Kundan Shah’s satirical dark comedy movie ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ (1983) is one of the timeless gems of Indian cinema and to say that the film has achieved a cult following over the years, would be an understatement.
Now, in what could hopefully be a fantastic piece of update for its diehard fans, eminent filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, who had co-written the film’s screenplay, has dropped a hint for a potential sequel to ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’.
Here is what instantly caught our attention. There was a news piece being circulated recently on social media platforms about a sixty-foot long, 500-ton steel bridge that was stolen by thieves masquerading as government officials in Rohtas district in Bihar.
Thereafter, a popular food blogger quoted the news on Twitter with the words “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. Part 2”. Soon after, Sudhir Mishra was quick to reply with the below-mentioned Tweet.
You can’t make this shit up . That’s why Kundan used to say : reality is already spoof , so can you spoof a spoof . I have an idea of how to do it . Let’s see https://t.co/uTpUi146B0
— Sudhir Mishra (@IAmSudhirMishra) April 10, 2022
Now, this Tweet could mean a couple of things. First, Sudhir Mishra is brainstorming ideas to make a film on the bridge theft news itself, but that seems improbable considering his reply was so prompt.
Second, and more likely, he is already working on a script for the ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ sequel. And the optimistic cinephiles that we are, we earnestly hope it’s the latter.
This is not the first time that talks about a potential sequel to ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ are being discussed or speculated. A few years back, it was reported that the sequel is indeed happening and Naseeruddin Shah will reprise his role as one of two protagonists. However, post-COVID, things probably did not move forward as there was no update or official announcement later.
Previously, it was also talked about that Late actor Irrfan Khan was being considered to step into the character of Ravi Baswani, who had won the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian for ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ but had sadly died in 2010. But, after the unfortunate demise of Irrfan Khan in 2020, those hopes were shattered too.
In case ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ is actually taking concrete shape now, besides Naseeruddin Shah, other actors who are available to reprise their characters from the parent film are Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik, and Neena Gupta, amongst others.
‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ revolved around two struggling photographers Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir (Ravi Baswani), who accept an assignment by a magazine editor.
Their job is to expose a shady deal between an unethical builder Tarneja (Pankaj Kapur) and a corrupt government official D’Mello (Satish Shah). Things get complicated when a rival builder Ahuja (Om Puri) arrives, and they also witness a murder.
Since Kundan Shah is no more with us, Sudhir Mishra could don the director’s hat for the ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ sequel as he has been an integral part of the parent film. However, that still remains to be seen. Until then, let’s keep our fingers crossed.
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