One of my favourite Bollywood directors, Farhan Akhtar (son of Javed and the man behind Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya), is coming out with a hot new remake of Amitabh Bachchan's 1970 starrer, Don, whose actors included Pran, Zeenat Aman and Helen. When asked about comparisons to the original film, Akhtar told one of India's leading papers that:

"Comparisons with the original film are inevitable, but I would not like to pay any attention to them because they serve no purpose. The original film was a great movie, and was a modern film for its times. My film also has a very modern look for the times we live in now."

Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal and Isha Koppikar in a special appearance, the film has been shot almost entirely in Thailand and Malaysia. The new film will retain some of the original's music including the classic hits, "Khaike Paan" and "Yeh Mera Dil", the sultry number performed originally by Helen and now by Koppikar.

When asked why he was remaking the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer, Akhtar said, "It is one of favourite movies of all time and this is something I have always wanted to do. The shooting is over and now we are just adding finishing touches to the movie. So far I really like it, but I hope the audience also shares my view on the movie".

Akhtar went on to tell an Indian entertainment magazine that he is obsessed with this film. "I have seen Don more than 40 times till now and I can remember every dialogue and every scene. Since it's my obsession, I decided to remake it."

On SRK's ability to recreate Bachchan's magic, Farhan said: "Look, whenever you experiment with something new, the industry is awash with speculations, doubts and apprehensions. From the day I chose Shah Rukh to play the lead, people have been asking me if he can live up to expectations. I believe he has far more maturity and charisma than any other Bollywood artiste right now. So I didn't have to work hard on this aspect. Similarly Priyanka Chopra is also a very mature actresses and that is why I cast her in Zeenat's role."

Bollywood appears to be in the midst of remake mania right now with Ram Gopal Verma's recent announcement about redoing Sholay and the new version of Umrao Jaan in the works by J.P. Dutta. The question repeatedly arises as to why these filmmakers are treading on such sacred territory. These are filmi gems - occurrences of Bollywood magic that, I'm sorry to say, don't happen so frequently these days. Perhaps today's filmmakers are struggling to recapture past glory that they are unable to find in new scripts. I'd much rather see talents like Akhtar and Verma focusing on original material (a la Rang De Basanti, a perfect example of something new and unique) that reflects the filmi appetite of a contemporary audience. The risk these filmmakers are taking in touching the classics is that of comparison. Will they be able to pull it off? Let's wait and see.