First and foremost, this article has not been written with the intention to question the credentials of the movies, but to merely point out the dissatisfaction on how good the movies on the list actually could have been. With that said, here’s the list of the Bollywood movies that need to be remade.. properly.
1. PK
PK is a satirical movie that questions the commercialization of religion and the exploitation that occurs in the name of it. The plot revolves around an alien, played by elf-eared Aamir Khan, who is trapped on the earth and is unable to contact his spaceship because the amulet that can call his spaceship is stolen from him. In his search for that amulet, he is introduced to the varying religious beliefs in India and the exploitation that occurs through its commercialization. Even though the idea isn’t really original (remember Oh my God?), the premise of the movie is promising. I expected a movie with rational outlook, however, there was no rationality whatsoever in its storytelling. A movie that was expected to be intelligent with a message, turned out to be comical (unintentionally at times) and entertaining, albeit with that message. It is riddled with exaggerated clichés, blatant sermons, and volcanic emotional strokes. PK is an important film, but could it have been better? Yes, it could have been so much better.
2. 3 Idiots
Another Aamir Khan-Hirani combo movie that a showed lots of promise and for all its commercial success, I can’t help but feel that it could have been so much better. Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone, the story follows Farhan and Raju who are looking for their long-lost friend Rancho who became strangely elusive after their graduation. They recall the memories of their college days and how Rancho inspired them to think differently and adopt a refreshing outlook towards their education, career, and life. The entertaining comedy-drama starts with a lot of promise that however, loses its way in the second half with an overdose of melodrama, ludicrous situations, and unnecessary revelations. The less said about the concluding scene in the hostel, the better! Three Idiots is not a bad movie, but it had potential to be greater! I would definitely love to see it remade.
3. Ek Thi Daayan
A tale of two halves! While the first half of the movie was scary, spooky and kept me on the edge of my seat, the second half descends into a hell of mediocrity. The pace slackens, the plot weakens, and the plot takes a completely different route. It becomes too cheesy and silly to be scared of. The climax is idiotic and descends further down into, may I say Vikram Bhatt territory? Strictly based on the first half, Ek Thi Daayan had the potential to be one of the finest horror movies of the Indian Cinema. Unfortunately, it was an opportunity lost. Can we give it another shot, please?
4. Tamasha
Tamasha talks about love. Tamasha talks about passion. But most importantly Tamasha talks about finding your own inner-self that has been lost to a robotic automated life and the accepted conventions of the society. This is a thought-provoking movie about Ved’s (portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor) journey to find himself and his eventual transformation once he embraces it. There are some moments in his journey that reach out to us and come alive. But the final resolution that leads to the transformation feels too orchestrated, easy and not entirely fulfilling. It just doesn’t get there! But with a little polish, it might just get there and reach soaring heights.
5. Baahubali
Baahubali is an epic fantasy movie that conjures up a mythical world filled with magic, beautiful wonders, and larger-than-life characters. With spectacular visuals and impressive special effects (impressive for Indian cinema at least), Baahubali presents itself as a grand and spellbinding saga destined to mark the beginning of new-age cinema in India. Even though the effort is valiant, the content falls short. Even though the movie is good in parts, the storyline is weak and acting felt too crass. Baahubali is a step in right direction, but, it’s still just a small step. I do not agree with the hype and paranoia that surrounds its quality. Baahubali could have been so much better!
6. Raman Raghav 2.0
When something comes out of Anurag Kashyap’s stable, you can expect it to be dark and violent. Raman Raghav 2.0 did not disappoint in that aspect. It tells the story of a serial killer Raman who believes he can communicate directly with God and a self-centred drug-addict cop Raghav who is on the path to self-destruction. The story revolves around the dynamic between these two characters that are very much similar to the “you complete me” dynamic shared between Batman-Joker and Hannibal Lecter-Will Graham. Again, even though the plot and the actors showed lots of promise, the writing and direction felt inconsistent. The character development and transformation of Raghav at the end failed to convince me. It lacks the layers to be a contemporary serial killer movie. At the end, it left me wanting more!
7. Ragini MMS
What’s with all the movies that begin with loads of promise and end up either disappointingly or abruptly? Ragini MMS is part of the same group as well. A low-budget horror movie with strong performances from Raj Kumar Rao and Kainaz Motiwala are ruined by the fact that too much focus was put on sex and not enough on horror. The plot, though simple and straightforward, is laden with silly flaws. Though not original, it was the first Indian horror movie to try the found footage formula. That is commendable! The sequels don’t even come close to the quality of acting and cinematography of this movie. Can’t we just have Ragini MMS reboot, please?
8. Ishqiya
Ishqiya is a classic tale of love and lies written by Vishal Bharadwaj, Chaubey and Sabrina Dhawan starring an awesome threesome of Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Vidya Balan. Ishqiya is a joy ride from the start, though not entirely a smooth one. The second half especially feels disjointed with a climax that is less than convincing. With songs well blended in the movie, Ishqiya is a brilliant film that has the potential to turn into a masterpiece with wee bit of polish. Keep the actors and the music intact though!
9. Special 26
Another great venture by Neeraj Pandey that followed the outstanding debut of ‘A Wednesday’. The movie boasted a stellar cast that included the likes of Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, and Jimmy Shergill. Inspired by a real-life heist that occurred in 1987, a group of con-men rob corrupt businessmen and politicians of their black money by posing as CBI officers or income tax officials. The plot looks interesting, doesn’t it? While ‘A Wednesday’ was honest and pretty direct in its approach, Special 26 suffered because of the addition of unnecessary songs and a half-baked love story that felt out-of-place and added little to the story. The climax isn’t convincing either. Nonetheless, a remake of the same movie with the cropped romantic angle would improve this significantly.
10. Dhoom 3
Yet another Aamir Khan movie on this list! To be honest, I love the actor. He has some of the finest Bollywood movies to his name, even the ones that have not seen commercial success similar to the ones in this list. I’ve never been a fan of the Dhoom franchise but this was the worst movie in the trilogy. The sad part is it also had the potential to be the best in the trilogy. The movie defied logic with heavy plot-holes, child-like humour and poor…really poor acting. Change the script a bit and hand it to a proper director, I guarantee you we will get a proper result. Dhoom 3 was a disaster that could’ve been avoided.
