Mahesh Bhatt's Janam, a 16-mm telefilm made for Doordarshan with Kumar Gaurav and Shernaz Patel, is all set for a reboot. The filmmaker shares how it reflected his own journey
Seldom one takes out pages from the book called life and spills the beans for the world to see. The attempt is mostly made in the late years while recalling the ups and downs encountered in life. Janam was thus a watershed moment of sorts, as it chronicled the story of an ‘illegitimate’ son who grows into a filmmaker with just one ambition: to get on top of his father and be acknowledged by him. It had something raw and real as the story was unfolding in the life of the filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who in his own words was going through it and wrote it as he lived it.
But while, his other autobiographical films including the likes of Zakhm and Naam are etched in our memories, the impactful Janam, a 16-mm telefilm made for Doordarshan with Kumar Gaurav and Shernaz Patel in the lead has got lost in the ashes of time.
The film is now set for a reboot, with Bhatt’s protégé Imran Zahid taking up the mantle for a remake of the original. The duo has decided to pair up again after the recent success they achieved by adapting two of Bhatt’s classic films Arth and Daddy for the stage in which Zahid played the protagonist.
“What I have made and is now in the public sphere is not mine anymore. It has been so many years but the same feelings and emotions still exist. Janam was telecast in 1985 and the news was delayed for the first time in my memory for 14 minutes till the movie was over. It was an unprecedented thing at that time. The movie received lot of accolades and was included in the Panorama section of the 1986 International Film Festival of India (IFFI),” Bhatt recalls.
Sanjeev Malhotra’s Manween Sanjeev Creations, making their debut in Bollywood with this film, will produce the film. Malhotra had earlier partnered with Bhatt for Daddy’s theatrical adaptation and is excited to helm Janam.
“With Janam my production house has also taken a birth of sorts. To venture into Bollywood with the remake of a path-breaking film like Janam is an achievement in itself. I am really looking forward to make the best of this opportunity and make a film that holds up to the original,” Malhotra said.
Zahid had earlier essayed the roles of Muntadar Al Zaidi in The last Salute and of journalist Rehan in Trial of Errors, two plays which launched the actor and were produced by Bhatt.
“Maybe it was destiny to kickstart my Bollywood journey as a lead actor withJanam. The film deals with the protagonist’s turbulent relationship with his father and draws from the life of my mentor. In Janam, he overcomes all odds in life to realise his dream. It’s not just a challenge but responsibility that I live up to the character and recreate the magic,” Zahid said.
“Because the actor who played the lead faded into oblivion, the film Janam also got lost. Zahid is on a high after tasting the success of Daddy The Play. Janam is a tough screenplay but Imran has the resolve to hit the bull’s eye,” says Bhatt.
The remake of Janam will be made under careful supervision of Bhatt, who will act as the creative consultant and a source that would provide insights on casting, music and script that will make the project most unhesitatingly articulate.
“Apart from Zahid, the other characters haven’t been finalised yet. We’re looking for a committed director with a living mind and heart who is not into commercialisation, and is definitely not the kinds I find in my backyard all the time,” says Bhatt, adding that music is going to be a key in this film.
Janam was a path-breaking and bold endeavour from Bhatt as he brought to celluloid his own life experiences that tore into the souls of film lovers with fierceness and made them encounter human emotions like never before.
“There was never a person in me who was frightened of the social stigma. I was not afraid to it although my family was outraged and not happy at all when I made Janam. But the film was about fighting in the social space against the existing norms of the society and breaking away from it,” says Bhatt.
It’s not just to be a prisoner of the past but at times a reprise can recreate history. “The idea of anybody giving birth to himself is very relevant. It is the story of a person who refuses to be defined by references of the world, as he wants to create his own destiny. My family will be pleasantly surprised that somebody so many years later is still finding it relevant to be revisited,” says Bhatt.