Ramu

What have you done, you foul creature !

Melodrama aside, it is hard to fathom what Ramu wished to accomplish by this blasphemy.
His audacity has left me, a recent convert to charm of Western genre, unspeakably aggrieved.
Like all good westerns, the main reason behind Sholay's timeless appeal is spectacular landscape, which just like period dramas, take a life of its own. The desolate and barren expanse is one of the most versatile medium for cinematic expression. Emotions like grit, honour, courage, even (especially) villainy can be raw and subtle in the same real estate.

Which was why it was a surprise when he announced that the remake would have Mumbai underworld as theme. It was a surprise, because even accounting for the fact that he is one of the best directors in Hindi film industry as far as Noir genre is concerned, it was almost impossible to consider the possibility of assembling and projecting the disparate substructures as a coherent narrative in the framework of Noir. My best guess was that the remake would be drastically altered to suit the mood that the particular genre demanded. To me that was a setback.

Considering how the things turned out, that hypothetical Noir adaptation would have been a masterpiece. For instead of sticking to what he does best, Ramu managed to create a confused, discordant, and to put it simply headache inducing fare.
The opening introduction is trademark Ramu, but from there it is a long winding road to nowhere. Finding that he had taken more than he can chew, Ramu forces action, drama, slapstick into the movie without any semblance to coherence or movement. Result is a disconnected and jarring experience.

His misdirection is more than matched by miscasting. For Heeru (Veeru of original) he has the one of most over rated actor of the current bunch (right after Aamir Khan). For Raj/Jai it is someone he caught from hinterland of Punjab. Sushmita Sen is dignified but wasted, as is Mohanlal, a fine actor. Nisha Kothari is of course the lady who makes Antara Mali look competent by comparison. The most bitter disappointment has been Amitabh Bachchan himself, let down by lukewarm dialogues as well as hamming (not as much as Black though, which is a relief), this is what happens one when sells his soul to Mammon.

In conclusion, one can just weep over the desecration of our most sacred icons.

PS. If for some reason you have not been introduced to Westerns, this is the right time. Start with Man with No Name trilogy and then perhaps Once Upon a Time in The West.

Update: Ban remakes? Yes please. Do it fast. In fact make it a capital offence.