Here's why the remake of Agneepath rocked

From the first press conference, Karan Johar firmly stated that his film shouldn’t be looked as a remake but a tribute to his father’s cult classic. Some like Danny Denzongpa said he wouldn't have touched it, but Johar had faith in his assistant Karan Malhotra's direction. Released on January 26, 2012, the film was finally accepted as a great tribute.

While there were concerns, one man who gave his blessings instantly was the original Vijay Deenanath Chauhan himself. Amitabh Bachchan had no qualms about the classic being remade. However, one wonders if this blessing came following rumours of his son likely to step into his shoes. Malhotra always claimed that Hrithik Roshan was his first and only choice. Roshan initially turned down the offer, but took it up after realising that the new Vijay Deenanath Chauhan was vastly different from the original.

Great Bollywood blockbusters have always begun with snubs. Didn’t Dev Anand refuse to play Thakur and Danny Denzogpa Gabbar Singh? SRK is said to have turned down Lagaan and 3 Idiots. From the onset, Karan Malhotra had envisioned Nana Patekar as his Kancha Cheena, but the seasoned actor turned it down. The role was then offered to Sanjay Dutt, who not only played his first outright villainous character, but also shaved his head for the first time. The new Kancha Cheena is no scheming businessman. He wears no designer suits but sports earrings and tattoos. For the record, Malhotra admitted that Dutt's look was partly inspired by Marlon Brando's character in Apocalypse Now.

Before Agneepath hit theatres, the buzz was all about how frightening Sanjay Dutt would be as the new Kancha Cheena. Many expected Dutt to overshadow Hrithik. After the film's release though, the first name on most lips was that of Rishi Kapoor. When Malhotra first told him about his character, Kapoor thought it was a joke. He accepted only after much persuasion.
The veteran actor turned a new leaf by playing a nasty, conniving pimp Rauf Lala. Everyone was in shock and awe of Rishi’s performance. Malhotra had promised new aspects to his Agneepath, and he delivered! Interestingly, Kapoor had played a grey character in the 1989 murder mystery Khoj, but has never been so hated before. The actor was overwhelmed with the response, but didn’t hesitate to remark that playing a romantic hero for three decades didn't get him as much appreciation as playing a pimp did.

Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor were adversaries for much of their careers. Kapoor was the quintessential romantic hero, while Dutt was the macho man. They had only featured together once in the 1993 romantic drama Sahibaan, and reunited 19 years later by both playing evil characters. The two will reportedly be seen together again in the upcoming flick, Kapoor & Sons.

Hrithik Roshan was a superstar, but carried the burden of delivering hits — Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai,  Koi Mil Gaya,  Krrish — that were mostly from his family stable. With Agneepath, he busted that myth forever. The film grossed Rs.123.5 crore over a five-week run, smashed Bodyguard’s record (Rs 21 crore) for the highest opening day collection for any Bollywood film, as it garnered a record net collection of Rs. 23 crore on day 1. This record was later broken by Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger.

Kareena Kapoor has always been the apple of Karan Johar’s eye, having featured in quite a few Dharma Productions films. Karan Malhotra was keen to cast Kareena for the ‘Chikni Chameli’ item number, as the actress had acted in a film called Chameli. Kareena didn’t oblige though, so the number went to Katrina Kaif. Music directors Ajay-Atul had produced a similar track called ‘Kombadi Palali’ for a Marathi film. While the lyrics weren’t poetry, choreographer Ganesh Acharya doled out a dance master class. Katrina never looked so sexy, and never has she danced liked a dream before. Acharya bagged a number of Best Choreography Awards for the song.