Only agenda of ‘Ghostbusters’ is to make people laugh: Paul Feig

By Sugandha Rawal

Singapore, July 3 (IANS) Paul Feig's decision to remake classic film “Ghostbusters” got caught into a swirl of controversy right from the time it was announced. The American director, who is proud of the film, says there is “nothing cynical” about it and instead he aims to spread smiles and joy with the movie.

Feig is bringing back the story of the famous 1984 eponymous American supernatural horror comedy on the silver screen with a twist. Besides infusing advanced technology in the film, Feig has replaced the male protagonists with female cast, roping in stars like Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.

Well, there's a treat for all the girls as actor Chris Hemsworth is not only seen flaunting his toned physique, but also his comic skills. The film will be hitting screens in India on July 15.

The female twist didn’t go down well for many and it was trolled on the social media and resulted in a gender-focused debate.

“We only want to entertain an audience. We want people to have two hours of absolute fun, joy, escapist fun. And there’s no other agenda with this movie other than to make people laugh and make them have a great time,” Feig told reporters here.

Feig doesn’t approve of all negativity, but feels it is “natural instinct” for the fans of the classic film “to be nervous” over the fear of it getting tampered.

“This is such a beloved franchise that people are very passionate about it. And we completely understand that. And especially when you hear somebody’s going to do a reboot of a classic movie, it is a very natural instinct to be nervous about that,” Feig said at a press event organised by Sony Pictures Entertainment here last month.

Feig went on to explain his personal association with the original “Ghostbusters”.

“This movie was made by people who love the original movie. We are such fanatics. I was there at the opening night of the opening weekend when I was in film school. Nothing cynical went into this film (remake)."

“The laughs that it delivered to an audience was so fantastic. That’s the only reason I make movies. That’s the only reason Melissa makes movies.”

The "Spy" maker, known for his knack of interweaving comedy with action, requested all the people critiquing the film to “just watch the movie and base it on its own merits”.

“We knew we were doing something pretty special and with this amazing group. And you hear a lot of chatter and you just go like 'You know what? People will talk and people have these issues.' Again the work will speak for itself,” he said.

Asked if the female star cast is some kind of a nod to women empowerment, the director, an ardent fan of Asian cinema, said: “I love working with funny women and realised when I was going to make this movie, why did the original movie work so well? It worked because of those, that cast and those four Ghostbusters who were, at the time, the funniest people working."

“And that, all I said was 'I need to create that chemistry here'. I know the funniest women in the planet. I’m going to put them in this movie.' And that was really the only agenda I had to make people laugh that way.”

For now, Feig "cannot wait" for the audience to see the full film.

"I could not be more proud of it and I could not be more proud of the performance of Melissa and everybody in this film. It’s a real high point for me.”

(The writer's trip was at the invitation of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) India. Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)