The Mr India franchise that Zee Telefilms announced with director Ali Abbas Zafar seems to be causing quite a rift among those who worked closely in creating the original classic feature film back in 1987.
To begin with, the 1987 Mr India’s director Shekhar Kapoor spoke against the proposed project by Zee and Ali Abbas Zafar, a displeasure that was shot down by lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar as he pulled up Shekhar for the latter’s seeming hypocrisy. But now, it seems even the film’s producer Boney Kapoor and the 1987-film’s leading man and Boney’s brother Anil Kapoor are not on the same page regarding the new version of Mr India.
As per sources, Boney had supposedly given his approval for the proposed project without taking his brother Anil into confidence.
“Technically, Boney is in the right. He’s the producer of Mr India. He doesn’t need to consult anyone before giving his approval. Boney shares a close working relationship with the Zee network. So he allowed them to go ahead (with the new Mr India). But Anil, on hearing of the project, was aghast. And he’s right in being upset, too. He is not only the leading man of Mr India but also the producer’s brother,” the source says, trying to explain the dilemma.
However, with Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam coming out against the proposed project, the battle lines are drawn even more starkly now. We shall wait on the side-lines to see how the matter resolves.
