Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna’s Anand gets a remake, fans request makers ‘please don’t do it’

After over 50 years since its release, filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s cult classic film Anand is headed for a remake. Sameer Raj Sippy, grandson of N C Sippy, the producer of the 1971 hit, is working on a new version of the film along with producer Vikram Khakhar, as announced on Thursday. The original film starred late actor Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles. Also Read: Why Amitabh Bachchan-Tinnu Anand fought on Kaalia: ‘No one spoke to him like that, everyone was shocked’

According to the makers, the project is in the scripting stage and a director is yet to be finalised. Sameer Raj Sippy said stories like Anand need to be narrated to the new generation. “Keeping in mind the sensibilities of the original film and the emotions attached, I felt the current generation needs to be retold the many stories that are so relevant today and especially when there is a great appetite for good content,” the producer said in a statement on Thursday.

Reacting to the news, one internet user said, “Please don’t spoil the film for us. It’s a classic.” Another one said, “Don’t do it.” One questioned, “Why this should be remade btw? It is almost impossible to reenact a few characters i.e. Dilip Saheb as Devdas, Rajesh Khanna Ji as Anand, Amitabh in DON & Dewar, Amjad Khan Saheb as Gabbar Singh, and maybe a couple more characters. These should be preserved.”

Suggesting the cast, one tweeted, “Take Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan!! Lol.” Another one suggested, “I have a very good suggestion. They should cast Shah Rukh Khan for Rajesh Khanna & Saif Ali Khan for Amitabh Bachchan put some romantic tadka with #Preity Zinta and the location of the shoot should be in the US.. This is my original idea,” joking about the plot of Kal Ho Naa Ho. Another one wrote, “It should be Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor.”

Calling it the worst news, one said, “Very worst news I heard. #Anand should not remake never. It was brilliantly made by Hrishi da with star cast Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Seema & Ramesh Dev, Sumita Sanyal, Johnny Walkar, Lalita Pawar etc. Anand is one of film listed under 100 film you must see before die.”

Regarded as one of the finest films in Hindi cinema, Anand featured the late actor Rajesh Khanna in the title role of a terminally ill cancer patient and megastar Amitabh Bachchan as Dr Bhaskar, fondly called Babumoshai by Rajesh’s character.

Vikram, who has produced films such as Main Aur Charles, said the Covid-19 pandemic has made people more aware about the fickle nature of life and the story of Anand, originally co-written by Mukherjee, Bimal Dutt, D N Mukherjee and Gulzar, will resonate with them. “Digging into our own classics, we will find invaluable gems rather than scouting for stories, internationally or regionally,” he added.

(With inputs from PTI)