Aamir Khan on what went wrong in the attempted Godfather remake, Aatank Hi Aatank

Did you know about this 1995 Aamir Khan film Aatank Hi Aatank which was apparently a remake of the iconic Marln-Brando-Al Pacino movie, The Godfather (1972), and co-starred Rajnikanth? During a group interaction held as part of the promotions of Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan was asked to comment on the film, Aatank Hi Aatank, Aamir opened up on what went wrong with this film.

Aamir Khan says that it was all fake in the movie, Aatank Hi Aatank

Aamir Khan recently opened up on what went wrong with The Godfather’s attempted remake Aatank Hi Aatank: “I was so dishonest in that film jiski koi hadd hi nahin hai (I was so dishonest in that film that had no limits); in such heat, my character was wearing a three-piece suit…I wonder why...”

He clarified by saying, “It was an attempted remake of The Godfather, in which we failed miserably. Let me say that!”

He added, “I was very immature at that time. While it was an attempt to remake The Godfather, I don’t think we succeeded very well. That film taught me a lot. While shooting it, I had slick back hair. I used to smoke (Godfather-style) cigarettes and I used to wear a three-piece suit. When I saw the film, I realised that I was so dishonest jiski koi hadd hi nahin hai!”

He continued, “Firstly, the Italians like a slick back hairstyle. Hum log thodi karte hai slick back? (Do we ever do slick back?) So, the look was completely non-Indian. Secondly, the character was wearing a three-piece suit, that too in such heat. Why? In this kind of weather, the character should have worn something that suits our climate. Just because he’s a gangster, it doesn’t mean he had to wear a three-piece suit. The Godfather character wore that clothing as it was cold in their area. Humko toh pyjame-kurte mein ghoomna chahiye (We should be wearing pyjamas and kurta). My clothes can’t decide my actions.”

Aamir further stated, “I realised all this. Sab fake cheezein thi film mein (Everything was so fake in the film). It was dishonest. The Godfather is a great story and even today, it can be attempted, but only after taking the rights (laughs). But you need to adapt it (sensibly). If you make a frame-to-frame copy, it’ll be a disaster. You need to remake it by smoothly blending it into your cultural context. Only then will the audience appreciate it. Or else, they won’t.”

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