Movie remakes are the flavour of the season, and at least for Bollywood it has been that way for a long time now. Filmmakers have quite often picked tried and tested storylines from regional films to serve the Hindi film audience. While a few of them did hit the bull’s-eye, there’s a slew of films which failed to even come close to the originals.
Have a look at the films that jumped on the bandwagon but fell flat on the face:
1. Mimi and Mala Aai Vhhaychy!
Mimi, touted as a film encouraging a dialogue on surrogacy in India, was an adaptation of the path-breaking Marathi film Mala Aai Vhaychay. The former released a decade ago and had a more realistic approach in its storytelling whereas Mimi kind of robs the plot of its emotional essence. It has been almost a norm in Bollywood to serve crucial issues with insipid humour for the audience to stomach the subject. The Kriti Sanon starrer does exactly the same and at times it comes off as a bit unnecessary.
2. Dhadak and Sairat
Dhadak, the remake of Sairat, was another film which suffered due to Bollywood’s ‘filmy’ point of view. The film, which marked the debut of Janhvi Kapoor, puts light on honour-killing, but it was comparatively light-weighted. And you would like the Hindi remake only if you haven’t seen the original one.
3. Ok Jaanu and O Kadhal Kanmani
Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani (O Kadhal Kanmani) focuses on complex modern-day relationships and naturally the Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Hindi remake did the same. While the lead pair in the original, Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen, showcased the innocence and love on-screen, Ok Jaanu bombarded us with PDA and had nothing more to offer.
4. Laxmii and Kanchana
Although Akshay Kumar garnered praise for taking up a challenging role, the film ended up looking more like a parody than a remake. The Hindi adaptation of the Tamil hit Kanchana does talk about the ostracization the trans-community faces but for a limited time. Even though equally problematic at times, unlike Laxmii the original still managed to pull some laughs.
5. Tevar and Okkadu
Mahesh Babu’s action-packed film Okkadu had its unique treatment to the plot and strong lead as its strength. On the other hand, Arjun Kapoor’s Tevar lacked in most elements that make a hit. In the process of recreating the magic of the original, the film emerged as an easily forgettable cinematic project.
6. Ekk Deewana Tha and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
Ekk Deewana Tha was a scene-to-scene remake of the romantic Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. However, where the two films differed were the climax and the latter totally won there. Besides that, the female lead played by Amy Jackson, who could barely speak the language, made it difficult for the viewers to connect.
7. Gang of Ghosts and Bhooter Bhabishyat
Gang of Ghosts, a film only a few of us would recall, was the Hindi adaptation of the Bengali horror-comedy Bhooter Bhabishyat. With the apt amount of witty comedy and satire, the original emerged as an enjoyable take on neo-liberalism and urbanization. Despite a stellar starcast, the Hindi remake failed to spin the same magic.
8. Prasthanam and Prasthanam (Telugu)
Deva Katta’s political family-drama Prasthanam was backed by seamless storytelling and stellar performances. Set in the backdrop of a family crisis, the characters are shown in a constant internal fight between good and evil. Meanwhile, the Sanjay Dutt starrer, although not an exact remake, doesn’t come close to the impact the original created. Even with an equally powerful ensemble cast the Hindi remake remained under the shadows of the Telugu film.
9. Simmba and Temper
Simmba, another addition to Rohit Shetty’s cop universe, was the Hindi remake of Telugu hit film Temper which featured Jr NTR. However, the makers of the former did tweak the sub-plots while the core premise remained the same. Ranveer Singh starrer created a buzz, but fell flat when compared to the original.
10. Begum Jaan and Rajkahini
Vidya Balan’s Begum Jaan was a remake of Rituparna Sengupta led Bengali film Rajkahini. Even though the former film had a great story and star cast at its disposal, the original movie still remains the one that delivered the apt outcome. Balan, as the madame of a brothel, put forth what could be counted as one of her finest performances. But the film that thrives on the tale of oppressed sex workers, fails to evoke the same sentiment as the original film.
Adaptations have the potential to allow good stories to reach a larger audience. But only if they live up to the original. Otherwise, it’s much better to just sit through the barrier of subtitles.