Imagine a filmmaker deciding to remake a movie that had already bombed badly at the box office. It sounds unlikely, but Bollywood has actually seen this happen, and the outcome was stunning. In 2012, a film arrived that was practically a frame by frame copy of a 1990 flop, right down to keeping the same names for the hero and the villain and the same storyline. When this new version hit theatres, it broke records at the box office. This is the story of the 2012 film Agneepath, a remake of the 1990 Amitabh Bachchan starrer of the same name.
Behind this remake lies a personal, family driven story. A father had made a film starring Amitabh Bachchan with great hope, but it failed to click with audiences on release. That disappointment stayed with his son for years. When the son eventually became a film producer himself, he chose to remake that very flop, a full 22 years later. The new film turned out to be an instant superhit. That is how a film titled Agneepath ended up being made twice in Bollywood, once in 1990 and again in 2012.
How the 1990 version of Agneepath fared on release
Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty, Agneepath released on February 16, 1990. It was directed by Mukul S. Anand and produced by Yash Johar. Amitabh Bachchan played the lead role, alongside actresses Madhavi and Neelam Kothari. Danny Denzongpa played the villain, Kancha Cheena. The story and screenplay were written by Santosh Saroj, while the dialogues came from Kader Khan. What drew the most attention was that Amitabh Bachchan completely altered his voice for the film, delivering his dialogues in a deep, gravelly tone. Despite all of this, the film flopped at the box office.
In the years that followed, audiences revisited the film and began appreciating its depth. Today it is regarded as a cult classic, one considered well ahead of its time. Made on a budget of 2 crore rupees, the film had earned around 5.75 crore rupees, yet it was still labelled a flop because distributors had bought it for 4 crore rupees. Even so, it ended up as the fourth highest grossing film of 1990. Amitabh Bachchan won a National Award for his performance, while Mithun Chakraborty received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Why audiences vented their anger inside theatres
On the day of the film's release, phones at Yash Johar's office rang non stop. Distributors suspected that Amitabh Bachchan's voice had not been dubbed properly, when in fact he had deliberately used a heavier, altered tone for his dialogues. Audiences did not take to this experiment and expressed their frustration right inside the theatres. The situation escalated to the point that the film was re dubbed, but even that could not save Agneepath from flopping at the box office.
How the son fulfilled his father's unfinished dream
Yash Johar's son, Karan Johar, made his Bollywood debut as a director in 1998 with Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai. He went on to make blockbusters like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kal Ho Naa Ho, cementing his father's legacy and turning the family company, Dharma Productions, into a major brand. Karan Johar had always been fond of his father's film Agneepath. That affection led him to remake it under the Dharma Productions banner, a full 22 years after the original. When the new Agneepath released, it stunned everyone by raking in huge numbers at the box office.
The cast and box office numbers behind the new Agneepath
In the 2012 version of Agneepath, Hrithik Roshan played the character of Vijay Chauhan, while Sanjay Dutt took on the villain's role of Kancha Cheena. Rishi Kapoor also appeared in a negative role, and Priyanka Chopra played a significant part in the film. The movie was directed by Karan Malhotra, with music composed by the duo Ajay-Atul. It also featured Katrina Kaif in the item number Chikni Chameli, which became hugely popular. The film's entire soundtrack was a superhit, and Sonu Nigam's song Abhi Mujhe Mein Kahin struck an emotional chord with audiences.
The remake idea that took shape during My Name Is Khan
The idea of remaking the 1990 Agneepath first occurred to Karan Johar during the shooting of My Name Is Khan. At the time, Karan Malhotra was working as an assistant director on that project. During the shoot, when Karan Malhotra brought up the 1990 Agneepath, both of them realised they were equally fond of the film. That conversation led to the decision to remake it, with Karan Malhotra writing a fresh screenplay from scratch. Made on a budget of 71 crore rupees, the remake went on to collect 194 crore rupees worldwide, making it a certified superhit. It ranked fifth on the list of highest grossing films of 2012.
