Multiple films being made on the same theme

The film industry, it seems, has a fascination for making movies on literature, real people and real-life incidents. But what’s interesting is, filmmakers some times end up choosing the same subject for their movies. Result? Audience watches the same theme on screen, made by a different cast and crew, and almost during the same time period. With Salman Khan and John Abraham pitting against each other to make a film on the life of Gama Pehalwan, we take a look at some other films that fall in this category...
READ: Transforming Randeep Hooda into Charles Sobhraj
Biopic on Gama Pehalwan
Salman Khan has cast his brother Sohail as the legendary wrestler Gama Pehalwan. Puneet Issar will direct the film, which will also have a few WWE stars in it. He has already registered eight titles for the same. The other film on Gama Pehalwan will have John Abraham playing the lead. While Parmeet Sethi will direct the film, John will produce it. We hear the film, which is yet to be titled, will go on floors later this year.
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Slumdog Millionaire boy Dev Patel is already shooting for an international film on the Indian math whiz, Srinivasa Ramanujan, directed by Matt Brown. Hollywood filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode has reportedly said he would make A First Class Man, based on the friendship between Ramanujan and Hardy, with actor Siddharth.
Psssst: Director Gnana Rajasekaran released his Ramanujan in English and Tamil recently.
Charles Sobhraj
Arun Rangachari has bagged the rights of Farrukh Dhondy’s book, The Bikini Murders, reportedly based on serial killer Charles Sobhraj, and is making a film based on it. But, he is yet to lock the screenplay and cast. Director Prawaal Raman has reportedly acquired the rights of the Indian investigating officer Amod Kant’s account, who worked on the Sobhraj case, and has cast Randeep Hooda in the lead.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Vishal Bhardwaj, known to adapt Shakespeare’s plays (read Macbeth and Othello as Maqbool and Omkara), has done it once again. His Haider, starring Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, is based on Hamlet. Filmmaker Onir recently started Veda with newcomer Ashish Bisht. The film is also based on Hamlet.
Psssst: Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sudhir Mishra were also contemplating adapting Hamlet.
In the past
Bhagat Singh Two films on Bhagat Singh — Ajay Devgn’s The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, and the Bobby Deol-Sunny Deol-starrer 23rd March 1931:Shaheed — released on June 7, 2002. Interestingly, Sukumar Nair’s Shaheed-E-Azam, with Sonu Sood playing the martyr, also hit screens the same year.
Chittagong uprising
Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey and Bedabrata Pain’s Chittagong were announced around the same time. However, the Abhishek Bachchan-Deepika Padukone-starrer hit screens in 2010 while the other film in 2012. Interestingly, few filmmakers held the star clout of the former film responsible for the latter’s delayed release.
The Gulabi Gang
Nishtha Jain’s Gulabi Gang, a documentary on Sampat Pal Devi (founder of Gulabi Gang movement), released in February 2014 in the country. Soumik Sen’s Gulaab Gang (March 2014) was initially reported to also be based on Sampat’s life. However, after Sampat sought a stay order on the Madhuri Dixit-Juhi Chawla-starrer, Soumik stated that the film is not based on her life.
WATCH: First Look: Randeep nails it as Charles Sobhraj