RJ Balaji On Why He Is Not Keen On Making Remakes

Actor RJ Balaji’s previous film release, Veetla Vishesham (2022), the official remake of the Hindi comedy-drama Badhaai Ho, was a commercial success at the box office. However, the actor is not interested in pursuing remakes anymore. He believes that the current streaming landscape, which makes dubbed content accessible across the world, makes remakes redundant.

“I have no interest in doing remakes anymore. The scenario when we released Veetla Vishesham was such that out of the 100 people who came to watch our film, over 25 had already seen the Tamil dubbed version of Badhaai Ho that aired on Vijay Super. I don’t think doing a remake in today's scenario appeals to me. If you choose to do a remake, then the film must be unpopular”.

To further elaborate his point, Balaji argues that he has no interest in remaking the much-appreciated Malayalam dark comedy Mukundan Unni Associates, despite Twitterati suggesting that he would be perfect for the role in the Tamil version. “The director of Mukundan Unni Associates told me many people commented on Twitter that I would be the perfect fit for the role if there was ever a Tamil remake. The film is among the best I have seen in the last ten years. But I wouldn’t say I am interested in remaking it and releasing it theatrically. Because a majority of the audience we are making the film for would have already seen the movie or will watch it soon, as it is available on Disney Plus Hotstar”.

If a film like Mukundan Unni Associates was say an Iranian film to which audiences here did not have access to, a remake could be considered, he says. “For instance If Kantara was ever to be remade even if it hadn’t been dubbed in Tamil, which it is now, it would be a bad decision because it is a very popular film. Malayalam films have some of the best writing. It makes us all wonder how they do it!”

The actor was last seen in Run Baby Run, alongside Aishwarya Rajesh and Isha Talwar.