Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar recently shared an emotional story about his decision to remake the 1990 classic Agneepath. In one of his recent interviews, Karan shed light on the personal motivation behind his creative vision. In 2012, Karan remade Agneepath under the Dharma Productions banner, with Hrithik Roshan stepping into the role of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan.
On Komal Nahta’s podcast Game Changers ,Karan was asked, “You’re the only filmmaker who remade a flop, not a hit, and turned it into a hit?”
To this, Karan candidly responded, “The thing was, my dad was heartbroken when Agneepath didn’t work. Despite all the acclaim, everyone saying it was Amit ji’s best performance, and even winning a National Award, the film didn’t do well. He was really heartbroken. So, I felt like, in his memory, I should remake the film and hope it does well. And it did.”
OG Agneepath’s box office failure
The original Agneepath, directed by Mukul Anand and produced by Karan Johar’s father, Yash Johar, starred Amitabh Bachchan in one of his most intense roles as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan. Inspired by the legendary gangster films, the movie was a gritty tale of revenge and redemption.
Despite receiving immense critical acclaim and winning Big B a National Film Award for his performance in 1991, the film failed to perform at the box office. Over the years, however, it has gained cult status and is now regarded as one of Bollywood’s finest films.
Agneepath remake with Hrithik, Sanjay
In 2012, Karan remade Agneepath with Hrithik stepping into the role of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan. Directed by Karan Malhotra, the remake took a grander, more intense approach, featuring Sanjay Dutt as the menacing antagonist Kancha Cheena and Priyanka Chopra as the female lead.
Unlike the original, the 2012 version was a massive box office success, striking a chord with both critics and audiences. It earned over Rs 190 crore globally, according to reports.
