NFDC’s film Bazaar: Panelists discuss the trend of remakes and its pitfalls

At NFDC’s film Bazaar in goa, panelists discuss the trend of remakes and its pitfalls

Panelists at the discussion on ‘Remakes:Creative and Financial Viability’

Are remakes a brave new world or simply playing it safe? Will it give a fillip to quality cinema or spell the death of creativity? With big business houses preferring to park their money in remakes given their safety net in terms of success, where do the younger scriptwriters with out-of-the-box ideas go? And finally, forget about creative liberties, is the whole business legit?

Remakes have obviously become big enough for National Film Development Corporation’s Film Bazaar — which is held annually alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa — to inaugurate their “Knowledge” series on Friday with a discussion on the contentious issue. Titled “Remakes — Creative and Financial Viability”, the discussion was backed by the fact that 22 titles have been put up at the Bazaar as “Available for Remakes”. These include Italian, French, German, Spanish and Latvian films along with Bengali and Hindi titles. Prominent among them are Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk, Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Fernando Di Leo’s Milano Calibro 9 and Cristiano Bortone’s Rosso Come Ilcieo.

The trend is clearly also big enough for Deborah Benattar, founder of La Fabrique films, who facilitates the sale of foreign remake rights to Indian producers, to be present at the panel discussion. According to her, with a new Hindi film releasing in France every two to three weeks, the cinematic exchange between France and India is on an unprecedented high. This has shot up the demand from Indian makers for remaking French films.

Ironically, Amar Butala, who has worked on Hindi adaptations of popular French films Priceless and Love Me If You Dare for UTV-Disney India, is not gung-ho about this trend. He said, “It does reflect a dearth of original scripts and I can understand why young writers feel threatened about it.” Bollywood’s Rohan Sippy, whose Nautanki Saala! (2012) was a remake of a 2003 French comedy, Apres Vous, said that, as long as one produced an improved version, with added creativity, remakes made perfect sense.

Advocate Ameet Naik, whose firm specialises in media and entertainment cases, not just added the legal angle to the discussion but also apprised the audience of the moral right — as against merely the copyright issue — that can haul the maker to the court over mutilation of the original work. This is perhaps the more common grouse today. A case in point being Sai Paranjpye’s lawsuit against those who remade her iconic Chashme Buddoor.

Nyaya Bhushan, India correspondent of The Hollywood Reporter, who moderated the discussion, rounded it off by acknowledging that the trend was not likely to go away anytime soon and it was up to the industry to find the comfort zone between safe business interests and encouraging creativity.

Speaking to The Indian Express after the panel discussion, Rohan said filmmakers should add to the original. “I was drawn to Apres Vous for its theme and the nucleus of the story. When we adapted it, we changed its setting from a bistro to a theatre. My redemption came when Apres Vous’ director told me: ‘I am jealous of this remake,’” says Sippy.

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For the same reason, he would never remake his father Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. He believes Sholay is too perfect to be improved upon. Incidentally, Sippy senior is making a comeback after a 20 years with Shimla Mirchi, a remake of French movie Beautiful Lies.

Rohan did concede that the trend is not very healthy for the industry that thrives on creative pursuits but is inescapable. “Remakes, which are driven by the big money involved and financiers, have spurred several discussions. Earlier filmmakers had to figure out business, now business persons are figuring out films,” he said.

Sunanda Mehta

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More

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