Mumbai:
Restoring
classics
is
like
"restoring
heritage",
says
seasoned
actor
Farooq
Shiekh,
who
rues
that
many
good
films
perished
but
is
happy
over
steps
being
taken
to
save
other
masterpieces
like
his
Chashme
Baddoor.
One
of
the
best
classic
comedies
of
all
time,
Sai
Paranjpye-directed
1981
film
Chashme
Baddoor
has
finally
been
digitally
restored.
"It's
a
pity
that
we
haven't
restored
many
memorable
films
yet.
Indian
films
are
like
a
national
heritage
that
reflects
our
society
in
various
times," Farooq
told
IANS.
"It's
like
restoring
the
part
of
the
heritage.
The
future
generation
will
get
to
see
how
it
was
earlier
and
will
get
a
fair
idea," he
said.
He
added,
"But
I
am
happy
that
at
least
now
we
have
started
the
registration
process
for
such
films.
However,
it
saddens
me
that
we
haven't
restored
many
good
films,
which
are
a
part
of
our
cultural
history."
The
65-year-old
showed
his
acting
acumen
in
a
string
of
commercially
successful
and
critically
acclaimed
films
Noorie,
Saath
Saath,
Umrao
Jaan,
Bazaar,
Katha
and
Biwi
Ho
To
Aisi
among
others.
The
restored
version
of
Chashme
Baddoor,
which
marks
one
of
his
best
performances
so
far,
is
releasing
April
5
along
with
its
remake,
which
has
been
directed
by
David
Dhawan,
a
director
known
for
making
super-hit
comedies
like
Hero
No.
1
and
Partner.
Never
in
the
history
of
Indian
cinema
digitally
restored
version
of
a
classic
and
its
remake
have
come
out
on
the
same
day.
The
veteran
actor,
who
was
recently
seen
in
Listen...
Amaya,
would
like
to
first
see
Dhawan's
Chashme
Baddoor,
which
features
Ali
Zafar,
Siddharth,
and
Taapsee
Pannu.
"I
really
want
to
see
how
David
has
made
the
film.
I
will
go
with
my
family
to
see
David's
film
first
and
then
I
will
see
my
own
film,
which
I
have
seen
many
times," he
said.
"I
am
also
excited
to
see
the
restored
print
of
Chashme
Baddoor
with
its
upgraded
version
and
sound
effect,"
added
the
actor,
who
had
teamed
up
with
Deepti
Naval,
Rakesh
Bedi
and
Ravi
Baswani
in
the
fun-filled
buddy
movie.
A
good
comedy
requires
a
strong
script,
he
feels.
"Double
meaning
or
below
the
belt
comedies
are
made
when
the
script
is
not
strong.
So,
if
you
have
a
strong
script,
you
don't
need
all
these
things,"
he
said
and
added
such
films
can't
be
watched
with
families.
He
said,
"It
gets
uncomfortable
to
watch
such
films
with
family
and
these
films
cannot
be
slotted
in
the
comedy
genre."
Another
regrettable
change
that
he
has
noticed
in
filmdom
is
missing
melodies
in
songs.
"One
thing
that
got
lost
over
the
years
is
melody
in
songs.
We
have
to
pay
attention
to
that."
Nowadays,
Box
Office
numbers
guide
the
filmmaking
process
and
the
Rs
100
crore
club
is
the
latest
fad
in
filmdom,
but
Farooq
feels
art
should
not
be
governed
by
money.
"If
you
want
to
make
a
film,
then
commerce
is
part
of
it.
Art
is
an
expensive
form
to
express,
but
only
making
money
should
not
be
the
predominant
idea.
"Earlier,
we
used
to
make
films
by
starting
from
head
(content)
and
then
used
to
come
to
the
tail
(money
part),
but
these
days
we
are
starting
from
tail
and
then
come
to
the
head,"
he
said.
Not
seen
in
too
many
films
nowadays,
Farooq
finds
acting
satisfying
and
would
like
to
be
an
actor
in
his
next
birth
as
well.
"For
me,
acting
is
very
rewarding
and
a
satisfying
feeling
on
this
earth.
I
am
blessed
to
be
an
actor.
And
what
more
can
I
ask
for?
I
can
only
try
harder
and
do
better
work.
If
given
an
option,
I
would
like
to
be
an
actor
in
my
next
birth
as
well,"
said
the
actor,
who
has
also
been
active
on
the
small
screen
and
featured
in
the
show
Ji
Mantriji
and
hosted
Jeena
Isi
Ka
Naam
Hai.