After having watched the Tamil movie Raavanan I was surprised to learn that there is also, Raavan, a Hindi version of this movie, which was produced and released simultaneously by the same director and crew and some of the same actors (one actor, Vikram, even switched roles in the different versions). While I'm used to the occasional remake of existing movies or even shot for shot remakes of TV-shows from another country, this whole approach was absolutely new to me and I haven't ever heard of such a procedure before, especially as someone used to dubbing or even movies filmed with different language actors redubbed to a unified release langauge. In fact the Tamil version was even dubbed and released in Telugu afterwards, without completely refilming the whole movie.
My first question is thus first and foremost if it is actually common practice in Indian cinema to simulataneously make a movie in multiple languages or if this is also done in other movie industries (where the language situation is as diverse). Or is this only made for the occasional big production, or maybe only by some filmmakers? Furthermore, and maybe concentrating on Raavanan and Raavan in particular if not generally answerable, I'd like to know if those versions are really made exactly equal or if there are larger-scale differences in the story catering to the specific demands of the respective cultures (though judging from Wikipedia the filming locations of both movies were also largely the same).
Firstly, people in different parts of India speak different languages, so, If a movie is made with reputed cast and crew then the producers are likely to dub the movie in different languages such that people all over India would enjoy watching movie in their native language. Also remember that the movies with high budget are the ones mostly get dubbed in different languages to get good money collections at box office.
Now, as per your question, you were surprised that the movie is released with different crew in two different languages mainly Tamil and Hindi and also asked whether if it is actually common practice in Indian cinema to simultaneously make a movie in multiple languages.
My answer, I would not say it is a common practice but definitely it's not surprising for us in India. Let me give a quick brief about the director of the movie. Mani Ratnam born in Tamil Nadu (a state in south India) but his film making is admired by the whole nation. His movies are made in one language and dubbed in different languages.
The movie Raavanan (tamil) and Raavan (Hindi) is simultaneously released. As you mentioned, the actor of the tamil movie Raavanan is Vikram, he is very reputed in South India for his acting skills and South Indians would love to see Vikram in a dominant role in Raavanan rather than a Hindi actor Abhishek Bachchan who also happens to be famous for good acting skills. Similarly, the same thing applies for the North Indians. This may be the reason why Raavanan with Vikram is made in Tamil and dubbed in Telugu and probably Kannada and Malayalam (native languages for Southern Indians) and Raavan with Abhishek Bachchan is made in Hindi. So, it is in his best interest to entertain both North and South Indian audience. He made few of his movies with this strategy.
I had two nightmares (laughs). I have not done this before, and the two movies were shot back to back, not simultaneously. I dealt with two different set of actors, and each brought its own changes. Filmmaking brings its own organic way of doing things, changes, it develops a character of its own.
In some cases, even though the story line remains exactly the same, but their might be differences in the different versions with respect to culture and fashion, examples : dressing style and living style.
In some other cases, consider this movie Ye Maaya Chesave (2010) in Telugu and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) in Tamil, both directed by Gautham Menon with different cast and released simultaneously.
The original Dracula is the most notorious version of this: During the day MGM would shoot with Bela Lugosi, then in the evenings the Spanish crew would take over the set and continue filming with Carlos Villaras... the practice was known as 'Multiple-Language Versioning', and the reason studios pursued such an arduous task is because sound was a relative novelty, and often the only reason a studio would make a film in the first place.
One example that didn't follow this pattern was Paramount on Parade, a musical that was re-shot in over 12 different languages with 12 different casts, each one the most recognisable face that Paramount Studios had on contract for their country of release. Obviously this was novelty, but to shoot in 3 or 4 languages was not unheard of.
Place-cards had been standard practice, and as such made films interchangeable across international markets. Studios no-longer wanted this, as they though it devalued their product: hence the insistence on sound.
These days, people are comfortable reading subtitles, and typically they are preferred over dubbing into other languages: the performance of the actors is almost entirely based on the delivery of their lines, with the speech variations and manner producing meaning. To dub over this is to remove the performance, and in recognition of this the process of dubbing is rapidly falling out of fashion in all but childrens cinema...
It is deep rooted in the culture of India and has been has also been portrayed in movies to great effect, be it Indian or foreign movies. Here we take a look at the 9 movies inspired by Indian mythology that everyone should watch. 1. Raavan
Baahubali and its sequel take place in the kingdom of Mahishmati. Shivudu, a villager, learns of his royal past and sets out to claim his birthright as the king of Mahishmati by overthrowing his treacherous uncle, Bhallaladeva.
Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva was released this year amidst a slew of controversy. But the film proved the naysayers wrong with its amazing visual effects and action. The story did receive some criticism.
Brahmastra is heavily influenced by Hindu mythology and follows the journey of Shiva, an orphan with the power to control fire, as he discovers he is an Astra, a weapon of massive energy. Brahamastra is the first of a trilogy, with each film exploring a different Astra.
Return of Hanuman is also a modern take on a Hindu God, Lord Hanuman. Anurag Kashyap, who is best known for making the Gangs of Wasseypur series, directed Return of Hanuman, an animated action adventure.
Return of Hanuman follows the titular God as he takes birth as a human to help a bullied boy. But when evil asuras come to Earth, he has to defend the realm. 5. Raajneeti
Kalyug is another modern adaptation of the Mahabharata. Veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal co-wrote and directed Kalyug. The film revolves around the bitter feud between two businessmen, brothers, who both conspire against each other to get a government contract.
Director James Cameron stated in multiple interviews how the title Avatar came from the same Sanskrit word meaning "a human incarnation of the Gods." The blue look of the characters was also inspired by Hindu deities. 8. Doctor Strange
In Doctor Strange, the titular character, Stephen Strange, travels to Kathmandu to find a sorcerer to heal his hands after meeting a car accident. While Strange is unable to heal, he does gain mystical power and becomes a superhero.
10 Must-Watch Bollywood Historical Movies to Relive the PastGet here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India, World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App.
Indian movies have been naive in the depiction of adivasis. Be it commercial or documentary cinema, films often fail to look beyond stereotypes. Commercial movies in India offer a particularly derogatory presentation of adivasis and show brazen conformity with an upper-caste, upper-class, urban-centred imagination of what an 'adivasi' is like.
RRR is a commercial movie based on a real-life inspired fictional story. The multi-starrer film has two leading actors, Ram Charan, who plays the freedom fighter and revolutionary Alluri Sitarama Raju, and Jr NTR, who plays Komaram Bheem, a revolutionary leader from a tribal community. In the film, the director attempts to imagine a scenario where these two figures become friends. But the movie problematises itself with its depiction of the Gond community and its leader Komaram Bheem.
RRR, too, in its depiction of adivasis, does not break any new ground. The film starts in the Adilabad forest, where poor Gond adivasis lived peacefully with nature. A British person arrives in the area and tries to exploit the forest. They forcefully take away a talented, young Gond girl, brutally killing her mother in the process. This theme of exploitation of adivasis at the hands of a colonial government is an accurate representation. But what follows in the film seems nothing more than an irresponsible bid to satisfy and cater to the audience's prejudiced imagination of adivasis.
The movie, in subsequent scenes, tries to convey that Gonds prefer living in "herds" and become "crazy like animals" if one of their lambs leaves the pack. Here, some might argue that this is an accurate depiction of adivasis' values of family and kinship. But in the broader scheme, the movie furthers the same stereotypical beliefs that depict adivasis as 'naive' and 'savage', without bothering to find out what meaning adivasis attach to their own ways of living.
After Kites and My Name is Khan, which were re-edited to reach new audiences, Raavan is being released in Hindi and in Tamil (called Raavanan), while a third dubbed Telugu version will also hit select markets in India. Co-producers Reliance Big Pictures is releasing the film, which reunites real-life star couple Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan after 2008's Sarkar Raj, to 2,000 screens in India and 500 around the world, including 50 in the UAE.
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