Who Calls Cut?

I don’t know why such a big deal has been made out of the announcement of Kahaani 2. It’s plain and simple. Let me explain from a producer’s point of view. Sujoy Ghosh wanted Rs 28 crore for Kahaani 2. We asked him to send us the script. But we just waited. Nothing happened. Without the narration of any story or the confirmation of actors,such a demand is not something we are in a position to entertain.

Meanwhile,Kundan Shah approached us with a script which we really liked and thought it would be apt for the Kahaani brand. Now if Ghosh comes,we are open to extend our brand to make Kahaani 3. Kahaani,which means story as a title is also open to various interpretations and can actually accommodate many films consequently. Legally,we are safe.

If you look at any industry in the world,producers do make sequels with different directors. Hollywood has made billions of dollars from this idea. Almost every other week,they release sequels without their original directors. It is nothing new. It’s catching up in India now.

Production houses will cash in on the brands. When Sujoy wasn’t getting any producer for almost three years,we took the risk to invest in a female-oriented film. So this is the least a producer can reap out of the brand he has spent money to build.

Two of the biggest brands,Dhoom and Dabangg sequels,are helmed by new directors. Nobody denies that the director is an important and integral part of a film but if directors think films are entirely their babies,it’s a misconception.

A film is a collaborative effort and a team toils hard to bring out a finished product through a rigourous process.

Mahesh Bhatt

Director,Producer

Speaking from a director’s point of view,I might as well speak about my film,Arth. It’s in the news again because Pakistani actor Shaan is remaking it in Pakistan. He called me to ask if I could give him the moral authority to remake the film. Without a single penny being exchanged,I have given him the right to remake it. It was not a commercial transaction,rather an emotional one.

Now this is setting a precedence considering the fact that shameless copies of films have been made without any rights in place. Now when I have given him the freedom,I’m quite sure that he is not going to make a clone of the original or retrace my steps. I am certain that he would apply his imagination to adapt and interpret the film in his own way. I believe in him.

Similarly,I’m not sure what people mean when they say that sequels without their original directors can’t be good. Look at Aashiqui 2. When it was being made,everyone predicted that it couldn’t be better than Aashiqui. But Mohit Suri made a far better film. And if you look at it,there’s nothing common between the two. Similarly,Bond films with new directors and stories have worked wonders at the box office.

But we have to also remember that the chances of falling flat are very high with sequels or remakes. I don’t know what transpired between Sujoy Ghosh and the producer. I think directors should be magnanimous enough and have the humility to let producers go ahead and use the title. And honestly,we live in a country that suffers from Alzheimer’s and we have to deal with the malice of having no memory. A known title merely helps to galvanise consumer support,a minimum guarantee. Filmmaking is much more than just that.