‘3 Idiots’ star Aamir Khan takes the lead role in Bollywood’s official remake of the Hollywood 1994 classic ‘Forrest Gump’.
‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ started showing in theatres on August 11, after a decade-long wait for Khan to secure rights to do an Indian adaptation of the Oscar-winning film, which he started working on since 2018 after getting the thumbs up.
As Tom Hanks’ Forrest traverses through milestones in US history, Aamir Khan’s Laal journeys across a hundred different locations in India, as the kind-hearted simpleton obliviously takes part in key events in his homeland like its first cricket World Cup win, the Kargil War, and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
The film’s production notes that Khan wanted to make ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ a “respectful tribute to the original and take it in an exciting new direction.”
Director Advait Chandan said the remake is like “a cover song of a genuinely loved classic”, where Indian flavor is integrated. Hence, viewers can expect sentimental songs injected throughout the film over montages – Bollywood-style.
Some tweaks have also been made to depict Indian culture. Gump’s bench at the bus stop setting was swapped for a train ride, during which, Laal interacts with passengers to tell his life story. The famous metaphor “box of chocolates” line was also switched to a “golgappa” reference, which is a popular Indian street food made of fried chickpeas and potatoes.
In the film, Chaddha says, “My mama used to say, ‘Life is just like a golgappa’. Your tummy might feel full, but your heart craves more.”
A movie review by Mashable South East Asia says, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha “holds the moral messaging that underscores so many of his (Khan’s) films. Throughout, there is a sense of pride in India, intertwined with a plea for tolerance and learning from history.”