An old interview with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has resurfaced, capturing his thoughts on the practice of remaking films. Bachchan, known for his iconic role in Don (1978), shared his views candidly.
In the interview, Bachchan discussed the trend of remaking successful films. He said, “I haven’t thought about working in any remake or producing a remake. I don’t think Abhishek has thought about it because we both feel that an original should be left an original.”
Bachchan also mentioned, “So many times when journalists question me on this I say that there was a generation that loved KL Saigal doing Devdas, then we had Dilip saab (Dilip Kumar) doing Devdas — in my eyes that was the ultimate Devdas — but today’s generation feels that Shah Rukh Khan is the correct Devdas.”
Bachchan, who has acted in several remakes, pointed out that his own film Don (1978) was remade in various languages. He specifically noted the 2006 remake of Don by Farhan Akhtar, featuring Shah Rukh Khan. Bachchan remarked, “Tomorrow, you never know, they will say that the original Don was Shah Rukh Khan! But the original Don was made with (director) Chandra Barot and me.”
Despite the evolution of film remakes, Bachchan emphasized the lasting value of original films, stating, “These things will change with each generation, but an original will always be original.”
