'Mr India' remake controversy: Shekhar Kapur says Amrish 'Mogambo' Puri is irreplaceable

Noted filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar recently confirmed that he is set to direct a Mr India trilogy, touted to be a remake of the Anil Kapoor starrer of the same name, and this gave a section of the audience a reason to rejoice.

The Sultan director also revealed that the film's cast and crew will be finalised only after he completes the first draft of the script.

Actress and Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam Kapoor, on Saturday, reacted to this development and said that the makers of the new superhero trilogy should have consulted 'Lakhan' before making the announcement. The Aisha star also said that ace filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who helmed the 1989 classic, deserved to be kept in the loop.

Following this, the Masoom director took a dig at the makers of the proposed Mr India trilogy and implied that they will not be able to find a replacement for the late Amrish Puri, who had played the iconic Mogambo in the original film.

In a separate tweet, Shekhar Kapur lamented that filmmakers have no 'creative rights' over the characters they virtually bring to life on the big screen.

He said, "We sit with writers from day one, but are not the writer. Help actors hone performances but are not actors. Develop and create visual language of film. Slave hours over editing consoles. Directors lead and inspire every aspect of a film and have no creative rights? #MrIndia."

Mr India featured the late Sridevi as the female lead and she proved to be one of its biggest highlights. The Sadma star delivered a rocking a rocking performance and set the screen on fire when needed. Just like Anil and Amrish Puri, the 'Last Empress' too might prove to irreplaceable and this suggests that Ali Abbas Zafar and his team might have a mountain to climb. Enough said!

Also read: Ali Abbas Zafar confirms 'Mr India' trilogy: Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif to play leads?