Mr. Sen, Control your emotions. Here is a guy who openly proclaims that his movie is an 'Oldboy' ripoff. He has claimed nothing else. Here is a guy who is but a step away from saying, 'Listen, i dont care about originality, dont think im capable of it, but tell u what...i love these movies...i love cinema...and im gonna do my best to reproduce these classics and bring them to you. I have to share this with you.' Kaante made no money Mr. Sen and neither will Zinda and the director knows it. I would like to see you create something even remotely as good as Zinda, copying 'frame by frame' as you so eloquently put it.
RE:Get a grip!
by Ramki on Jan 24, 2006 01:02 AM
Sir, Let me take Ur mo'bike over the night, indecently put as stealing, spray paint with a different color and try to sell it in the market. By your argument everbody must be pleased including you.. All goes fine when it is NOMBY (Not-on-my-back-yard)
That was a great message! I totally agree with Mr. Sen's views; I just hope such blatant acts of plagiarism are discouraged to a greater extent so that there is at least some progress towards eradicating such actions.
The sad thing is that only a handful of people have actually seen the brilliant cult classic OLDBOY, but they aren't to blame; such films (especially foreign language films) are not readily available.
Mr. Gupta thinks he can take advantage of this fact and sell a brilliant film as his own; not to mention he has changed the ending in ZINDA into a rather lame finale, considering Indian sentiments, because the ending in OLDBOY is just too much for the Indian audience to stomach!
Anyway, I just hope this sort of criticism continues in the future. Instead of giving such copycats rave reviews, we ought to sit up and take notice of their unoriginality, so that they refrain from ruining other great foreign movies!
I understand that people who are not from urban areas do not get to watch films shown at Cannes etc. But what I don't understand is how a person can completely "steal" someone else's plot, claim it to be his own and get away with it. Its good to make Indianized versions of good foreign flicks so that more people get the opportunity to watch 'em but it becomes better if they acknowledge that it has been a take-off of some other movie somewhere in the movie credits.
It seems Mr.Raja is not paid money...Rediff review sucks!!!!! And Mr.Raja are you aware of Film Making.Sitting in front of computer and typing the crap is easy. Go back behind the camera!!!!!!
Sorry to say that many of you readers don't get the point. I believe what Raja Sen is trying to say to the film-makers is two things: 1. Please give us something original when you say that you made it 2. If you are just re-doing someone else's work, then don't feel that you were justified by just saying that you were inspired by it. Instead, go tell the original maker that you want to copy their work, give them full credit if not some added financial remuneration/royalty that you would normally pay some script writer.
Sure people can't see all foreign films but since when did that become a right to present someone else's work as your own (or inspired for that matter).
That said, I have seen the movie and liked it. Dont know if I will ever see the original. But for me, its still sad to see someone profiting from another's effort. Kind of makes me feel that shamelessness is the real art of the modern indian film-maker.
Mr Sen, You have a great point. But you forget most of our Indians don't have the luxury of watching English Movies like you and me. They would'nt even enjoy watching the foreigners acting with Sanjay Dutt or Amitabh's voices coming out of their mouths. So why not show them an Indianized version of some fantastic stories. Why crib about just some fun and entertainment? You should have gone to an Indian city (instead of London)and watched Kante and seen the way people just loved and enjoyed the movie. Mr Sen, come on stop being a cry baby for nothing. You like london, all the best but better stop worrying about India. We locals like it the Kante way and love Sanjay Gupta for trying to entertain us as he likes. We are all not fools here to watch a film repeatedly if it is not good. As for me, I wish he remakes my fav english movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with the same style and it turn out the way Kante and Zinda did. Krishnaja Rao
Thanks for putting forward this so aggressively. I love the fact that you are writing about something I feel so strongly about and would want a platform like this to do the same. Its made me really happy that someone out there feels the same way as I do about this. I am a muscian and also feel strongly about blatant plagiarism in Hindi film music. The only person(s) to acknowledge the original source of a song are Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with Kal ho na ho mentioning on the credits the details for pretty woman along with the record company etc. I believe they are the only ones to do so. Its really a pity that claim to be getting world wide recognition in one place and are striving to become laughing stock of world by making in your words photocopies of not only hollywood but other asian films as well.
Once again, thank you Raja. Please give me your email address I can write on and on about plagiarism in music, probably you can help me get it up some where. - Vijay
Mr Gupta is not the first to be 'inspired' nor the last. And it is a good thing to make such good movies available to the huge cinema going public in India.
Bollywood films have over a long period been influenced by the originals from wherever.
The point is to at least acknowledge the original creation.
I have seen over the past year many bollywood movies that are remade from the original from Hollywood. What I find, to be very frank, funny is that the original hollywood on more than one occassion has finished before the interval, and what follows is the directors 'creativity' at which point I have walked out of the theatre hall.
Murder was a remake of Unfaithful, Gajini in Tamil is a remake of Memento, and there was a remake of Primal Fear , the name of which I forget. Compare these to Masoom by Shekhar Kapoor which no doubt is a remake(of Man, Woman and Child).
The major difference I find is that in the latter case, I was well aware of the fact that it was a remake well before I decided to watch it!
