The Forrest Gump Remake You Didn’t Know About
Millions of people worldwide have seen and probably even quoted the well-known American film Forrest Gump, but not as many have seen the Indian version of the flick. Directed by Advait Chandan and written by Atul Kulkarni, Laal Singh Chadda is the 2022 Indian remake of the Robert Zemeckis/Eric Roth film starring Tom Hanks.
Both movies are adaptations of the same novel, Forrest Gump written by Winston Groom. While the Indian adaptation of the popular film isn’t exactly the same as the original, there are enough similarities to the story that Kulkarni had to spend a whole decade working on obtaining the rights.
In the Indian version of Forrest Gump, Laal (the equivalent role of Forrest) is on a train ride heading to Karauli, while recounting the story of his life to the people who sit next to him along his journey. Instead of a box of chocolates, Laal indulges in golgappas.
Golgappas are an Indian treat. They’re a deep-fried, breaded sphere, usually filled with potatoes, onions, or chickpeas. Instead of saying that life is like a box of chocolates, Laal’s quote is “Life is just like a golgappa … your tummy might feel full, but your heart always craves more.”
The whole movie is just a playout of Laal’s stories, just like Forrest Gump is one long and detailed expression of Tom Hanks’ character telling the stories of his life. The stories Laal tells on the train are also similar but not the same as that of Gump.
Laal is a simple guy who is very close to his Mama and he quotes her a lot. Laal did have to wear leg braces as a kid, just like Forrest Gump, and Kulkarni recreated the “Run, Forrest, run!” moment when Gump’s leg braces broke off with Laal too.
Laal meets Rupa (the equivalent of Jenny in Forrest Gump) on his first day of school, and the two quickly become best friends. Rupa has a rough home life that presents her with a very different situation while growing up. Her mother is beaten to death by her father at one point in the film, and Rupa is sent to live with her grandmother who is a close friend of Laal and his mother.
Laal and Rupa share segments in time as they grow up where they spend lots of time together, but they also have very different paths to travel as time passes. Through separations, riots, and wars, Laal and Rupa continue to have love for one another.
The similarities between Forrest Gump and Laal Singh Chadda continue when Laal is successful in college due to his ability to run fast. He even joins the military after school and meets Bala (the character who mirrors Bubba in Forrest Gump).
Though the movie didn’t turn out to be a smash hit, it did make decent money for what it had to offer. Even though it was a remake, Laal Singh Chadda made around $16 million worldwide at the box office, won an award for Best Cinematography in India, and was able to make the Netflix streaming roster for a while.
