The success of "Holiday – A Solider is Never Off Duty" has once again proved that remakes of South Indian films are a safe bet for big Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.
Remaking south films in Bollywood and vice versa has been a trend followed for many years. But, for the last few years, there seems to be an increase in the number of south films getting remade in Hindi with big stars in the lead. Interestingly, most of these films have set the cash registers ringing.
Aamir Khan's 2008-release "Ghajini," remake of a Tamil film with the same name, was one of the biggest hits of Bollywood cinema. The action entertainer, directed by AR Murugadoss, earned more than ₹100 crore at the Indian box office. Apparently, it was "Ghajini" that started the ₹100 crore club.
Salman Khan, who was going through a rough phase, made a comeback with the crime action killer "Wanted," which was a remake of Vijay's "Pokkiri." The film reportedly broke many records at the box office in 2009. Since then, the actor has starred in several south remakes including "Ready", "Bodyguard" and "Jai Ho." His upcoming film "Kick," touted to be an action comedy entertainer, is also a south remake.
Askhay Kumar has also starred in a few south remakes which have performed well at the box office. His masala action entertainer "Rowdy Rathore" and the recently-released "Holiday" are in the ₹100 crore club. Ajay Devgn, who has starred in remakes like "Son of Sardar" and "Singham" also tasted success with both the films.
What makes these remakes work in Bollwood? The remakes work because of the presence of big stars. "The remakes of south films are getting highlighted now because of big stars here. As big Bollywood heroes are doing these films, this space (of remakes) is getting established further," actor-director Prabhu Deva, who has done three south remakes in Bollywood was quoted saying by the Press Trust of India at an event held last year.
The content of these remakes appeal to the audience even though critics give average reviews for them. Take "Holiday" for instance – the film fetched mixed feedback from the critics, but audience has given big thumbs up. The Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer is still running successfully in theatres even after three weeks of its release.
The stupendous of these films have made more Bollywood filmmakers to remake south films.
Check below the list of upcoming Bollywood films which are remakes of south entertainers.
"Kick" – Salman Khan's most-awaited "Kick" is a remake of the Telugu film with the same name. The film, directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, has Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saurabh Shukhla in pivotal roles. The film is set for Eid release.
It remains to be seen if "Kick" turns out to be another successful film in Salman Khan's career. The film's first look and trailer have received fantastic response from fans and have raised the expectations among them. The action entertainer is slated to hit screens during Eid festival, which is considered as a lucky period for Salman. Will "Kick" impress the audience and reprise the success of the original version? Only time will tell.
"Tevar" – Amit Sharma's film is a remake of Telugu hit "Okkadu." The film has Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles.
"Gabbar" – Akshay Kumar will be seen in yet another south remake. The film, directed by Krish, is a remake of Tamil blockbuster film "Ramana."
Besides these films, remake of Tamil films including "Soodhu Kavvum", "Pizza" and "Vettai" are also in the pipeline. There are also reports claiming that the recently-released blockbuster flick "Manam" will be remade in Hindi. Reliance Entertainment, the co-producers of "Manam" are said to be interested in making the Hindi version, reportedSakshipost. Buzz is that Amitabh Bachchan might be reprising ANR's role. However, an official announcement regarding the project is still awaited.