Sridevi Birth Anniversary: 5 Movies of the Legendary Actress That We Wouldn't Mind Getting Remake Treatment
Every movie of Sridevi is sacrosanct, even the ones that make you flinch. But on her birthday, we rounded up five movies from her filmography that could get a remake that we would like to see.
This article warrants a disclaimer at the start. We have always condemned gross and badly made remakes of yesteryear classics. The filmmakers are either too trapped in the machinations of using a hit original to guarantee a successful sequel or just do it for the heck of it. So, please don't get us wrong here. Sridevi's legacy of 300 odd films is too grand and prolific to get diluted by petty remakes. But her filmography has a few gems that deserve a refurbish for the knowledge of the Gen Z. Janhvi Kapoor Posts a Beautiful Throwback Pic Of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor On Their Wedding Anniversary.
Trust us when we say this that it took us a hell lot of time to pick five movies of the actress which deserve a do-over. Before we list them out let us tell you we chose the movies that didn't get the kind of response it deserved when released. Today, with the audience being more mature and exposed to various content, these movies with a different cast could get the recognition they deserve.
Lamhe (1991)
Lamhe has been called ahead of its time a lot that's because it dealt with a romance between an elderly man and a young girl, something that was frowned upon then. Today's generation is quite accepting and receptive because of the wide range of content they watch on various digital platforms. Sridevi's dual role has been perfect. While she was coy as a mother, as a daughter she was a firebrand in the film. The premise, the emotions, style can get a much needed GenZ boost.
Our pick for the Sridevi's character would be Kangana Ranaut
Chandra Mukhi (1993)
Sridevi has looked amazing in a lot of movies but as a fairy in Chandra Mukhi she was beyond beautiful. She was sweet, innocent, naive and extremely cute in this film. Why we chose this movie because Bollywood hardly makes fantasy films and Chandra Mukhi could be a great addition. And this time maybe the makers could employ a writer other than Salman Khan. No offense!
We feel Katrina Kaif would be perfect for this role. She is pretty and as a fairy, she would be exquisite. Something, she had already done in Bombay Talkies!
Gumraah (1993)
We aren't sure how many have even watched this Mahesh Bhatt film which is one of our favourites. She plays a singer who gets arrested in Hong Kong for illegal possession of drugs, not knowing that it was her boyfriend's doing. Sanjay Dutt played an infatuated guy who does everything to save her. Sridevi excellently portrays the horrors of being thrown in jail in a foreign land with no rescue in sight. The pain, agony, fear...we doubt there was any emotion that we didn't feel through her in this film. But this movie is lost in conversation and thus a do-over would be wonderful.
As for our protagonist, Anushka Sharma would be superb. NH10 would come in handy here. 34 Years of Mr India: Anil Kapoor Cherishes His Iconic Film with Sridevi, Actor Goes Down the Memory Lane and Shares Kishore Da’s Song ‘Zindagi Ki Yahi Reet Hai’.
Laadla (1994)
'You understand, you better understand,' Sridevi warned! It has never been the same after that. She was cruel, rude, mannerless and extremely conniving. You don't associate such traits with the lead actress of a film in the 90s where you are just good for songs in the mainstream films. But she made it happen. In that decade, watching such a strong female character was such a rush, even though it was a bit toxic. For the remake, we propose a change in gender. Sridevi's role could be played by a male actor and given the way Indians love toxic masculinity (Read Kabir Singh), this would be a surefire blockbuster.
For the gender swap, we would go with Shah Rukh Khan. Grey looks devilishly good on him. Plus, the movie at the end propagates the message that Sridevi's elitist tantrums were wrong. So for a change, unlike Kabir Singh, Laadla with a gender swap will actually send a message that it's not love when you slap a woman or a man! Laadla preaches equality in that respect...do watch it to know how!
Army (1996)
A 90s kid might just flinch at this name as it was a little too melodramatic for anybody's liking. One of those cameos of Shah Rukh Khan we try to erase from our memories. But it was perhaps a gender twist to what Thakur did in Sholay or jailer Dilip Kumar in Karma. Sridevi plays a widow whose husband is murdered. To avenge his death, she assembles convicts to aide her. Army in the right hands could be one of those women-oriented movies which aren't a biopic. These days that's the only genre that has done justice to the female leads like Shakuntala Devi, Gunjan Saxena, Neerja or Manikarnika for that matter. Sridevi played the role of a determined widow to the hilt.
Our choice for the lead would be Vidya Balan as you need to be crazy good in acting to enact this role and Balan is more than just that.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2020 09:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).