Mumbai: Abbas-Mustans 1993 Diwali release “Baazigar”, which was a superhit on release and has now become a cult flick, has completed 26 years. The filmmaker duo is excited as well as nostalgic.
Talking to IANS, Abbas Burmawalla of the Abbas-Mustan duo said: “Nobody would easily agree to play the character that Shah Rukh essayed in ‘Baazigar’. I doubt whether youngsters of today would say yes to such a role.”
Secondly, even though this is an era when remakes are a trend, he felt it could be difficult getting an actor who could justify the role. “I don’t know if anybody else will be able to justify the role if a remake is ever made. Even if the role is modified a bit, we don’t think anybody else will be able to pull it off in the way he did,” said Abbas.
Although Abbas is against a remake, he wouldn’t mind a sequel. “If we get a good script, which is worthy of a sequel, we will definitely give it a thought,” he said.
Abbas-Mustan directed Shah Rukh Khan for the first time in “Baazigar”, where his character had a grey shade. The film played a crucial role in Shah Rukh’s rise to stardom. The director-duo collaborated with Shah Rukh once again for their 1999 film “Baadshah”. That was the last time they worked together with SRK. The filmmakers are eager to collaborate with him again.
“We are looking for the right script that will excite him. We are extremely eager to work with him on another film,” said Abbas.
Talking about SRK, he added: “He is extremely popular even today. From the time when we worked with him in ‘Baazigar’, his passion and dedication towards his work has remained the same. The only thing he thinks about is films. It’s rare to find this level of dedication these days.”
Abbas-Mustan’s last directorial “Machine” released in 2017. The film featured Abbas’ son Mustafa Burmawalla and Kiara Advani in the lead.
BY AHANA BHATTACHARYA
