Magadheera Producers Say Yes to Remake in Hindi

When you see a blockbuster like Magadheera cleaning up at the box-office, the first thought that comes to mind is “how can I replicate this?” The answer is simple: remake it in another language, like Hindi for example. And that’s precisely what the producers of the big budget fantasy epic seem to be keen to do.

Fortunately, actors in the Hindi film industry are just as eager to jump on board, what with Hindi remakes like Ghajini becoming superhits. And considering the big budget that the producers, Allu Arvind of Geetha Arts and Madhu Mantena, are willing to put up (sources say they are willing to go as high as 70 crores), this should be an easy deal to make.

Mantena said “Yes, Allu Arvind and I are remaking Magadheera in Hindi. As for the cast, it’s too early to talk about it. But Magadheera is definitely being planned to be bigger than Ghajini”. Released in July this year, Magadheera has already grossed over Rs 65 Crores in India alone and has officially become the highest grossing Telugu film ever.

As of now, negotiations are under way with stars like Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan for the role of Kalabhairava. Word is that Hrithik Roshan was very impressed with Magadheera and is eager to portray the protagonist in the remake.

My sources tell me that the script might undergo some changes in order to accommodate the actors – while Ram Charan portrayed a dual role, the Hindi remake will feature the hero’s character split into two parts, where Hrithik will portray the warrior from the Middle Ages, while Aamir will don the role of his present day avatar.

However, there is one kink in the chain – S S Rajamouli. During a press meet where he was demonstrating the special effects technology that was created by Prasad Labs and EFX Labs for Magadheera, the topic of a Hindi remake was brought up and he shut down the idea completely.

He said “I want to make it clear that it was true that producer Allu Aravind approached me for remaking it in Hindi, but I didn’t agree to it. There would be no sequel to this, as this film has no scope for further extension.”

To be exact, all he said was that he won’t direct a Hindi remake, but that doesn’t mean someone else can’t direct it. In all fairness, I would love to see this movie remade in Hindi, just to see what their take on it would be like.