Bollywood’s obsession of remaking cult classics is ruining their legacy but that won’t stop filmmakers from doing it. The latest casualty is Subhash Ghai’s 1989 film, Ram Lakhan which originally featured Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Dimple Kapadia and Rakhi in pivotal roles. Now, after 17 years, this particular classic is getting a remake and speculation has it that it’s masala potboiler king Rohit Shetty who will helm direction. More stories suggest that Shetty is likely going to cast Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh as Ram and Lakhan respectively.
According to a report in India Today, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and Siddharth Malhotra were “strong contenders for the role of Ram” while Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan were on Shetty’s wish list for the role of Lakhan. However, the final two male stars for the film will be Kapoor and Singh. Appalling isn’t it, when you think about Shetty’s credentials as a filmmaker. After all, he is the only person who cast Kajol and SRK in a film and didn’t know what to do with them. Think Dilwale.
Should this remake happen, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor will share the screen for the first time. Why that’s a cause for celebration, we don’t know. Produced under the banner of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the remake is likely to go on floors by the end of this year. While Kapoor has recently wrapped up the shooting of his Vishal Bhardwaj film Rangoon, Singh is busy shooting for Aditya Chopra’s Befikre in Paris.