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EXCLUSIVE: Drishyam 2 director Abhishek Pathak on remakes: ‘You need to re-write for certain set of audience’
Drishyam 2, starring Ajay Devgn, is based on the 2021 Malayalam film of the same name. Director Abhishek Pathak has now shared his views about remakes and why the film should be re-written.
Drishyam 2, starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Akshaye Khanna, Shriya Saran and Ishita Dutta, released last month, and it performed well at the box office. The film has been directed by Abhishek Pathak, and it is based on the 2021 Malayalam film of the same name. Amidst conversations about remakes not working anymore at the box office, Drishyam 2 defied all odds. The film enjoyed a splendid run at the box office, and in fact, there have been reports that Drishyam 3 will release in Malayalam and Hindi on the same date. Now, in a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, Drishyam 2 director Abhishek Pathak aired his views about remakes, and the success of the movie.
Drishyam 2 director Abhishek Pathak on remakes
While speaking to Pinkvilla about the success of Drishyam 2, Abhishek Pathak said that since the audience is familiar Vijay Salgaonkar’s story from the first installment, they are curious to know more about them. “With Drishyam 2, I think there is a benefit to it also. The audience has seen Drishyam 1, and they relate to Vijay's story. So they want to go to the journey with that story, that face, that family and that’s a big benefit with the franchise,” he said.
However, he added that re-writing the film while keeping the audience in mind is also of utmost importance. Instead of making a blind remake, Abhishek Pathak said that they worked on the screenplay, and on re-writing the film. “I think when you talk about remake, you need to re-write the film for a certain set of audience. It has been made for a certain set of audience, usko dobara likhna bahut important hai dusre nazariye se. Woh time spend kiya humne is picture pe tabhi woh dedh saal ka gap laga hai. (Re-writing it from another perspective is very important. We spent that time re-writing the film, which is why there’s a gap of 1.5 years). I think that it is very important to give time to the screenplay,” he said.
Drishyam 2 director Abhishek Pathak on catering to different audiences
Abhishek Pathak further added, “Because the Malayalam audience is a different audience. Hindi, and Pan India is different from a Gujarati or Maharashtrian audience. It’s a very different taste of watching cinema, so I think that re-writing is important. Remake working or not working is not the question. How you present, how you mount it, how you pitch to the audience is very important.”
Abhishek Pathak also said that good content will eventually work, no matter what. “We are seeing so many remakes not working also. Even right now, people are saying ‘pandemic hai, people are not moving out of their homes to watch’. Aisa kuch nahi hai, I think. There are films that are working. Kantara is working. Give good content, it will work eventually. Drishyam has worked, Kantara, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, everything is working. So I think, we just need to work on everything,” he said.
Abhishek Pathak says Drishyam without Ajay Devgn would have opened with different numbers
Discussing about the concept of stardom in Bollywood, Abhishek Pathak told Pinkvilla that stars give the initial push to the film. He further added that Ajay Devgn’s stardom also had a role to play in the opening numbers of Drishyam 2. “Stardom ki wajah se film ko initial push mil jaata hai, which is how the content finally reaches the audience. I think the combination eventually works together only. Drishyam without Ajay sir would have opened on a different number. With Ajay sir, it has opened on a very different number. It got that big push in the beginning. So I think that it's the combination which is important,” he said.
He shared that when great content is backed by stardom, it is sure to become big, and the reach of the movie will be massive, which is what every filmmaker wants. He said, “On OTT we don't have the data, we never come to know kitne logon ne dekha hai. Ticket sale is something which really makes you excited ki yaar itne number aaye hain. It's not the money, it's the number of people who have come to the theatre to watch.”
About Drishyam 2
Drishyam 2 released in theatres worldwide on 18 November 2022. The crime thriller film helmed by Abhishek Pathak is a sequel to the 2015 film Drishyam, which in turn was adapted from the 2013 Malayalam film of the same name. Apart from Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Akshaye Khanna, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Drishyam 2 also features Mrunal Jadhav, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla and Kamlesh Sawant.
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