Sridevi's Himmatwala remake comment and controversy! Tusshar Kapoor's retort, Sajjid Khan's justification: Box Office Returns!

Slip of the tongue: Furor in the Press 

Before the release of the re-make of Himmatwala, Sridevi had a slip-of-the-tongue (tongue-in-cheek we might add!) comment where she said something in jest. For the record - we'd like to state that Sridevi was right and SPOT ON! 

Above: Jeetendra and Sridevi on the sets of the original Himmatwala (1983)

It must have been a slow news day as the Sridevi quote, "Himmatwala is no Mughal-e-Azam", went viral and Jeetendra's son, the unsuccessful actor Tusshar Kapoor, took offense and retorted back. 

Meanwhile, Sajid Khan, the remake's director, had this to say. 

Rediff: Sridevi, who acted in the original film, said in an interview that Himmatwala shouldn't be remade as it is not a Mughal-E-Azam.

Sridevi became a star because of Himmatwala. I think that Himmatwala is no less than Mughal-E-Azam for her. At the same time, it is her point of view and she has every right to say what she feels about the remake. 

Rediff: Did you speak to Jeetendra or Sridevi before you started shooting?
I personally don't know Sridevi so I didn't speak with her. I had a word with Jeetuji i(Jeetendra) two days before I started shooting the film. He was glad to know that I'm directing the film and said that I was the right person to make the film because, according to him, I understand this genre very well. He also blessed me.

From Rediff.com

NOTE: Nevertheless, we hope Sridevi and Jeetendra make a cameo in the film.... would be great to see the original stars in the remake!


UPDATE: Neither Sridevi nor Jeetendra had a cameo in the remake of the film Himmatwala. Er.. thank God! The movie was plagued with bad reviews and lower-than-expected box office results. Although the movie recovered costs, it is still considered a major flop while the original a major hit!  


FYI: Archive of Himmatwala bits here.