It’s been a month since the release of The Ba***ds Of Bollywood and still it’s been discussed on the internet. It’s also a show that brought back Gupt (1997) into focus and also its unforgettable songs. This is also the era of re-releases. Hence, can there be a possibility of a re-release of Gupt? There’s a section of the audience, which didn’t see it in cinemas; they were too young or not even born when it came out in 1997. And with a boost in its popularity, thanks to Aryan Khan’s web series, Gupt can surprise at the ticket window in its repeat run.
EXCLUSIVE: After the success of The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, can Gupt re-release in cinemas? Rajiv Rai explains, “No point re-releasing a film people have seen a trillion times; if somebody wants to pay me and do it, I’ll be okay”
Bollywood Hungama asked Gupt’s director, Rajiv Rai, about it. He said, “I don’t believe in re-releasing films because people have seen it a trillion times. Those films that haven’t worked earlier can succeed like Sanam Teri Kasam (2016). But I personally feel that re-releasing a successful film, which people have seen over and over again, doesn’t make sense to me. Moreover, it costs money to release. So, I am not interested. If somebody wants to pay me and do it, I’ll be okay. But I am not going to do it.”
He also said, “I am sure it’ll look good in cinemas if it releases, but it doesn’t excite me. I want to move ahead. For me, moving ahead means releasing the film on IMAX or releasing it on YouTube. It’s one extreme or the other (laughs). There’s nothing in the middle. There’s not much cinema left anymore – spending crores and then biting your nails because it’s very hard to recover that kind of money. It’s very risky. When you make a film for the cinema, you have to mount it in a certain way and for that, you have to spend a lot of money. Also, I don’t work for a very big star cast. So, it becomes very dicey. Even earlier, I never used to work with very big stars. They became stars in the process. In today’s times, to hire a big star is not possible.”
Rajiv Rai added, “I don’t want to take any risk. I am very happy in the zone that I am in. But if I get a good opportunity to make a film and I feel that it is financially viable, I’ll do it. I am not saying that I am closing my door completely, but I don’t see it happening. I am also not struggling to make an ambitious film. It’s not on my mind at all. So, I am not writing subjects, not day-dreaming about it. I am not ambitious about making a film like Sholay (1975). There are so many kids who are doing it. I don’t have that kind of energy left to put that kind of focus. You also need physical strength to pull it off. I am over 70; where am I going to get the physical strength? Being the producer, director, editor and financier is too much of a burden on me. In the past, I was even distributing. I can’t do all that anymore.”
He signed off by saying, “So, I don’t have the strength to run this marathon. If there’s an accident in the end, how will I sustain it? I no longer have the mental capacity to handle anxiety. Filmmaking causes a lot of anxiety, especially for a director-producer. I am sure even actors get anxious, but in our case, a lot of money gets involved. Even if it’s somebody else’s money, you will be worried. So, when you start making a film with worry, it’s not good. Moreover, we don’t have that Hollywood-style system, though we pretend we do! There, they even hire 80 and 90-year-old directors and those directors are not stressed as everything is laid out for them. They even get a good cut of it and are dealt properly. The finances are fair. Here, everything is hotch-potch. You don’t know whom to trust. Sab oopar-neeche hai idhar.”
More Pages: Gupt Box Office Collection
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