‘Chachi 420’ to ‘Ghajini’: Tamil films remade in Bollywood

Remaking an already popular vernacular language film has invariably fetched enough moolah for the producers. Right from the ‘80s, several Tamil films have been remade in Hindi cinema and likewise. Superstars of Bollywood like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have been part of remakes. While many films made an impression on both, the audience and at the box-office, the rest turned out to be a distant memory. Here are popular Tamil films that were remade in Bollywood.

The film is a remake of the Tamil film ‘Suryavamsam’, directed by Vikraman. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan reprised Sarathkumar’s role in Hindi and played dual roles -- father and son. ‘Sooryavansham’ is regarded as one of the best family drama that depicted a typical Indian family and the relationship between a father and son. The Hindi version, which was directed by Telugu director EVV Satyanarayana, became of the biggest hits that year. Over the years, ‘Sooryavansham’ has earned a cult following and has the record for being telecasted innumerable times.

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan remade his ‘Avvai Shanmugi’ in Hindi as ‘Chachi 420’. Over the years, the film has earned a cult following among the audience, thanks to stellar performances by Kamal Haasan, Om Puri, Tabu and Amrish Puri. Inspired by the Hollywood film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, the film tells the story of a divorcee Jai (Kamal Haasan), a doting father who masquerades as a woman to take care of his daughter. The rest follows a brilliant mix of slapstick humour and an emotional drama that was well-received by the audience back then. While the Tamil version was a blockbuster success, Hindi was declared a hit at the box-office.

This Aamir Khan-starrer became the first Indian film to gross Rs 100 crore at the Indian box-office. ‘Ghajini’ directed by AR Murugadoss is the Hindi remake of the Tamil film, which is again inspired by Christopher Nolan’s ‘Memento’. It revolves around a businessman who develops anterograde amnesia and seeks revenge for his girlfriend’s death. Upon release, the film was highly praised for its performances and became an out-and-out money spinner at the box-office. Interestingly, it was Suriya who convinced Aamir Khan to take up the lead role. ‘Ghajini’, which was Aamir Khan’s first remake, shot Khan to superstardom and was his major box-office success until that point.

Salman Khan has remade several Tamil films in Bollywood like ‘Tere Naam’, ‘Wanted’ and ‘Ready’ to name a few. His ‘Biwi No 1’ is taken from Kamal Haasan’s comedy-drama ‘Sathi Leelavathi’, which was directed by legendary filmmaker Balu Mahendra. The Hindi remake was directed by David Dhawan who is known for his comedy films. It had an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sushmita Sen and Karisma Kapoor. ‘Biwi No 1’ was appreciated for its humour and became very successful at the box-office.

AR Murugadoss initially wanted to do ‘Holiday’ with Akshay Kumar first. However, it was the latter who advised him to do the film in Tamil. Titled ‘Thuppakki’, the film had Thalapathy Vijay playing the role of a commanding army officer. It revolves around the life of the army who tries to wipe out ‘sleeper cells’ and terrorism in India. ‘Thuppakki’ opened to fantastic reviews from critics who hailed Vijay’s performance. It went on to gross more than Rs 100 crore worldwide. After the success, Akshay Kumar signed on the project and roped in Murugadoss to remake the Hindi version, which became a profitable venture at the box-office.

Gautham Menon remade his debut film ‘Minnale’ in Hindi as ‘Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein’, which has earned a niche fan following over the years. Menon’s second directorial ‘Kaakha Kaakha’ became highly successful at the box-office in 2004. The Hindi remake titled ‘Force’ hit the screens in 2011 and received a positive response from the audience. Notably, John Abraham and Genelia D’Souza’s acting in the lead roles received praise. ‘Force’, directed by Nishikanth Kamath, made decent numbers as well. The film is about an honest cop who takes his revenge for the death of his wife.

After a series of political films, ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam made a heart-warming love story with ‘Alaipayuthey’ that launched R Madhavan in Tamil. It tells the story of the challenges faced by a young couple after their marriage. After the success of the film, Mani Ratnam’s assistant Shaad Ali remade it in Hindi as ‘Saathiya’, which was moderately successful at the box-office. While the Tamil starred Madhavan and Shalini in lead, the Hindi version had Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee reprising the roles. Upon release, the film’s album composed by AR Rahman was a smash hit.