Ajit had played the arch-villain Teja in the original; for the remake, Prakash Raj has been roped in. Southern actor Ram Charan Teja, son of superstar Chiranjeevi, will step into Amitabh Bahchan’s shoes to play the Angry Young Man.
"I was initially apprehensive about doing the part. I wondered if I’d be able to carry it off. It was director Apoorva Lakhia who convinced me. Now I’m very excited. To recreate the original vamp ‘Mona Darling’ of the 1970s for today’s audience is a challenge. And most of my scenes are with Prakash Raj who is a very good actor. I think I’ll be able to pull it off," said Mahie, who recently wowed audiences with her bold avatar in "Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster".
The culture of an overweight seductress went out with Bindu. While Bindu got away with slit dresses and body stockings in "Zanjeer", Mahie, we are told, would be doing some heavy duty lovemaking scenes with Prakash Raj and would also need to get into better shape for a bikini.
"We definitely want Mahie’s Mona Darling to go beyond Binduji. If Binduji became synonymous with the character in the 1970s, we want people to shout ‘Mona Darling’ at Mahie when she steps out," said Amit Mehra, son of Prakash Mehra who had produced and directed the Amitabh Bachchan starrer "Zanjeer". He was speaking on behalf of the film’s producers – Reliance Entertainment, Adai Mehra Productions and Flying Turtle Films.
"Those times, when the first ‘Zanjeer’ was made, were different. Today, being sexy doesn’t mean performing a cabaret in a slit dress. Mahie will have to be seen performing more horizontal acts with Prakash Raj. And she’ll definitely be seen a bikini," he added.
Both Mahie and Prakash Raj, who is rather bulky, have been asked to shed kilos urgently.
Mahie’s weight is not the only thing that goes from Bindu’s Mona Darling act. The sizzling Asha Bhosle number "Diljalon ka dil jala ke" has also been done away with. Mahie was apparently most keen to dance to Bindu’s number.
"We’re doing an entirely new hip and slick club song for Mahie to dance to. With due respects to Helenji and Binduji, cabarets are no longer a part of popular nightclub culture," said Mehra.
