The remakes of southern films are working wonders in Bollywood. Many A-list actors such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn seem to prefer remakes of popular south films as they have proved to be successful in Bollywood too.
For instance, after starring in back-to-back flop movies, Salman chose "Wanted" - an action entertainer from the south. "Wanted" a remake of "Pokiri" has been big hit in Tollywood (original version is in Telugu) as well as in Kollywood (Tamil remake). Directed by dubuant Prabhu Deva, "Wanted" was a blockbuster in Bollywood. The film's success put Salman back on track in the Hindi film industry.
Following the success, Salman went on to star in southern remakes including "Ready" and "Bodyguard". The movies not only fared well at the box office, but also joined the elite ₹100-crore club. Aamir Khan's "Ghajini" (a remake of its namesake in Tamil) was well appreciated by critics as well as moviegoers. His tonsured head and masculine looks won him accolades.
Akshay Kumar's "Rowdy Rathore", Ajay Devgn's "Son of Sardaar" and "Singham 2" all did good business. It seems Bollywood wants to continue with this blockbuster trend, looking at the number of upcoming southern remakes.
Here is the list of upcoming south remakes in Bollywood:
Salman Khan's "Mental"
After the super success of "Dabaangg" and its sequel, Salman is back to feature in a southern remake. "Mental", which stars Daisy Shah and Sana Khan alongside Salman, is a remake of Telugu film "Stalin".
"Stalin" was originally directed by A R Murugadoss, who became popular in Bollywood circuits with his hit movie "Ghajini." Salman plays the role of a social messiah in the movie. It is directed by Salman's brother Sohail Khan.
"Mental" is slated to release on 22 November.
Akshay's yet-to-be titled film with A R Murugadoss
Director A R Murugadoss is back in Bollywood after a span of five years, when his first film in Hindi - Ghajini"- was released. He is directing Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in an untitled project which is a remake of Tamil film "Thuppakki".
"Thuppakki" starred popular Kollywood star Vijay who did a special appearance in "Rowdy Rathore's" "Jintha tha" song. "Thupakki" is an action entertainer in which the hero appears as a captain in the Indian army.
The hindi version went on floors in January and is expected to get released by this year.
Akshay Kumar in yet another remake
Akshay Kumar will play the lead in yet another southern remake which was also directed by A R Murugadoss. The Tamil version named "Ramana" was released in 2002 and is one of the biggest blockbusters in the Tamil film history. It is an action entertainer where the hero works towards abolishing corruption.
Debutant Girish Kumar's "Ramaiya Vastavaiya"
After two back-to-back hits, director Prabhu Deva is busy working on his most-anticipated movie "Ramaiya Vastavaiya". The film features debutant Girish Kumar (son of producer Kumar Taurani) alongside Shruti Haasan.
The first look poster and the film's trailer have already raised a lot of hype among moviegoers. "Ramaiya Vastavaiya" is a remake of Telugu film "Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana". It was a blockbuster in Tollywood and remade in Kollywood as "Unakkum Ennakkum" which again proved to be a box office hit.
Sanjay Dutt's Policegiri
"Policegiri" is the remake of Tamil film "Saami" starring south actor Vikram (of "Raavan" fame) and Trisha.
Actor Sanjay Dutt has completed 95 percent of the film's shoots. The actor essays the role of a tough cop in the film. Prachi Desai plays the female lead. It is directed by K S Ravikumar, who is a well-known commercial director in south films.
"Policegiri" is expected to release on 14 June.
Neil Nithin Mukhes's Shorcut Romeo
Actor Neil Nithin Mukhesh's "Shorcut Romeo" is an upcoming romantic thriller movie featuring Pooka Gupta and Ameesha Patel in the female leads. The film is a remake of 2006 super hit south movie "Thiruttu Payale" directed by Susi Ganesan. He is making his debut with "Shorcut Romeo" in Bollywood.
Salman Khan's "Kick"
Salman is all set to star in another remake of southern film. The film titled "Kick" is a comedy-action-thriller flick, which is currently at the pre-production stage.
Latest buzz is that actress Deepika Padukone will reportedly play the female lead. If the reports are true, then this would be the first movie in which Deepika woud be paired with Salman Khan.
Pizza
The Hindi remake of Tamil film "Pizza" was bought by Bejoy Nambiar. It is a horror film written and directed by debutant Karthik Subbaraj. The cast and crew of the Hindi film are yet to be announced.
Kandireega
According to some reports, director David Dhawan will cast his son Varun Dhawan in the Bollywood remake of Telugu rom-com film "Kandireega." The film is reportedly produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures.
Earlier in January, Varun told Indo-Asian News Service, "I am doing a film with Balaji Motion Pictures, for which work has already begun."
"The film is a remake of Telugu film Kandireega," Girish Johar, head of acquisition and distribution, Balaji Motion Pictures," told IANS.
Filmy Picture:
This is a spoof movie starring Riteish Deshmukh. It is the Hindi remake of Tamil film "Tamizh Padam".
