David Dhawan is back with rom-com Chashme Baddoor, which is a remake of the 1981 film of same name. TWF correspondent Sreya Basu speaks to the veteran filmmaker in Mumbai

Chashme Baddoor's tagline is Har Ek Friend Kamina Hota Hai. Why is that?
During your college, your friends are truly kaminas. They go against their friend, do all sorts of naughty things, irritate him, but then, also help him when he is in danger. The film is about friendship. Here also you will see similar characters. Waise, we call kamina to the person we love.

How much have you adapted from Sai Paranjpye's iconic Chashme Buddoor (1981) that starred Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Rakesh Bedi, Ravi Baswani and Saeed Jaffrey? Or is it a completely new story?
The story is the same as the original one. But the original film was made 30 years ago. It was a youth film. That was a very good film a that time. But time has changed now. So the film has been changed to match today's youth life. And I have also tried that my film also matches that level. Rest, the soul of the film is same. That's why I made this film.


Did you get in touch with any actors associated with the original film while making this one?
Rakesh Bedi and Ravi Baswani were my friends. Rakesh was my classmate and Ravi Baswani used to live with us at that time. I know about Chashme Buddoor even before its release because my friends were doing that film. And when they showed me the film, I liked it very much, it was an amazing film. Now that Ravi Baswani is no more among us, my film is a tribute to him.

You worked with young actors like Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Taapsee Pannu and Divyendu Sharma in Chashme Baddoor. Why didn't you rope in popular faces?
You are right. Even at the beginning I was apprehensive as I didn't cast actors like Govinda, Salman Khan or Sanjay Dutt, with whom I have given the biggest hits. But as shooting progressed I realized I had made the right casting. The good thing about new people is that they are like raw material, you can mould them as you require. This was a damn good journey for me at this time because so far I mostly worked with stars.


Do you think classic films should be remade?
I think classic films should definitely be remade. Remakes need not necessarily mean you have to blindly copy the way the earlier film was made. They should be updated as per today's generation. The soul should be kept intact, rest, scenes and characters should be made keeping in mind today's time.

Do you have a close friend in Bollywood with whom you can share all your secrets?

When I entered the film line, I made lots of friends. There are two-three people in front of whom I can pour my heart out. One of them is Rumi Jaffery (writer-director). He has written some 15-16 films for me, but that professional part is a separate sphere. He is a family friend and cares for me a lot. He is the one who will come to me not only during happy times, but also during other not-so-happy times.