Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Will the 1975 magic work?

"Jai Santoshi Maa" is a remake of the Santoshi Maa concept, not the old film

GODDESS BLESS! A still from the film, "Jai Santoshi Maa"

Yahaan wahan jahaan tahaan, mat pooncho kahaan kahaan hai apni Santoshi Maa...

<167,2m>It is time to reaffirm the bonds of faith for the followers of Santoshi Maa. Time to sing Usha Mangeshkar's timeless Main To Aarti Utaaroon Re.

Time to listen to Suresh Wadkar with his Yahaan Wahaan Jahaan Tahaan.

Time for the lyrics of Kavi Pradeep again. Anita Guha may not be there. Kanan Kaushal may not keep company either.

But then that was another age, another time when the masses were high on religion, not always driven by materialism.

And they lapped up Jai Santoshi Maa, which garnered a cool Rs.60 crore, even though it was pitted opposite the biggest blockbuster of all times, Sholay.

Many kept fasts for Santoshi Maa for their wishes to be granted. And the film's bhajans are played to this day at almost every jagran.

Now, it seems people need Santoshi Maa again.

Timely

Says Mahesh Ramanathan, CEO of Percept Picture Company, that has remade the film, "Santoshi Maa concept is strong in today's times. It is a stressed out society. People need the healing touch of the goddess."

Made at a cost of a little under five crores, Ramanathan adds, "We released the film with 180 prints across the country. And it is going to be a 50:50 split between single-screen theatres and multiplexes considering it is a mass-based subject."

But does not the film run the risk of being ignored in the competition-driven age, an age when rationalism is on the rise?

"There is no major risk involved here. It is a concept based film."

The point is reiterated by Ahmed Siddiqui who has made his directorial debut with this remake starring Rakesh Bapat, Nushrat Bharucha and Garima Kapoor.

For the family

"It is not fully a remake of the 1975 film. That film did so well partially because at that time films were probably the only source of entertainment. I have tried to make a family film here. It is not a religious film. Rather, is a film that has faith at the core. It is a remake of the Santoshi Maa concept, not the film."

In modern settings

Ramanathan agrees, "Jai Santoshi Maa is not a mythological film. It is about a modern couple in distress and how the Mata provides a solution. It is a modern version. The names of the characters are different."

But how did it come about? "Well, when the Percept Picture Company offered me the film, I instantly agreed. But we had to do a lot of research. And we had the original film to guide us. Nowadays everything associated with faith is working. See how well Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munna Bhai have done. They talked of faith of the youth," says Ramanathan.

The comparison might seem far-fetched, but Ramanathan believes the film industry with its rich history of inter-faith amity might just provide a healing touch to our society.

Inter-faith amity

"Remember we had Rafi-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni coming together for O Duniya Ke Rakhwale bhajan. We had Dr. Rahi Masooom Raza writing for Mahabharat. Siddiqui is the latest."

ZIYA US SALAM

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail