Many regard Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump as legendary Hollywood actor Tom Hanks’ most iconic role. Even Hanks himself has repeatedly singled out Forrest Gump as his most challenging and beloved film and character.
Would Tom Hanks approve of an Indian remake, and that too one where the original all-American character would be transformed into a Sardarji?
A young extremely talented Bollywood filmmaker who has seen Forrest Gump dozens of times says it is unimaginable. “You can’t tamper with Forrest Gump. It is like remaking Mother India or Mughal-e-Azam. Such films just happen once. Lighting can’t strike the same place twice. You can’t replicate a force of Nature. How much of the original can they transport into the film? How will they translate the most memorable line in Forrest Gump: ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get’?”
A source in the know says Forrest Gump fell into Aamir’s lap by default. “The producers Viacom 18 Motion pictures were keen to work with Aamir at any cost and left the nature of the project to him. Viacom is an affiliate of Paramount Pictures who produced Forrest Gump. So it was easy for them to get the rights. It was Aamir Khan who suggested a remake of Forrest Gump and Viacom was more than happy to comply.”
Also, wasn’t Aamir’s character in Raj Kumar Hirani’s PK largely inspired by Forrest Gump?
A colleague observes, “He had clearly told us that his character in PK is inspired by Forrest Gump. I guess he’s taking the fascination to the next level now.”
