The film is the official adaptation of the 1982 movie Angoor which was based on William Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors.
To be sure, even as bold narratives and new storytelling techniques find acceptance, Indian cinema is turning to old, iconic stories to find new audiences. Director Soumitra Ranade’s Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai that released in 2019 was a remake of the 1980 comedy drama helmed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza. Filmmaker Mudassar Aziz recently directed Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Pandey in a remake of the 1978 Sanjeev Kumar-starrer Pati Patni Aur Woh. Shetty himself has directed Bol Bachchan, based on classic comedy Golmaal.
Filmmakers admit the appeal of these cult classics remains unmatched. The challenge is to present them in a new avatar to millennial audiences, who not just make up the majority of theatre-going viewers but also drive crowds in opening weekend, which often contributes 40-50% of a movie’s overall earnings.
“The idea of remaking these films comes from the fact that we, as filmmakers, are influenced by films that we have seen while growing up,“ Aziz had said in an earlier interview. “We realize that we are dealing with millennials who may have not seen the film before. So the idea is to come up with our own unique takes and have a go at the same plot to tell a millennial story," he said.
“There is a certain borrowing of innocent plot setting from the bygone era. I think these stories allow us to revisit simpler plots instead of creating shock value, which has become so common,“ Aziz had said.
