with some presentable names. The examples that I mentioned in the post will never work.
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@Rk
Audience approval is always there. Krrish, Spiderman, and Shaktiman are the real examples. As for the money thing, this is one risk producers have to take. We can’t just sit around and keep on making old cinema just because we don’t have the money. We’ve to invest in new technology if we want Bollywood to get better.
I dont think the concept of totally new Superhero can work well in India without some commercial masala as was Krrish. The reason why I see the movies of Spidy becoming a success because it was already a familiar name among the people. He is the most loved superhero after Batman and Superman. The thing is that we watch and enjoy these superheros as an outsider and the same things and conditions might not work for India and a Superhero in Indian condition may fail. Shaktiman worked on TV but chances are more that it will fail on big screen.
I myself am a fan of Doga (have read all of his comics except magarmachch) and Batman as well (Just 2 days ago I bought Batman Hush series)
and because of my fanboyism I am excited to see the adaptation of Doga but I’m skeptical of its success, still I think that on any day a good movie on the heroes with no superpower will work better than heroes with superpowers because they symbolize the true human spirit to stand against injustice from among the common people and are more relatable.
@Navinder
..sorry for callin u that but u gotta think abt that. n i dont see anythin wrong with
the “Bollywood” in ur post too came from The West
- Kaal Paheliya, Doga (aka Suraj), Dhruva, Yetiraj, Dhananjaey, Chandika, Mahamaanav, Nagraj (snake-king, not snake-man), (even) Lomdi (of doga comics).
[Editor Note]: Just checking to see that this conversation doesnt spiral into anything ugly :-)
The whole idea of superhero when seen from sociological context of USA seems to follow a general formula a nobody isolated from the regular world by some extraordinary calamity who rises above his personal disaster by miracle aka superpower. If you think a little then this seemingly underdog story is what lies at the core of American Dream. This worshipping of individualism was always there in USA and so far reflected in superhero movies( The onlt notable exception is Watchmen but that deserves a full post).
In Indian context , first of all, this dream of a single man against all odds does not stand( after all our very own Ram had to have a big coalition and Pandavas were collectivism at its very best). To imitate that philosophy brings into screen a character which has less to do with Indian paradigm and even lesser with Western.
Secondly, all the Greek and Christian mythologies with their hallowed description of angels & demons help a lot while etching the character ( anyone for the Preacher or even for our Kal-El whose dad used to look like Greek God). Now our mindset has become so much saturated with these prototypes of devils and demons and villains that seeing a ‘potbelly’d Asura or likes of it does not invoke the same awe.
Maybe this is he same reason why our horror movies suck and an effort to bring ‘Hanuman Chalisha’ :-) to replace the Holy Book fails.
A small correction – Iron Man, like Batman, is also an extremely rich man with advanced technology available to him and doesn’t have “actual superpowers”.
Also, while I’ve never heard of any of the Indian superheroes you mentioned, having a “weird name” should be the last issue one should be thinking of when it comes to making a superhero movie. I mean seriously –
Spiderman – He’s half man, half spider…he’s…Spiderman! Brilliant.
Superman – He’s a man with superpowers…..he’s Superman! Wow.
Hancock – He has a hand and he uses it to stroke his…….
My basic point is if you just see the names of these superheroes and their superpowers, they are all absolutely ridiculous. The way the makers have treated these superheroes as real people [albeit special ones] as well as the world around them is what makes us take them seriously and appreciate them.
what Shahanshah was? It was just another version of spiderman or superman. It was not having powers to fly and doing those extraordianry stunts but basis was similar.
Many Indian comics can be adapted but practicality has to be accepted, whether audiences w’d accept them at higher price of tickets in cinema halls or w’d they prefer to watch such things on TV.
If we talk about international scenario, its doubtful if audiences of other countries will watch and accept India made super heros based films having Indian actors playing super heros. The way Indian audiences watch and accept films coming from other countries does not happen with other countrywalla audiences.
Majority of audiences spend money on their own films starring their own actors.
and within India also comics can not get universal approval and a segment of audiences would be watching these films so, producer will always be thinking if selective audiences are able to give back his investment.
high quality @ very optimized cost will help in bringing approval to such things on big screen.
It is shallow to think that we cannot make a good super hero movie, if the hero is named Nagraj…What matters is how well the movie is made, and how nicely the character is etched…If Wolverine, Storm, Batman were successful it was not because of the name, but because of the detailed sketching of the characters, its genesis, and behaviour patterns. Compounded with this is the well thought out plot and high quality production value.
So whether it is a Superhero movie or a Drama, hardwork and innovation pays…
Wait for Kanthaswamy and mogamudi in tamil.Vikram and surya could just pull it off if the scripts make enough sense to the ppl down south.:) and i guess we have able directors at the helm of these two projects to pull them off with panache![jus saw fashion :P]
I dont think the author understands the phenomenon at all. Superheroes are actually comic strip/book based. There is already a comic book culture that is keenly followed in America hence the concept of superheroes is homegrown. For India its an adaptation, do please dont expect the same impact. No film maker in hollywood came up with a superhero, these are popular figures in american comic culture already. We dont have that culture, hence we dont make those movies.
@Abhishek..when is Kanthaswamy releasing? Any Dope? Had seen one kickass trailer of Kanthaswamy 6-7 months back…Vikram totally rocked in it…
I think Doga is the most complex of Indian superheros as he hides his face completly.
Nagaraj is a copy of Superman.
Dhruv he is a watered down version of Spiderman
Parmanu is a copy of Iron Man
But Doga even though inspired from and has shades of Batman is one of the best and the darkest charecters written in the Raj Nagar Universe
Moogamudi is delayed.. Myskin n Surya.. Awesome combo. Kanthaswamy releases May 27.
Well, from Shahanshah I remember that there was also a movie named Shiva ka Insaaf with Jaikee Shroff and Poonam Dhillo which looked like a superhero flick. Indian Superman is not worth mentioning and I consider movies like Ajooba in the fantasy genre as are Haatimtai and Pataal Bhairvi etc. I had read once in a newspaper that one of Satyajit Ray’s movies (probably Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) also qualifies as a superhero movie but I think it is more like a fairytale.
@ saurabh
Doga is inspired from The Punisher. Among all the superheroes you mentioned his storyline is very rich. I find some of his comics like Kharaab Kanoon, I Love You, Sher ka Bachcha, Khaaki aur Khaddar truly remarkable and among the best produced by Raj comics.
All those superhero movies you are so fond of spawned from very successful comic books which have a great fan following and are a multimillion dollar industry out there.Fortunately (or unfortunately for you)we don’t have the comic book culture.How many of us have read Doga comics? I for one,did not see one when I was a kid.All I read was tinkle with its supandi,ramu and shamu and shikari shambu and there was not even one superhero doing the rounds in those books.
Dude you should watch the heroes of our South Indian movies- Balakrishna and Vijaykanth to name a couple, and may be you will get over your yearning for the Indian superhero.lol
Well i fail to grasp what this post is about.It seems a starstruck fan of Mr.Kashyap abusing net to get hie views and ideas to how to make a film.
I think Anurag is qualified enough to be a director and does Not need advice from you.
Hey man if Iron man can be a super hero so can Batman be.
Also, I think we can make an amazing movie out of the Mahabharath or ramayan comics that virgin released. Shekhar kapoor could do the direction.
Americans Superhero’s are necessarily comicbook based. Have you heard about a character called ‘Hellboy’ ? It is also a superhero, may be disgruntled somewhat. Also, if Batman is not a Superhero then Ironman also gets disqualified for the same reason.
Hanuman is an Indian Superhero. Please note the ‘man’ suffix too
Anurag Kashyap has already made his animation ”Hanuman Returns” which was a treat to children as well as adult audience. May be it’s time for other Director’s to try their hand on them.
On the context, I would love to see a movie on ‘Bahadur’
of Indrajal comics I used to read in 80s, he was no less than a Superhero and pakka desi too.
My probable cast would be
Bahadur- Ajay Devgan
Bela (Bahadur’s girlfriend)- Mahie Gill
Mukhia- Paresh Rawal Or Pankar Kapoor
Sukhiya- Vijay Maurya
Interesting article, good discussion
Cheers!
~uh~
who said Indian producers are not daring enough,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Pjo0WjBcs,
see they did a Marvel and DC crossover..
@ Abhishek
I havent watched the movie but after watching this song I was feeling ashamed.
Americans Superhero’s are necessarily comicbook based. Have you heard about a character called ‘Hellboy’ ? It is also a superhero, may be disgruntled somewhat. Also, if Batman is not a Superhero then Ironman also gets disqualified for the same reason.
Hanuman is an Indian Superhero. Please note the ‘man’ suffix too
Anurag Kashyap has already made his animation ”Hanuman Returns” which was a treat to children as well as adult audience. May be it’s time for other Director’s to try their hand on them.
On the context, I would love to see a movie on ‘Bahadur’
of Indrajal comics I used to read in 80s, he was no less than a Superhero and pakka desi too.
My probable cast would be
Bahadur- Ajay Devgan
Bela (Bahadur’s girlfriend)- Mahie Gill
Mukhia- Paresh Rawal Or Pankar Kapoor
Sukhiya- Vijay Maurya
Interesting article, good discussion
Cheers!
~uh~
ps: why my comments are not being posted?
@ Abhishek
I remember watching this video. Just like Jahanpanah, I, too, feel ashamed.
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And sorry about the Iron Man confusion guys, it slipped through my mind.
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As for the comic book culture, I don’t think it is a problem. Shaktiman never had a comic book series before it began airing on television, and the same holds with Krrish. Both of them became hit on their own.
@Cinemausher
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I know Anurag Kashyap is qualified enough but it was just a suggestion. Don’t take it personally.
@Navinder,
I am not taking it personally.Professionally you can like or dislike a work.But Can not force a creator and artist to make work according to your likes and dilkes.
@Navinder
Couple of points from my side.
Now if you consider US,the country never had any specific mythology or native culture of its own. Whatever native culture or Myth of the Indian tribes was there was totally wiped out, but thats another topic. So it became necessary to invent superheroes, also if you notice one thing, most of the superheroes originated during the Depression Era, and i guess it was people’s way of seeking an imaginary hero, to forget their misery for the time being.
Now if we take India into account, we have a ready made mythology and a galaxy of divine heroes. Ram, Bhim, Hanuman, Karna, Arjun, Krishna all of them in a way are our heroes. So there was no real obvious need for creating a super hero. Thats why even when certain super hero comics came out, most of them looked just pale imitations of the Western comics. Also observe one thing, if you take the countries with the richest mythology India, China, Mexico, Greece, the Scandinavian region, Egypt you would not find much superhero characters. Even otherwise in Europe, Asterix and Tintin are not superheroes in conventional sense.
All said, i still think we can create our own indigenous superhero, without trying to look West. We have our own indigenous martial arts like Kalaripayattu, we had this episode of Duryodhan holding his breath under water, our various Yogic asanas are a means of having control over ones senses. So there is a lot of material there to be mined.
Krissh for me was a poor copy of dime a dozen sci fi flicks in Hollywood ranging from Paycheck to The Matrix.
IMO, to create a wholly indigenous superhero, it should be done, keeping the Indian philosophy and context in mind. For eg, control over the senses,mind and body or what we call the Middle Path, has been a fundamental feature of Indian philosophy, so base the Super hero on that concept.
Or the Musthiyudha, where one can overwhelm the opponent only by sheer physical prowess.
We dont need to refer to Western comics, for ideas. Our epic stories, Puranas, contain many concepts which could be made the basis for a super hero.
As per my definition of superhero, it’s immaterial if a superhero has some super-power or not. The important thing is that his deeds make the people think that he has super-powers.
Again @Cinemausher
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Dude, I’m not forcing. There is a difference between a suggestion and forcing.
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@Ratnakar Sadasyula
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Yes, we’ve a rich mythology but we’ve to see the present. Do you think the youth will want to watch a superhero related to mythology? One of the reasons Krrish worked because it was modern.
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Moreover, most of the animation movies which are made in Bollywood are related to religion and stuff. We’ve to think modern now and invent something on our own.
“Do you think the youth will want to watch a superhero related to mythology? ”
Depends on how we present it. If we can have an Indiana Jones searching for a lost Ark or the Holy Grail, and still make it fashionable for youth, why not here.
The biggest bestseller in recent times Da Vinci Code, dealt with ancient stuff like Rosetta Stone and Da Vinci’s Last Supper.
And who is Ras Al Gul in the Batman Begins,its a mythological villian.
And the Chinese have created an entire franchise based on their myths and legends.
And Lord Of Rings, the largest hit in this decade was again based on ancient myths.
So i dont think youth will be bored of mythology. It depends on how well we present it.
@Ratnakar Sadasyula
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I agree with all of your examples. Yes, the problem is that how we present them. And this is where the Bollywood lacks. Moreover, people never really heard about those, many of the viewers read them in the book but there are many others who never read them.
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In India, we’ve heard about Ram, Krishna etc more than a thousand times. So, therefore, I don’t think people will be interested in watching them. Also, there are so many television serials on those. We’ve pretty much exhausted everything.
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It’s time to do something new.
Badly researched post and badly researched replies.
@saurabh
“parmanu is a copy of iron man,Dhruv is a watered down version of spiderman”..if u dont know about the superheroes of raj comics why are you even replying.
@Navinder
Please write a better post next time or refrain from the activity.Seriously.You know nothing about Doga or the other indian superheroes for that matter.
Jahanpanah@ 16- yes I remember Shiva Ka Insaaf, incidentally it was released in 3D.
BTW Goopy Gyne Bhaga Byne by Satyajit Ray is not a superhero movie- its a fantasy and more of a children’s film.
Abhishek@ 11- yes lets see how Kanthasaamy & Mugamoodi shapes out.Mugamoodi has been delayed & Kanthasaamy has been in the making for long.Hope all the patience & hard work pays off.
@Avijit Pathak
Liking my post is subjective, so we will not go into that.
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As for me not knowing anything about Doga and my poorly researched post, can you tell me if I mentioned any wrong fact about Doga in this post? Did I mention the wrong names of enemies of Doga? Or do you think that he has super-powers?
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Please enlighten me with your knowledge.
@ Comment no 28 Ratnakar
Not neccesarily Japan has an amazing mythology and probably one of the worlds largest industries that run around it Manga and anime are immensely popular almost worldwide now and the Japanese Draw Heavily from their culture and others while creating some amazing works of art and everlasting super heroes and villains. The early runs of Dhruva, Nagraj and Bheriya even are cool because they were relatively fresh and original ideas then. It started wearing dry when they ran out of ideas and started regurgitating old ones blindly.
I don’t think the issue is about an existing mythology. I think its about a lack of publicity given to the local comic book industry. Nobody cares how good local work is because we assume that Superman,batman,miller,eisner,toriyama etc will be better by default That’s a problem. Some of the work is admittedly shoddy but some of it is pretty amazing I think its necessary for more money and better ideas to get pumped into the industry Raj Comics needs some serious competition its the only way they will even try to up their game. I think India definitely has the potential where an industry like manga can flourish would like to hear any and all thoughts on this though.
Anyone remembers a certain Mr. India?
@saurabh
Doga is inspired by Batman!!!
Dhruva from spiderman!!!
Nagraj from SUPERMAN!!!
why did you comment?
@vivek
Good comments. Even Doga is a very fresh idea. (though i hear a superhero called, the punisher, on the same lines)
Thing is, Raj Comics doesn’t have a competition because even Raj Comics isn’t making much profits! Literature business is yet to be structured enough in India to get profitable.
As far as quality is concerned, i don’t see it improving with Raj Comics. they are a lazy and an old fashioned Printing House. Although, they claim to be very passionate about their business but like all passionate people, they refuse to change. they have gotten too comfortable. Worse, i don’t see a single competitor of theirs in the next 10 years. Trust me the market where they sell is like that only.
@~uh~ (21)
I remember reference to Hanuman as the ‘baap’ of Superman and Spiderman was there in the movie Vaah Life Ho to Aisi.
I would like to see a movie on Bahadur and it’ll be more interesting, though because I grew up in the 90s I’m not so familiar with the character.
“Anyone remembers a certain Mr. India?”
Yeah i do, and it had all the makings of being a superhero franchise.
But then Shekar Kapur, went West and started to focus on more artsy flicks. And neither did Boney Kapoor show any interest to take it further.
@Vivek Ramkumar
I agree with you, there is a potential in India in terms of manga and anime. I know certain people who are serious anime and manga lovers. They swear to death on Naruto and Bleach. I may be extrapolating based on these certain people but the question is whether there are enough people ready to spend their money on these forms of entertainment so that the industry can flourish.
“but the question is whether there are enough people ready to spend their money on these forms of entertainment so that the industry can flourish?”
Well Jahan, Star Wars was rejected by major studios, as they felt it wont be a viable proposition. Many theaters refused to screen the movie in fact. Even Fox did not back the project too enthusiastically, as till then sci fi was considered a B Movie Genre. But Lucas stuck to it, and the rest as they say is history.
I think if we can come up with our own desi manga or Naruto, and market it well,there would be people willing to spend their money on it. The best ideas were initially scoffed at, written off and dismissed. But that did not deter the people from going ahead.
Ratnakar@ 42- Boney & Anil Kapoor have been toying with the idea of making a sequel to Mr.India for quite sometime.I dont know if they are still serious about it.Hope they decide to go ahead with it soon, now that Anil’s stock value also seems to be in the upswing.
Indian filmmakers have tended to look at the American superhero genre more as special effects films and have tended to emulate that aspect.
The american superheroes work because they embody some the emotional concerns of that culture. It is also interesting to note that the superheroes in these American films has the dimension of the common man. He is at once a super hero and the common man. In a way the angry young man character of the 70s and 80s played by Amitabh B can be described as our version of the superman that has worked successfully. Films like Krish and Drona fail to work because they really have because the superheroes of these films seem to function is a socio-cultural vaccum. Mr India definitely had/ has the potential to become a superhero character but it will need an astute director to do so.
@Navinder Singh
this’s indeed a poorly researched post. clearly, u don’t know much about the Indian comic-book characters..have read very few (if any of) Raj Comics, it seems. i’ll provide a solution, a place where u can find all the answers u need, just post anythin here n u’ll hav more than a 100 people to tell u things from the scratch:
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=49986
- this’s the biggest comunity on orkut, n they don’t encourage any piracy. so if u wanna read any comics, thr’s another comunity that’s known for producing soft copies of Raj Comics in best quality (this’s sad, but even fans are party to it):
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=63751321
looking forward to another post from you on Indian/Hindi Comicbook (not bollywood) Heroes ;)
@ Jahanpanah [16,41]- Indrajaal Comics, Amar Chitra Katha & Tinkle was what our Childhood was made of, Ratna might agree. Between Mandrake, Rip Kurby, Flash Gordon and Phantom, Bahadur was THE ONLY Indian character published by Indrajaal Comics.
As Sethu corrected GGBB was apparently a children’s fantasy but with a much deeper and broader anti-war theme.
yes ~uh~ji I know about Amar Chitra Katha and Indrajal comics but they weren’t so prevalent in the 90s so I hadn’t read much of them.
@nishant
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I, still, ask the same question. How is my post poorly researched. A post is called poorly researched if it mentions wrong facts. But, I think I made all the correct points about Doga.
@Navinder
u’ll gt all the answers, just follow the links above. n plz consider writing a post on Indian/Hindi Comic-Book Heroes, thr’s too much that u’v left out in this post. why not make up for it
This is one seriously wierd post. Translated, what you really want is for someone to copy Hollywood Superhero movies. For the love of God, why? If you want to see Superhero movies, go see Hollywood movies! What’s the problem? But no, you want something “Indian” to be proud of. In other words, shameless copying with no real creativity would make you proud of being Indian.
Phew!
SRK is reported to bring in 2 Script writers from Hollywood for his next Superhero film “RA1″. The reason is that Indian ones cannot write a crisp/tight script :-)
@kcp
is that the one with Anubhav ‘cash’ Sinha as the director? could be seriously silly stuff after Krrish, Drona – bollywood super-heroes, ritely so.
While some RC fans may cringe (and I am also a big RC fan of yesteryears), it is true that MANY RC characters are direct lifts from DC/Marvel.
e.g.
Dhruv – Batman (detective skills) + Spiderman (youth)
Grand Master Robo – Ra’s Al Ghul
Natasha – Talia
Chandika – Batgirl / Barbara Gordon
Black Cat – Cat Woman
Kirigi – Kirigi (a -ve character from Elektra universe)
Bauna Vaman – The Joker (from 70s)
Vitler (villain in Udantashtari ke Bandhak) – Starship troopers from Star Wars
Sandman (remember that series?) – Sandman (Spiderman) + Neil Gaiman’s Sandman
Nagraj – Original but his alter ego Raj the reporter is Superman / Clark Kent plot
Parmanu – Atom (literal transalation!!)
Bhediya – Wolverine
Doga – Punisher
Inspector Steel – Robocop
Shakti – Wonder Woman (seems RC decided that they needed the trio of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman completely represented in their universe as well)
Super Hero Teams – Justice League / Avengers
Fighter Toads – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Bhokal – He Man (complete with the magic sword and “Bho ssss Ka ssss L sss chant)
Turin – Sorceres
Kapala – Battle Cat
Many of the villians are direct lifts
And I can go on with the list
I for once waiting for an EPIC SCI FI movie from bollywood which has NOTHING to do woth indian mythology
can we make like new STAR TREK
I seriously hope DOGA works at box office
so we can have movies on NAGRAAJ, super comado dhurva
imagine bigscreen adaptation of NAGRAAJ
@Noname1
The next thing you could very well say is that Satyajit Ray’s Feluda (Pradosh Mitter) is a direct lift from Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
And atleast get your facts right while yacking
(Super Commando) DHRUVA – similar origins to NightWing/Robin. Parents of both get killed in Circus, not the same way though. Don’t know if that can be called a copy. Circus India mein nahi hota kya? & Dhruva is the only comic-book hero (i guess world over) without a disguise or ALTER-EGO!
DOGA – Not a copy of Punisher. Punisher doesn’t wear a mask. Basic philosophy behind Doga is completely different from Punisher. Read the 2007 series on Doga (Khoon Ka Janma), that should put an end to doubts!
NAGRAJ – Originally conceived as an enemy of internatonal terrorism, an idea well ahead of its time. Decade after it moved to different interpretations & there it became a clone of Superman. But it’s been revived in it’s original form in 2007 in a series titled “Aantanqharta Nagrag” (Nemesis of Terrorism). So again such claims are no more relevant.
BHOKAL – Agreed. In terms of genesis, its inspired by HeMan. But over the years, his character evoled to such heights that Bhokal’s comics (Stories, Characters, Villains, Personal Life) became better than HeMan. You can only know that if you’v ever read any of the Raj Comics, which certainly you haven’t, quite evident from the pretentious talk on the characters. i doubt you even know about Marvel/DC.
i can write on every character you’ve puked on but it requires a seperate post. Also I have better things to do.