Overwork hasn't quelled Ramu's self-deprecating humour. Says the Sarkar-Aag director, "I've been simultaneously dubbing and editing Aag (Sholay). So I’ve been in a state of utter exhaustion. Aag has to release on August 31, come what may. And I'm heading straight for the Congo in Africa thereafter where there's no network, so I don't have to face the flak."….As they would be to see Sholay, Gabbar and all the characters re-christened in Ramu's version of the tale of bravura banditry.
Explains the fatigued filmmaker, "It was always my intention to pay homage to the original Sholay. I didn't want to do a re-mix of the earlier film; I wanted to do my own take. Unfortunately, some people didn't see it that way. That's okay. Now Aag will be judged on its own merit, as every film, re-make or original, ultimately is."
Why Aag? "Because I wanted the fire element defining the Thakur (Mohanlal)'s passion for vendetta to be uppermost in the theme and the title. Aag is a very conventional commercial title associated with the vendetta films of the 70s and 80s. I like that spirit."
Source: IndiaFM