Have you not seen yesteryear films and laughed at the big bloopers that they often carry?
Well, video giant Shemaroo is attempting to roast a few Hindi films. Talking about this cinematic experiment, which will start on 1st Feb, Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada says, “We want to bring a newer element into Indian cinema. Since we have a huge film library, we zeroed in on three films as a starting point. The first post-mortem, as the title Picture Ki Cheed Phaad suggests, is of horror film, Papi Gudia. The other two will come out in due course.”
Dwelling on the format, Hiren adds, “Short satiricals, spoofs and stand- ups on various films and personalities are already a rage on TV and web. This will only extend the market. Well-known comedian, Gaurav Kapoor will spearhead this 70-75 minute cinematic effort. First, some scenes of the original film will be shown; then Gaurav will give his funny take,” continues Hiren.
But when we talk of roasts, we get memories of the Karan Johar – Ranveer Singh fiasco? “Well, here the content is also censor-certified. Is it not time that we learn to laugh at ourselves.”
However, Hiren admitted that they have not taken an NOC from the original makers. “Why do we need to do that? Don’t get us wrong; we are not against anyone. These funny gaffes might have been acceptable back then, but today’s youth don’t swallow it anymore. Further, many kids have not seen the original, so it will be kind of a retro-ride for them into our glorious cinematic past.”
Why did you choose Gaurav as the host? “He has a great sense of humour, and most importantly, he has written the script, which we liked very much.”
Giving details about the release pattern, Hiren says, “We have 40 screens across 20 centres, in conjunction with PVR. So you can say we have a national footprint, albeit on a smaller level, given the virgin format.”
In closing, Hiren says, “As it happens with all films, rights of this too will move to TV and digital, opening another revenue medium.”