With the announcement of Bollywood remakes of Ayyappanum Koshiyum and Mammooty’s One slated for release this year, we thought why not take a look at some Malayalam movies of the past that have been remade in Hindi? In this list, we specifically explore lesser-known or not-so-popular remakes of some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters in Malayalam cinema.
Chandralekha and Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega
Appukuttan became Raj and Alfy became Romy (am I the only one thinking of Alfa Romeo now?) Mohanlal’s 1997 release Chandralekha was remade in Bollywood by Raj Kanwar in the year 2000 with Salman Khan in the lead. Birdies say that Priyadarshan, the original director of Chandralekha meant to remake it in 1997 with Anil Kapoor in the lead but that didn’t quite pan out. Hmmm, now does that explain Anil‘s cameo role in the Malayalam version?
Hitler and Krodh
Hard to imagine anyone reprising the role of Mammooty as Hitler, let alone Sunil Shetty. Hitler was remade in Hindi four years after the original went on floors in 1996. Bollywood is known for adding heaps of drama, masala, quintessential item numbers and what not to the original plot to give it a North Indian tweak. But Madhavankutty romancing Gauri and letting his hair down even if it’s just for a song– onnum parayan illa!
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Kilukkam and Muskurahat
I’m sure not many of you know that Kilukkam had a Bollywood version. Directed by Priyadarshan himself, the movie couldn’t create waves in Bollywood that many of his remakes did. Even Revathy’s retention in the remake as Nandini Thamburatti of North India couldn’t do much to save the movie from losing the flavour of the original and hitting the bucket.
Aniyathipravu and Doli Saja Ke Rakhna
Priyan wished to spawn an eternal love story with Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, the Bollywood remake of Fazil’s Aniyathipravu, a movie that revamped the idea of love in the 90s. Needless to say, the Bollywood audience didn’t quite buy the whole ‘namuk piriyam for our families’ sake’ idea and touted it as unconvincing. This is definitely one of the lesser-known Bollywood remakes we bet you didn’t know about.
Fun fact: The movie’s tracks were composed by the legend, AR Rahman!
Pokkiraja and Boss
Usually, one of the ways in which we can point out similarities between movies is by watching their songs. None of the songs of Boss gave away the fact that Boss was the remake of Pokkiraja. This would probably have to do with the fact that the only songs they’d unveiled had Akshay Kumar, who essayed the role of Mammooty, romancing Sonakshi Sinha, who in the original Malayalam movie was a non-existent character. Lost in translation? More like, found in translation!
Also Read: The 10 ‘Firsts’ of Malayalam Cinema
In Harihar Nagar and Parda Hai Parda
Before Dhol came about in 2007, there existed a long-forgotten remake of In Harihar Nagar. So yeah, Dhol is basically, if I may call it, a remake of a remake. The original remake of In Harihar Nagar (oxymoron much?) was helmed by a Telugu director, K. Bapayya and the movie hit the theatres in 1992. What else is interesting? The leading lady of this movie is none other than our very own Meena!
Niram and Tujhe Meri Kasam
Who’s ready to say hello to “Abyda” and “Sonada” of Bollywood? Yeah, who knew that Kamal’s Niram had a Bollywood equivalent? Also, who knew that the debut lead pair in this Hindi movie would date and get married years later? We’re talking about none other than Indian Tinseltown’s much-loved couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’souza. Must say that as charming as the duo is, this movie barely managed to pull off the magic woven by Kunchacko Boban and Shalini.
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Kilukkampetti and Pyaar Impossible
If you’ve staggered your way to this portion of the article without cringing, then brace yourself for what you are about to read! Remember that movie where Jayaram’s character attempted to impress his ladylove by turning up as her daughter’s caretaker? Yes, Kilukkampetti it is. So, Pyaar Impossible starring Uday Chopra and Priyanka Chopra is loosely based on the Jayaram starrer. It is also another of those ‘don’t judge a movie by its songs’ movies because watching those songs, even Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t be able to decipher that Kilukkampetti is the source of inspiration for this movie. But yes, PC’s character has a daughter whom Uday Chopra ends up being manny (male nanny) to.
Marykkondoru Kunjaadu and Kamal Dhamaal Malamaal
Wrapping up this list with a recent movie and its more recent but lesser-known remake. Directed by Priyadarshan, the remake of Marykkondoru Kunjadu saw Shreyas Talpade taking over the role of Dileep while Nana Patekar played the role of Biju Menon. This movie was a box office dud and was slammed by critics saying that it was ‘trying too hard to be a rib-tickling comedy’.
Also Read: Houses in Malayalam Cinema that Caught our Fancy
Did you know about these lesser-known Bollywood remakes? If so, which one of these are you going to watch this week?
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