India-China to create theatre version of 'Awaara'

 Bollywood filmmaker Raj Kapoor's 1951 classic "Awaara" is set for a theatrical reboot, according to an agreement signed today between India and China.

The film was a huge success in China, and its song "Awaara Hoon" and Kapoor became widely known across the nation. The agreement is aimed at recreating the film's magic.

It is aimed at recreating the 1951 Raj Kapoor's popular movie "Awaara", which struck a chord with generations of Chinese, India and China today signed an agreement to make a theatrical version of the film.

The agreement was incorporated in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Indian Council of Cultural Relations, (ICCR) and China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF), Indian Consul General in Shanghai Prakash Gupta told PTI.

The MOU between ICCR and CSIAF which was signed today in Shanghai calls for cultural performances to be organised in India and China during 2017 and 2018.

The agreement was signed coinciding with the visit Amarendra Khatua, Director General of the ICCR to Shanghai to take part in the 18th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which commenced yesterday.

Khatua emphasised on the longstanding bilateral cultural exchanges between India and China and called for increasing greater cultural exchanges, in particular in Tier-II and Tier-III cities in India and China, respectively.

As part of the MoU, both sides also attempt to make a joint theatrical re-production of "Awaara", which would be set in contemporary times and re-enacted as a theatre version for viewing by contemporary audiences worldwide including India and China, Gupta said.

The theatre version of the movie will be co-financed by both the ICCR and CSIAF.
"Awaara" remained the most popular Indian movie in China in the last six and half decades between generations of Chinese, especially its title song "awaara hu" which local sing as "awaala hu" as letter R is absent in Mandarin.

But the movie and the song has lost traction with the present younger generation of Chinese as it faded out of the memory of Chinese. Recent Indian movies like "3 Idiots" made some impact on the younger generation but not to the extent, "Awaara" did.

So, the theatre version will aim to bring that connectivity, Gupta said. The production was expected to be ready in an year.

Officials from both the countries hope that the "Awaara" will again reignite the vigour in the Sino-Indian relations which currently faced headwinds over a host of issues relating to China's reluctance to back India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, (NSG) and its technical hold in the UN to ban Masood Azhar, leader of the Pakistan based extremist group, JeM.

The agreement was signed ahead Chinese President, Xi Jinping's visit to India this week to take part in the BRICS summit in Goa where he is due to meet Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on its sidelines.