Superstar Rajnikanth recently dubbed for the remastered version of Baba. The 20-year-old film has been digitally enhanced and will be re-released on Rajinikanth’s 72nd birthday on December 12. The hype for this Tamil film was real, because this was the actor and director Suresh Krissna getting together after hits like Annamalai and Baasha.
Source- Times Of India
Baba released with much fanfare, but failed to create an impact at the box office. It did, however, generate a lot of discussion and controversy, especially due to its scenes involving Rajinikanth smoking and referring to the Chief Minister. The film became one of the biggest flops in Rajinikanth’s career. Taking full responsibility for Baba’s commercial failure, Rajinikanth compensated the losses incurred by the film’s distributors and set a new precedent.
So, why is it being re-released? “I had the same question myself when Rajini sir sent me it’s hard disk a few weeks ago,” reveals Suresh Krissna, seated comfortably at his Nandanam office that proudly displays posters from his Baasha and Satya, “He told me, ‘Watch the film now.’ I hadn’t revisited Baba for many years, and when I did, it felt nice. Rajini felt that a re-release of Baba might work, especially with today’s audience who are big on fantasy-oriented content, as proved by the success of Kantara and Karthikeya. Back then, I think the film did not get the place it deserved. It will, now.”
Source- The Indian Express
While the sequences have been colour-graded, the sound has also been mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos. “The sequences featuring the Himalayas have been colour graded in a way that it suits the modern palette of audiences who are used to watching today’s films.” The original film was three-hours long, and going by current trends to have a shorter runtime for films, Baba will also be re-edited…to less than two and a half hours. “We want it to be a pacey film, and believe it will work today.” Suresh Krissna added.
“Even though I have done so many movies, the films that satisfied my soul were Sree Raghavendra and Baba. I don’t know how to express my gratitude to those great people who gave me the opportunity to act in these movies. Not many knew that Raaghavendar was born and raised in Bhuvanagiri. And it was the movie Sree Raaghavendar that popularized it. Similarly many didn’t know about Mahavatar Babaji until Baba,” Rajinikanth said according to a report of The Indian Express.
