With Farah Khan making it official that she is indeed working on the remake of Satte Pe Satta, a new controversy is brewing. The official remake rights of the film, made in 1982, rest with Raj N. Sippy.
Eight years ago, Sanjay Dutt, along with the now-defunct Ashtavinayak Productions had planned to remake the iconic Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer, with Dutt essaying Bachchan’s character. “Soham Shah of Kaal and Luck fame (not to be confused with the actor from Ship of Theseus, Sohum Shah) was to direct the remake with Dutt. He still owns partial rights of the film.
Farah Khan’s recent confirmation, that she was making her own version of the same film, has thrown a wrench in Dutt’s plans. “The original Satte Pe Satta directed by Raj N. Sippy itself was an unauthorised remake of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which was made in 1954. If producer Rohit Shetty and director Farah Khan can prove that their film is not a remake of Satte Pe Satta but of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, they need not take any rights from anyone as the content comes in public domain after 60 years. But if she keeps saying that it is a remake of Satte Pe Satta and they do not have the remake rights, there will be an issue,” says a trade expert.
Meanwhile, two public notices have been served by different law firms, Naik & Naik and Clasis Law & Associates, for their respective producer clients. The film recently made headlines because it was being rumoured that Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif had given a green signal to work in the film. However, this remains unconfirmed.
