By Subhash K Jha
MUMBAI: Ten facts about the just released film Khoobsurat:
1) It is a remake of one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s personal favourites. As Hrishida had told me before his death, Rekha was always his favourite actress and he wanted to do a film that revolved around her character. Khubsoorat was made specially for Hrishida’s favourite actress.
Rekha once told me, “Hrishida was a fellow-Libran.He called me Chinnapunnu the Tamil term for ‘Little Daughter’. I did some of my best work with him. Hrishida was like a father-figure. He would give me dirty looks if I behaved loudly. Please remember, I was only 13 when I came into the industry. I remember him calling me to his home. ‘I see you in this role as a little daughter. You aren’t just a mischievous brat but you don’t want to be told what to do. But you’ve great values. So you do the right things.’ That’s how Hrishida conceived the character in Khoobsurat for me. Then later he made a kind of sequel Jhoothi. …I didn’t have to depend on dialogues or scenes. We shot Khoobsurat in his house, so I didn’t feel I was shooting a film. Did I imitate Mr Bachchan in Khubsoorat? When you’re working in ten films with Mr Bachchan you’re bound to absorb some of his mannerisms. But I didn’t do it consciously. In Khubsoorat I also imitated Shammi Kapoor in the song Iquilaab zindabad and also Gulzar Bhai wearing the kurta and chashma. Hrishida was such a fantastic editor . Before he reached the sets he had already completed the editing in his mind. That’s when I realized what a fantastic craftsman he was. That’s when I got interested in editing. Hrishida could concentrate on chess on the sets and still shoot the perfect shot . It didn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention to the actors. I slowly understood and appreciated him.”
2) The new Khoobsurat is named after Jaya Bachchan: Jaya Bhaduri was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s other favourite actress. Sonam Kapoor plays a variation on Rekha in Hrishida’s Khubsoorat but is named Mili Chakravarty after Jaya Bhaduri in Hrishida’s Mili.
3): The Anil Kapoor factor: The last film that Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed Jhooth Bole Kauva Kaate starred Anil Kapoor. Now Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam has done the second official remake of Mukherjee film after his death. Remake rights of many Hrishida’s film including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke and Naram Garam have been bought. Only Rohit Shetty did a take on Hrishida’s GolMaal in Bol Bachchan and now it’s Hrishida’s Khoobsurat.
4) Rekha transforms into Kirron Kher: To update Hrishida’s Khoobsurat which was made 24 years ago, Sonam plays the daughter of the character Rekha played in the original Khoobsurat. Rekha’s character is played by Kirron Kher.
5) Ratna Pathak plays her mom: Dina Pathak had played the stern matriarch in Hrishida’s Khoobsurat who cannot bear to see her house rules broken by a chit of a girl who storms into her family. That role has been taken over by Dina Pathak’s daughter Ratna in the remake.
6) Royal High(ness): While Hrishida’s Khoobsurat was set in a upper middle class business family, the remake is situated in a royal family of Rajasthan. Pakistan’s Fawad Khan was chosen to play the family heir because no leading man in Bollywood seemed right for the part.
7): Stage Coach: The Khoobsurat remake marks the Bollywood debut of the theatre actor and acting guru Aamir Raza Husain. He plays the role of the docile in the matriarchal family originally played by Ashok Kumar .
8): Sonam’s not influenced by Rekha: Sonam has moved as far away from Rekha’s original rendition as possible. For one she plays a physio-therapist, a form of medical treatment that didn’t exist when Hrishida’s Khubsoorat came along in 1980. Also,Sonam desisted from singing in her own voice because Rekha has done so in the original.
9): Anand ban gaye Khoobsurat: If the secret be told Hrishikesh Mukherjee had taken the protagonist’s character in Anand and turned it into Manju in Khubsoorat. Sonam in the new Khubsoorat is actually an amiable amalgamation of all the get-happy characters in Hrishida’s films Anand, Mili, Bawarchi and Khubsoorat.
10) Ghosh of a chance: Why was the director of the sambhar-western Quick Gun Murugan Shashanka Ghosh chosen to direct producer Rhea Kapoor’s remake of Khoobsurat? Because they wanted someone irreverent who wouldn’t be awed by the original.Got that?
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