Why b(r)other, Bollywood?

Hollywood classic ‘Warrior’ to become the latest victim of Indian melodrama with Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Brothers’.

KARACHI:

There is a world of difference between inspiration and parody, but Bollywood filmmakers have somehow managed to narrow that gap. With their adaptations of iconic Hollywood movies The Usual Suspects, ET, Primal Fear and Matchstick Men into nonsensical rip-offs Chocolate, Koi Mil Gaya, Deewangee and Bluffmaster, respectively, they have made a mockery of original and innovative storylines.

A soon-to-be victim of this unfortunate trend is the 2011 sports-drama Warrior, starring actors Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte. Fans of Warrior will have reason to cringe, as the project is being adapted in Bollywood by the father of melodrama, Karan Johar. Although it may be too early to jump to conclusions merely based on the film’s poster, anyone who has seen Bollywood’s previous rip-offs would know where this Titanic is headed.

Our bet is that Brothers is likely to be a story of two parted brothers (Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra) with toned bodies, rugged looks and a recovering alcoholic for a father (Jackie Shroff). The father pushes his sons to the edge when they are children and now tries to pick up what’s left of their relationship.



But as fate would have it, both the brothers would soon come face-to-face with each other in the ring during the finals of a mixed martial arts tournament. Sadly, though, this is where the similarity between the two movies ends. It is likely that the cast will be able to pull off the look of the original film, but it is expected that the film will not be able to capture the essence of the original film.

As with previous Bollywood films in the same vein, fans would be well-advised not to expect anything different or out-of the box from this one. With Malhotra likely to display his body more than his acting skills, and Shroff guaranteed to give his trademark performance of a drunkard father, somewhere between his roles of Chunnilal in Devdas and the affectionate father in Yaadein, this movie may have nothing new to offer.

Above all, the film will also feature Kareena Kapoor Khan in a quintessential item number, which may end up distracting the audiences from the film’s shortcomings, or provide it with the necessary masala to prolong its stay at the box office.

Over the past few years, audiences have truly come to recognise the ability of Indian cinema with the emergence of filmmakers the likes of Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl, people who choose to walk a tightrope by taking the unconventional approach.

Even an actor such as Kumar, who has been typecast as an ‘action hero’, has time and again shown that he does possess the acting chops and will deliver when offered offbeat films, such as Special 26. But in an attempt to remain relevant at the box office, he has avoided this type of cinema.



Despite the criticism, there has been some impressive iteration of foreign films through the years, such as Chachi 420. Inspired by the Robin William’s-starrer Mrs Doubtfire, the movie retained its originality by adapting the character and jokes to a local setting. But for now, movie enthusiasts can pray that the backlash to this film is so harsh that it serves as a precedent for similar projects. And studio executives send other such films, following suit, to the filmmaking black hole, referred to as ‘Development Hell’.

Worst Hollywood rip-offs

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (Mary Poppins)

Kyon Ki (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest)

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (My Best Friend’s Wedding)

Phir Milenge (Philadelphia)

Akele Hum Akele Tum (Kramer vs Kramer)

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2015.

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