In Karzzz, Himesh Reshammiya reprises Rishi Kapoor's role in the yesteryear hit of the same name.
Himesh Reshammiya's Karzzz is one of the most anticipated films of the season and why not? After all, it brings Reshammiya back to the silver screen after his successful debut, Aap Ka Surroor.
Moreover, the film is a remake of Subhash Ghai's 1980 classic that is best remembered for its evergreen soundtrack and chilling tale of reincarnation and revenge.
Reshammiya's latest avatar
Reshammiya reprises the role of Rishi Kapoor from the original and he is aware that Rishi's looks and performance swept his female fans off their feet. Trying to make up for his mediocre looks, Reshammiya has shed some weight and looks fit with a new hairdo that has attracted interest.
He even took dance lessons in preparation for the rock star image of his character, Monty. “Rishi Kapoor is a legendary actor and it's a privilege to be given a chance to play a part he has immortalised. If I can achieve even 1 per cent of what he has done with the role in Karzzz I'd be thrilled,'' says Himesh.
He continues to compose and sing his songs in Karzzz. In fact his rendition of tracks such as Lut Jaaun, Hari Om and Ek Haseena Thi have floored his fans, helping the music top the charts.
Director's cut
Karzzz is being produced by T-Series, which previously produced Reshammiya's Aap Kaa Surroor and after purchasing the remake rights from Ghai, they assigned director Satish Kaushik to give the film a new look and a soul of its own. Kaushik has specialised in remakes as most of his successful films have been remakes of South Indian hits. “I am a great fan of Subhash Ghai and I've lived on his cinema'' says Kaushik.
In a tribute to his idol, Kaushik has picked the blockbuster Karzzz to come back in a re-incarnation of its own. Retaining the soul of the original, the upcoming re-make will have a few original twists in the second half, says the excited director, though he rushes to add, “I've adapted it to suit today's audience and do hope I can live up to the mark he made with the original stunner in the early 80s.''
Being an ace actor himself, Kaushik has the knack of extracting good performances and he is full of praise for Reshammiya. “Himesh is full of passion for what he does. It's visible in every singing performance. This is why he seemed perfect for the role; playing a rock star which reflects Himesh's personal identity,'' says Kaushik.
The diva returns
Urmila Matondkar will be seen after a long time onscreen and she reprises the negative role of Simi Garewal's character Kamini from the original.
There was much speculation whether Matondkar would play this role as she was not even sure whether she wanted to play a character in two age groups that she is nowhere close to in real life. It took Kaushik and T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar to convince Matondkar to play this role.
“It was a very interesting experience since Kamini's character goes beyond being evil. Kamini as a character is at par with the male villain characters portrayed in Hindi cinema. Except that she does not have the crutches of the usual stereotypical villain with fancy get ups mouthing stereotypical dialogues. Kamini had none of that for support,'' says Matondkar.
“I am very happy that I did the role and it has worked out fantastically. It was very tempting to play an iconic temptress and I gave in to the temptation.''
New look baddie
It is not only Matondkar but Gulshan Grover who also spits venom in the role of the evil don Sir Judah (originally essayed by Premnath). To give him a unique personality, Bhushan wanted the new Sir Judah to have a dramatic screen presence and has left no stone unturned to give Grover the mean edge.
The mean man sports a comprehensive look including hair, clothes, accessories and even a metallic hand. Grover claims, "This is the most expensive look ever spent on any person's get-up in a Hindi movie. My platinum look including the make-up and my metallic arm cost a bomb."
Grover will be sporting a silver suit with silver rings and earrings. To add to this, there is also a silver beard, a metallic hand as well as silver tints on his dark glasses, with just a red cravat to add some spice to his persona.
The latest debutante
An interesting, but lesser known twist to the tale is that Himesh in his career as an actor is following in Shammi Kapoor's footsteps. In his heyday Shammi starred in every film with a new leading lady and some of them such as Asha Parekh, Saira Banu and Sharmila Tagore went on to be big stars of their era.
A similar trend is being witnessed with Himesh being paired with a new face in every film. First, Hansika Motwani in Aap Kaa Surroor and now Shweta Kumar in Karzzz. Shweta is the daughter of successful producer-director Indra Kumar (maker of hits Dil, Beta, Raja and Dhamaal).
“I feel privileged to be launched opposite Himesh Reshammiya and despite being a big star he has been a humble and extremely co-operative co-star. Though he is just one film old, I got to learn a lot about facing the camera and being positive,'' says Kumar.
Shweta will be hoping that the “Shammi Kapoor magic'' can be recreated by Reshammiya and it may well give her a perfect start to her career.
