Dev Anand had many dreams when death snatched him away from us. One of his biggest dreams was to do a sequel to his 1971 musical blockbusters Hare Rama Hare Krishna which clocks 54 years on December 9.
In 2012, Dev Saab shared his unflagging enthusiasm with me. “I have the script for Hare Rama Hare Krishna Aaj which takes forward the story of the earlier film. It is not a remake of Hare Rama Hare Krishna. I don’t believe in remakes. I believe in moving forward. Every scene every character except mine would be new. If Dev Anand played Prashant in 1971 he will play Prashant in 2012 as well.”
The sequel never happened.
Repetition was death to Dev Saab. In his typically exuberant way he once told me, “It is such an exhilarating experience to let the creative process flow through you. When you are falling back on a remake or remix how are you being creative? I’d never do a remake of any of my films, not even Hare Rama Hare Krishna. All my films are original. Man moves on physically and emotionally. When you remake a film how are you doing it justice or even guaranteeing its success? The audience that saw the original is not the same that will see the remake.”
The indefatigable creator right saw through remakes. “A remake is an easy way out. Instead of tapping your own creativity you simply tap into another person’s creativity. How can you think of doing something that’s been done already? I can never do it. Today people remember my Guide and Hare Rama Hare Krishna as vividly as they did when it was made. So why remake them? I’d never remake Hollywood films either. They are filled with gimmicks these days. Go back to the grand Hollywood era of the 1950s of the great makers and stars….where are they now?”
