Sitaare Zameen Par is another frame-by-frame copy: What does it say about the Indian film industry?

So Aamir Khan's latest movie, 'Sitaare Zameen Par', is a frame-by-frame copy of Champions, a Woody Harrelson movie, which is itself an english remake of a spanish picture called "Campeones".

Newest project of Aamir Khan Films.

Now why would a major Indian studio bankroll a remake of a Spanish film which has already been remade in Arabic, German, and English, all in the last five years? Can't the internet savvy Indians just watch the "original" online? Or its three remakes? For god's sake, the english "version" of this movie is there on Hotstar itself!

The original Sitaare Zameen Par: Campeones (Champions in Spanish)

This EXTREME intellectual laziness on the part of Indian film studios is actually unbelievable. And this is when the whole industry is going through an existential threat! Box office collections are practically dead, all the graphs are going down. All the industry is left with are the breadcrumbs thrown by the streaming platforms. And this is how the so called premier "art oriented" production house of India is responding? Right after Lal Singh Chaddha?

The Hollywood remake of Campeones, a spanish production.

At this point, it's futile to talk about all the steps the industry "should" take. Like focusing on THINKERS and WRITERS, instead of dumb actors. Focusing on ORIGINAL IP, instead of remakes or "inspired works". Focusing on rooted, regional productions, instead of trying to cast the net too wide.

It's futile to talk about anything that the Indian film industry "should" do. Simply because they won't do it. Or rather "can't" do it. They simply don't have the intent, or perhaps even the capacity to turn this sinking ship around. Instead of funding original projects, they're actually thinking like Indian VCs, funding copycat models and hoping they work in the homeland.

So here's something the Indian film industry can do - Just quit. Give up. Cash out. Collect all the money you have in the film market and put it into FDs, or the Index. This is not your game anymore. Tumse na ho paayega.

Apparently, the industry realises it already. Dharma, Maddock, Abundantia have all sold about 50% of their holdings to bring private equity players, while Eros merged with a global entity. Roy Kapur Films and Excel are also looking at divesting upto 50%.

Good. They should quickly sell the rest of their holdings, too. Because their film play is clearly a depreciating asset whose value will keep falling as long as these people stay in charge. It's time for these folks to say goodbye, and relish the fact that they could make a lot of money selling absolute crap to Indian junta for so long. Good riddance.

Sitaare Zameer Par, making sure it copies the scenes with "perfection".

By the way, I'm really enjoying Japanese films these days. Still Walking (2008) and After the Storm (2016) by Hirokazu Koreeda could actually make me cry. I had watched Shoplifters back in 2018 itself, but don't know how I missed his other masterpieces, and for so long. Better late than never, I guess. Would highly recommend.

A still from Still Walking, a film by Hirakozu Koreeda (2008).

Something I was wondering about was my getting so drawn into Japanese (and even Korean) cinema. Why is this happening? Why am I appreciating these films so much? I can't even understand their language.

After a lot of pondering, I realised what was drawing me into these works of art was their absolute honesty to the craft and story. Everything feels so "real", that I'm instantly taken to that faraway world, as if by magic. And then when I'm there, there's absolutely nothing to do with "political correctness" or "DEI". There's no bombardment of sermons on how to behave in life. How "representation" is important. How "diversity" is strength. How "being gay and transgender" is somehow absolutely necessary. There's none of that bullshit in these beautiful films.

When I'm watching a Koreeda film, I'm watching a story of a different world. Realising it isn't really different from mine, despite being an ocean away. Thank god for subtitles.

A still from After the Storm (2016). A film by Koreeda.

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