In an interview, director Shekhar Kapur remembered his film picture Mr. India and became emotional. The director expressed his pain and sadness over the passing of Sridevi, who played the iconic Miss Hawa Hawai, Amrish Puri, who played the irreplaceable Mogambo, and Satish Kaushik, who played the lovable cook Calendar. He also mentioned that he would not want to remake Mr. India because it would lose the “innocence and naivete” that he achieved in the 1987 film.
When asked how comfortable he would be if there is Mr. India 2, Shekhar said that he wouldn’t because he fears he’ll fail. He said, “Actually it would be a big problem if I direct it. I have never ever repeated a genre Masoom, Mr. India, Bandit Queen, Elizabeth, The Four Feathers, What’s Love Got To Do With It? These are all completely different genres; there is a fear that if I repeat myself I’ll fail.”
further, Shekhar said that he would turn to his imaginary 11-year-old self while making ‘Mr. India’, who gave him constant feedback, and because of whom there was a sense of playfulness in the film. The director added that now if someone asks him to do ‘Mr. India’ again, that sense of playfulness and naivete won’t be there. According to him, it would be like, ‘Mogambo was like this, now he should be like that’, so it would be better for another director to come in and use what they fundamentally are and bring it to ‘Mr. India’, he wouldn’t do it, Shekhar told
The filmmaker also stated that he believes ‘Mr. India’ is the type of film that could lead to a ‘Mr. India Universe,’ similar to how we have the Marvel Universe, with each character having a spin-off story and independent films. According to him, Calendar would have his own story, different stories with Miss Hawa Hawai, or Mogambo and his kids.
Shekhar Kapur’s emotional tribute to Sridevi, Amrish Puri, and Satish Kaushik is a reminder of the impact that ‘Mr. India’ had on Indian cinema. It is also a testament to the talent and dedication of these actors, who brought their characters to life and made the film a classic.