Bollywood actor Aamir Khan – one of the biggest movie stars in the world – delivers a similar but distinct line about the popular snack as the title character in Laal Singh Chaddha, a faithful remake of the 1994 classic starring Tom Hanks. Khan, who counts the original among his favorite films, said the new production came about “completely by accident” after a conversation with fellow actor Atul Kulkarni. “We were talking about Forrest Gump and I was saying it’s one of my favorite movies. And then, two weeks later, he calls me and says, I’ve written an adaptation of Forrest Gump,” the veteran actor told CBC News. “Atul is not a writer,” said Khan, who plays the protagonist Laal from his college days to middle age. “And he wrote it in two weeks, and [it’s] an adaptation of Forrest Gump — it’s a cult classic. So I didn’t have high hopes for it.” The resulting script lived up to Khan’s standards (he’s known as “Mr. Perfectionist” in the Indian media) and the spirit of the original film: Laal Singh Chaddha trades the swiveling hips of Elvis Presley for the open arms of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. Vietnam for the Kargil War. and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for Rupa Company, an Indian knitwear brand. WATCHES | Movie star Aamir Khan talks about the controversy surrounding his new film:
Bollywood star Aamir Khan in the Hindi remake of Forrest Gump
Aamir Khan shares how his new film Laal Singh Chaddha was adapted from the 1994 film Forrest Gump, why it’s being boycotted on social media and what Hollywood can learn from Indian cinema. Like Forrest, Laal is a simple man who cares deeply for his loved ones, especially his mother (Mona Singh) and his childhood friend and love, Rupa (Kareena Kapoor Khan). Instead of Forrest Gump’s flower Jenny, who dies after years of drug abuse, Rupa is an aspiring actress caught in a dangerous cycle of domestic violence. He offers his life story – set against the backdrop of important moments in Indian history such as the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the country’s victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup – to a group of strangers on a train.
Critics are calling for a boycott
It took Khan eight years to acquire the rights to the Forrest Gump remake. Laal Singh Chaddha, which released worldwide on Thursday, has become the target of a campaign to boycott the film after comments Khan made seven years ago resurfaced on social media. Khan, who is Muslim and plays a Sikh man in Laal Singh Chaddha, said during an event in 2015 that the “intolerance” in the political climate in India took its toll on his family. He said it especially influenced his then wife, Kiran Rao. “Kiran and I have lived our whole lives in India. For the first time, she said, we have to leave India? That’s a devastating and big statement for Kiran to make to me. She’s scared for her child,” had said Khan. The comments were interpreted as anti-Hindu, especially by supporters of India’s current prime minister, Narendra Modi, leader of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, which espouses a form of Hindu nationalism. Khan was referring to increased violence against India’s religious minorities, including Muslims and Sikhs. The actor later explained that his words were taken out of context: “I love my country,” he said in 2016. WATCHES | The trailer for Laal Singh Chaddha, the Bollywood appearance of Forrest Gump: During his interview with CBC News, Khan said he and his contemporaries are used to the backlash. “The fact is that so many films are being trolled and so many celebrities are being trolled,” he said, noting that there are active hashtags calling for boycotts of other Bollywood films and the Hindi film industry in general. “I guess, you know, we don’t react to all that.” “So while there are some people who would like to boycott us … I hope the majority of people are people who would like to see the movie.”
American and Indian cinema can learn from each other
From left, Kareena Kapoor Khan as Rupa with Khan as the titular Laal Singh Chaddha. Laal’s love interest Roopa is an aspiring actress caught in a dangerous cycle of domestic violence. (Paramount/The Associated Press) Laal Singh Chaddha is an almost scene-for-scene remake of Forrest Gump – “Run, Laal, run!” Roopa shouts at several crucial moments — and it’s not the first time Khan has made a Hindi film for Indian audiences with Hollywood in mind. He starred in the 1995 film Aatank Hi Aatank, which was inspired by The Godfather. In the same year, his film Akele Hum Akele Tum was released and it was a loose adaptation of Kramer vs. Kramer. The 2008 Ghajini is based on Christopher Nolan’s film Memento. Khan says that both American and Indian cinema — a term he prefers to Bollywood, which is slightly limited in that it refers to the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry — can learn from each other. “Indian cinema, I think, has a lot to learn from American cinema, I think in terms of narrative language, in terms of its technical advances,” said Khan. He said other industries can benefit from his positive outlook and scale. Indian cinema. “Hope is a very important part of our lives, and that’s something that’s a very important ingredient in our films, in a sense, apart from the fact that most films are musicals. So, music and the genre of narrative — a little larger than life.’ As Laal Singh Chaddha opens worldwide, including 350 screens in the UK, a record number for an Indian film, Khan hopes the film gives unfamiliar audiences a sense of Indian history and culture. “I would also like the audience from outside India to see the beauty of the country. I think that’s something that we … had a chance to showcase.”
