The Hindu Business Line : The return of Mr India

Science fiction movies with a twist of comedy lend themselves perfectly to sequels. So thought the great Walt Disney when he made Son of Flubber to follow the hilarious The Absent-minded Professor. H.G. Welles' famous science fiction, Invisible Man, was a serious tale of uncontrolled scientific ambition getting the better of common sense, resulting in misery and tragedy.

But the invisible man in Mr India, produced by Boney Kapoor, had no such sad overtones. An out-and-out comedy, it dealt with a secret formula to make people invisible. An evil incarnate, Mogambo, is keen to get his hands on the formula and launch missile attacks on India, but is thwarted by the hero, Mr India, who uses the formula to good effect.

The film, a 1987 release, starring Boney's brother Anil Kapoor, Sridevi (now Boney Kapoor's wife) and directed by Shekhar Kapur, was a great box-office hit. It also placed villain Amrish Puri in the ranks of screen immortals with his one-line dialogue, Mogambo khush hua!

Mogambo, in fact, was a 1950s' MGM film starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly; but why the name was given to a Hindi film villain, only Shekhar Kapur can explain. In the Hindi film world, Boney Kapoor is a big-time gambler. The huge box-office success of Mr India was followed by the crash of Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja with the same star pair. One of the most expensive productions, the latter was also one of the biggest box-office failures.

Boney also produced two moderately budgeted films, but both failed. His most recent film, No Entry, with a big star cast led by Anil Kapoor, is doing roaring business. The message is clear: Boney is back.

"Some people in Bollywood had written me off, but after all I am Boney Kapoor. I am a fighter and what are a couple of flops to me," he asks. He blames the high interest rates charged by film financiers and the inability of the government to persuade banks and institutions like the IDBI to help the film industry for the industry's woes.

He says that a sequel to Mr India was always on the cards and that he was waiting for the right opportunity to announce it. The film is expected to roll early next year. Anil Kapoor will play the lead in the sequel too. But there is uncertainty over the return of Sridevi, now a mother of two and not keen on a comeback.

"I have an open mind and everything will depend on the script if Sridevi is to make a return," says Boney. Sequels seldom have the same star cast or the director. With Anil and Sridevi in, it could be a sort of home production for Boney. There is also no indication whether Shekhar Kapur has been approached for the sequel.

But what happens to Mogambo? We can only presume that the screenplay writers would come up with an idea to introduce Mogambo Jr, who could be even more villainous than his father. But whoever the villain, the operative question will be: Audience khush hua?

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