Javed Akhtar lashes out at remix culture
“In principle, I’m against remakes. Why go back to the classics for contemporary inspiration?” asks poet-thinker-lyricist Javed Akhtar. He is not happy with the reincarnation of his classic patriotic song ‘Sandese aate hain’ in Border as ‘Ghar kab aaoge’ in Border 2.
“I was approached to recreate the song for Border 2. I refused, although J P Dutta saab and I have been associated for years, and we’re also neighbours. But going back to something I’ve already done is a kind of creative death for me. I’d rather do something new,,” he shares.
Akhtar’s aversion to remakes extends to films, too. “I am asked about remaking Sholay. Why should we remake Sholay? It has already been done to perfection. Yes, if I am unhappy with one of my creations, I may consider doing it again. In 1959, Salim Saab and I had written a film called Do Ustad which we felt was not well executed. So we rewrote the script as Haath Ki Safaai 15 years later. Otherwise the classics, whether Sholay or Mughal-e-Azam, or songs like Sandese aate hain, should not, must not be tampered with,” he asserts.
