Ali Abbas Zafar says his Mr India is neither a remake nor a reboot of the original: ‘It’s a completely new film’

Ali Abbas Zafar has said his superhero film Mr India is neither a remake nor a reboot of the Anil Kapoor film.

Director Ali Abbas Zafar, known for his big budget directorial Bharat, has finally opened up about his new project - Mr India. Months after he was slammed by Shekhar Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor for remaking the film without informing any of the original team members, Ali has now said that his film is “neither a remake nor a reboot of the original film”.

The filmmaker told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, “It’s a completely new film, we are just calling it Mr India. My film is essentially about the common man fighting a mighty villain, but done in a cool, hip way, using science and technology and being relevant to today’s social scenario.”

Ali is currently gearing up to start work on his superhero film with Katrina Kaif, which will be followed by Mr India. On being asked if he is planning to make a superhero universe of his own, Ali said, “Yes, I am creating a superhero universe, beginning with Katrina’s film. We then move to Mr India, which will carry forward bits from Katrina’s film, and we are developing two more characters. My third superhero is rooted in Indian mythology and the fourth comes from the lndian army.”

Ali, however, didn’t reveal the male lead opposite Katrina in the superhero film nor his choice for the role of the new Mr India. Asked if he would collaborate Salman Khan again for Tiger Zinda Hai director dropped a few hints, saying, “I love him like an elder brother and will work with him again, very soon.”

Reacting to the news of Mr India recreation, Shekhar Kapur had earlier said on Twitter, “No one has even asked me or mentioned to me about this film called Mr India 2. I can only guess that they using the title to get a big weekend. For they cannot use the characters/story without permission from the original creators of the film.”

 

While Mr India lead actor Anil Kapoor had not commented on the issue, daughter Sonam had penned a note on Instagram regarding the same. She wrote, “A lot of people have been asking me about the MR. India remake.Honestly my father didn’t even know the film was being remade,we found out about it through social media when @aliabbaszafar tweeted.It’s quite disrespectful and underhanded if it is true,since no one bothered to consult my father or Shekhar uncle, two people who played a major role in making the film what it was and is. It’s sad because that was a film made with heart and hard work and is very sentimental to my father, beyond commerce and announcements,it’s a part of his legacy.I should hope that respect for someone’s work and contribution is still as important to us as a big weekend at the box office.”