Actor-director Farhan Akhtar, whose father-scriptwriter Javed has been embroiled in a legal battle with those remaking Zanjeer, says the right way to go about remakes is to take the consent of those associated with the original.
The remake of the 1973 Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya starrer has been in news
regarding copyright and royalty issues. Both the original writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar who scripted it, have been fighting for intellectual rights of the new version.
Farhan has in the past, remade Bachchan’s superhit film ‘Don’ (1978).
Speaking about the process of working on a remake, he said, “I have remade ‘Don’ and for that, I had acquired rights from the producers and taken permission from writers. This is in my understanding the right way to go about it. Everybody has his own way. The case is in court. I am sure they will decide who is right and who is wrong.”
The remake of Zanjeer, starring Ram Charan Teja and Priyanka Chopra, has hit the screens. Meanwhile, Farhan, who is enjoying the success of Bhaag Mikha Bhaag, says it has given him a lot of choice, as people (film-makers) around him are offering him various projects. Farhan, who has proved himself as an actor, film-maker and producer, said he will take up anything that excites him. “I am not planning my life, whatever comes my way I will do. I am working on scripting (as a director), reading scripts (as a producer and actor). So whatever excites me I will do it — be it as an actor, director or producer,” he added.
Farhan enjoys acting and playing a variety of roles on screen. “This (acting) is something I am enjoying, playing different characters. As a director you end up giving a year or two to a film depending on the nature of the project. I am enjoying acting. I am not saying I am not directing,” he says.