Arshad Warsi defends Hindi remakes of regional films: ‘If you make Benjamin Button, I don’t want to see Brad Pitt speaking Hindi’

Arshad Warsi has said that comparisons between Durgamati and Bhaagamathie do not bother him, adding that there is no risk as the director and the stories are the same.

Actor Arshad Warsi will soon be seen in Durgamati: The Myth, a remake of hit Telugu film, Bhaagamathie. While the film’s story and director are the same, the actors and the language are different. While some may question the need for a remake when the story remains the same, Arshad defended it saying that remakes attract new audiences to a story.

Arshad Warsi plays a politician in Durgamati.

While Bhaagamathie starred Anushka Shetty, Durgamati stars Bhumi Pednekar. Arshad plays a righteous politician in the movie. Talking to Hindustan Times about the two movies, Arshad said, “Comparisons are bound to happen. There is nothing you can do about it. They are the same films with different actors, different language. It’s okay to be compared as long as you have done your job well. Fortunately we have the same director so it’s the same point of view. So the risk factor is not that much. If it were a different point of view, then we would not know what people would like. It’s the same director, same feel.”

Arshad did not seem to be a fan of dubbed versions of films. Defending Hindi remakes of regional films, he said, “Why not? Dayavan and Nayakan (Feroz Khan’s Dayavan was a remake of Tamil film Nayakan by Mani Ratnam), I loved those films. It’s absolutely fine. I would love to see a lot of Tamil films, Malayalam and South films. They are really good. They come out with innovative stories, take risks and we don’t do that,” he said.

“I don’t want to see a Brad Pitt doing a Shah Rukh Khan film. I only want to see Shah Rukh Khan do it. If you even make Benjamin Button, I don’t want to see Brad Pitt speaking Hindi. I don’t want to see that. I want to see my guy doing it. You expand your audience. With this, a lot more people will realise what Bhaagamathie is. I am sure a whole lot of people must not have seen it because they do not understand the language and now, there is a whole another section of the country that will enjoy this,” he added.

Durgamati is a horror drama about a government official’s run-in with the supernatural. It also stars Jisshu Sengupta and Karan Kapadia. It will release on December 11 on Amazon Prime Video.

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