Old wine, new bottle: Why re-released films like ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ and ‘Veer-Zaara’ are in demand

21 years ago Kal Ho Na Ho graced the big screens, and there’s a scene in the film that feels apt for the current state of movies these days. In the movie, a family, struggling with hardships, prays for an angel to come and save the day. Enter the messiah—arms wide open on the Brooklyn Bridge, singing, dancing, spreading joy, and filling their lives with sunshine and rainbows. Much like the state of that family, theatre chains across the country have been waiting for their own miracle—a chance for audiences to enjoy the magic of big-screen experiences again. They sent out a prayer and it seems they have been answered in the form of re-released films, bringing happiness and nostalgia to audiences everywhere.

With everyone eager to relive the warmth and happiness these films bring, fans of Kal Ho Na Ho couldn’t wait to book their tickets when PVR announced its re-release on November 15. We understand that some of our readers might not understand the hype and could be thinking, “What’s so special about watching a movie—that you’ve seen countless times before on Netflix—in the theatre?” All we can say is that you’ve got to see it to believe it. While Netflix allows you to play and pause on repeat, what it can’t and will never be able to do is replicate the shared emotion of watching the film with a theatre full of fans, who are mouthing the dialogues, singing the songs, and shedding tears with you. 

Watching the film in the theatre might have felt like a reunion between two long-lost lovers meeting after ages. This sentiment is quite similar to what Veer and Zaara, from Veer-Zaara—another re-released film this month, felt when they were reunited after 22 years. And these are only two of the many Shah Rukh Khan films that were re-released this year—Karan Arjun being the latest one to be shown in theatres this week. Additionally, films like Tumbbad, Wake Up Sid, Andaz Apna Apna, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, and three Imtiaz Ali movies—Jab We Met, Rockstar, and Laila Majnu were also shown in theatres, making 2024 the year of re-releases! 

So what’s making audiences want to relive this experience on the big screen? Bazaar India, speaks to filmmakers Ashima Chibber, Tahira Kashyap, and Arjun Varain Singh to know about the new flavour and season genre at the cinemas.

An industry and audience that’s in love with the past

There’s a reason why we call things from the past “the good old times”. According to Arjun Varain Singh, director of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, the same sentiment applies to the re-released films that we hold so close to our hearts. “We’re an industry that plays into nostalgia. We do that in our movies, in our characters, and are constantly doing throwbacks to our past. There is a beauty in it and this is the romanticised version. Yes, there is definitely a shift in the business and it does feel like there aren’t enough movies that are guaranteeing footfalls and cinemas have to find ways to run. That is surely a factor. People want to go to the cinema, the aura of the cinema hasn’t gone which might be a decision a year or two ago.”  

Different sentiments, different audiences

While audiences are driven by sentiment when buying tickets for a film they’ve watched before, their reasons for doing so can differ. There are some who want to watch the film because they didn’t get to see it when it released, while others want to watch it with new company, and of course, the current generation aka Gen Z and Gen Alpha who want to see why a film has so hyped and beloved.

“You’ve got the millennial generation, who grew up watching these movies, who now want to share the same experience with their kids. When I grew up, I watched films that my dad enjoyed during his childhood. The same phenomenon is taking place right now. They (the current generation of youngsters) might not even have been born when the movie released and might have watched it at home. But they’ve fallen in love with the movie and its songs. To experience what their parents experienced is beautiful,” adds Singh. 

“It’s like eating your favourite food that you keep going back to and eat every chance you get. You get to enjoy the dialogues and songs in the best way possible. The familiarity makes things even better. Earlier, you couldn’t sing along. Now you can,” says Chibber, director of Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. 

The timing is everything

Whether it's marking the film’s anniversary (Wake Up Sid on October 15), or celebrating an actor’s birthday, re-releasing films has become a winning formula that multiplex chains aren’t letting go of anytime soon. In 2024, we saw an influx of re-releases; 2023 was no different as PVR INOX celebrated legendary stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand, and Dilip Kumar, showing some of their iconic films. Moreover, to celebrate her 25-year legacy in the industry, PVR INOX hosted a seven-day Kareena Kapoor Khan film festival from September 20 to 27, 2024. This included the re-release of six of her old films—Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Asoka, Omkara, Chameli, Jab We Met, and Heroine, along with her new film release, The Buckingham Murders.

As far as box office collections go, two films—Tumbbad and Laila Majnu have enjoyed this second innings more than anyone. Back in 2018, the Rahi Anil Barve folk-horror film could muster only ₹13 crores, cut to its 2024 re-release and it made three times that amount. Tripti Dimri may be a bonafide star now, but Laila Majnu, her third film, could only manage ₹2.15 crores in 2018. The film, in its re-release back in August, took just four days to cross this number going on to earn ₹11.2 crores. 

What have these films got right?

While audiences are currently loving these re-releases, Singh addresses the expectations and why comparisons between past and present aren’t fair. “We’re looking at some of the most legendary movies of their time. We’re talking Sholay, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Lakshya, and Lagaan, to name a few. These are iconic movies in the filmography of our nation. Not every movie that releases this year is going to match up to the high standard that those movies set. You will have a legendary movie once every two to three years. People who made those films didn’t expect those films to land the way they did. Every decade, there is a conversation. people find a voice and the voice breaks out of the noise. 10 years from now, when you look back, there will be certain movies that future generations will love and say that this was a good decade for films.” 

“This is a sign of the audience maturing and their palette shifting,” says Kashyap. Laila Majnu is the perfect example. It was ignored back when it released and it received a cult status only after it was re-released. “Re-releases have happened because all these films have stars in them. It goes to show how strong a star is. Do remember that not every film is being re-released. Rockstar might be a new film for the current generation, but the songs are evergreen and Ranbir Kapoor is a huge star. That makes one want to see his earlier films. Another important factor to consider is that these superstars aren’t doing so many films,” says Chibber.  

While fashion has the colour of the season, films have a genre of the season and that’s what is happening these days, shares Kashyap. “The current movies are also doing great. But it’s specific genres that we are talking about. It’s about consumption of a certain kind. “I think the beautiful part of these films was that when they were made, the concept, character, story, was all very fascinating. That was the selling point for those movies. Karan Arjun is coming back, a movie with reincarnation as its theme. Everything was based on a concept, heavily based on fiction. But you could imagine it as part of your reality. Mysticism is something that’s fascinated us. Come to Tummbad, it’s about mysterious creatures and their life that’s far beyond our understanding. But we’re trying to comprehend that. You don’t want to do anything with realism. You want something that’s far from it and yet has mystery.”

Would these movies work if they were released today?

What impact would these films have in today’s day and age? If only we had a time machine, we could get the answer to this question. “I feel that a movie captures the zeitgeist of its time. When you watch a movie from the ’80s and ’90s, you see that sometimes, the politics aren’t correct, plus we’ve changed our way of thinking. Some of those things seem very incorrect and are questionable. But then again, you have movies today that are questionable and doing well. There are certain things that would be questioned in the day of social media, as they should be. And there will be things that wouldn’t connect. Because the time was different. That said, if films were made in the way they were made, with respect to the scale of those movies, that’s the cinematic experience that people are yearning for. The industry needs to figure out what is that experience that people are looking for today and bridge the gap,” says Singh.   

While we don’t know what the future holds, it’s best to enjoy the good old times and relish every single moment at the cinemas watching these re-releases. As Shah Rukh Khan said, “Jiyo, khush raho, muskurao... Kya pata, kal ho naa ho" (Live, stay happy, smile, because you don’t know if there will be a tommorow”.

Lead image made by: Jishnu Bandyopadhyay