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Drishyam and 10 other Bollywood films that were remakes of South Indian films

Himesh Mankad | Updated on: 13 February 2017, 3:22 IST

Ajay Devgn's upcoming thriller Drishyam, a remake of Mohanlal's National Award winning film by the same name is all set to release on 31 July 2015. As the release date of the film is nearing, we remind you of 10 films which you probably didn't know were remakes of blockbusters down south:

1. Ram Aur Shyam (1967)

Most of people have the misconception that the trend of remakes in Bollywood started in 2008 with Ghajini, however this trend has been going on ever since the inception of Bollywood films. Ram Aur Shyam is the first ever film which was officially remade from a Telugu film Ramudu Bheemudu. Incidentally, both the Hindi version and the Telugu version were directed by the same director Tapi Chanakya.

2. Judwaa (1997)

David Dhawan's Judwaa was the first ever film where Salman Khan was seen in a double role. The film starring Salman Khan and Karishma Kapoor was a remake of Telugu film Hello Brother starring Nagarjuna in a double role. Both the versions of films went on to emerge as huge hits in their respective territories. Interestingly, Sohail Khan directed Salman Khan in a film titled Hello Brother in 1999 which was also an adaption of Malayalam film Aayushkalam.

3. Biwi Number 1 (1999)

Yet another David Dhawan film starring Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor makes it to the list of south Indian films remade in Bollywood. The comic caper which released in 1999 was an official remake of Tamil film Sathi Leelavathi produced by Kamal Haasan.

4. Billu (2009)

Priyadarshan's Billu revolves around the life of a barber's (Irrfan Khan) journey to meet his childhood friend Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), India's biggest superstar. The film is an official remake of Malayalam film Katha Parayumpol starring Mammootty. Before being made in Hindi, Katha Parayumpol was remade in Tamil and Telugu as Kuselan and Kathanayakudu.

5. Force (2011)

One of John Abraham's biggest hits, Force, directed by Nishikanth Kamat released in 2011, was the official remake of Suriya's successful Tamil film Kaakha Kaakha which released way back in 2003. Though Nishikant made a lot of changes in the screenplay of Force, he kept the basic premise similar to the original film. Force is best known for the high octane action sequences featuring John Abraham and Vidyut Jamwal.

6. Tere Naam (2003)

12 years have passed by since the release of Tere Naam, still the film is remembered as one of Salman Khan's career best performances. The tragic love story starring Salman Khan and Bhumika Chawla is a remake of National Award winning Tamil film Sethu starring Vikram. The music of Tere Naam by Himesh Reshammiya remains one of his finest compositions.

7. Singham (2011)

Along with the fantastic performance at the box office, Rohit Shetty's Singham is one of the most viewed films on television. The film has attained a cult status among its target audience, however very few people know the fact that Singham is a remake of 2010 Tamil film Singam starring Suriya. Post the tremendous success of Singham, Rohit Shetty directed Ajay Devgn in Singham Returns.

8. Holiday (2014)

A R Murugadoss had initially planned to make Holiday with Akshay Kumar and later remake it in Tamil as Thupakki starring Vijay. However, since Akshay Kumar was busy with other projects, the director made the Tamil version of the film first and later on remade it in Bollywood. A R Murugadoss had written the script of Holiday keeping the two stars - Akshay Kumar (Bollywood) and Vijay (Tamil) in mind.

9. Rowdy Rathore (2012)

After successfully remaking Wanted, Prabhu Deva roped in Akshay Kumar for Rowdy Rathore,the Bollywood remake of Telugu blockbuster Vikramarkudu starring Ravi Teja. Before being remade in Bollywood, Vikramarkudu was successfully remade in Tamil and Kannada. Rowdy Rathore remains Akshay Kumar's biggest blockbuster till date.

10. Hera Pheri (2000)

Hera Pheri is arguably one of the funniest films to come out of Bollywood. A remake of 1989 Malayalam cult classic Ramji Rao Calling, Priyadarshan remade this film in Bollywood with a few changes, to make it acceptable to the pan India audience.

First published: 21 July 2015, 6:21 IST
 
Himesh Mankad @himeshmankad

Himesh Mankad is an entertainment journalist who has a B.Com degree from Narsee Monjee College, Mumbai. He prefers covering Bollywood and loves good stories and music. When not watching movies, he can be found on a cricket field strutting his stuff.