Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani-starrer romance drama Kabir Singh, an official remake of Telugu mega-blockbuster Arjun Reddy, are the top grossing Indian film of 2019 so far. Kabir Singh pulled over Rs 370 crore in a peachy global theatrical income, making it Shahid's largest earning solo film. The initial version, Arjun Reddy, starring Vijay Deverakonda, gained a total of Rs 50 crore globally, recovering more than 400 percent of the investment, and catapulted Vijay to stardom. Now, his latest release, Dear Comrade, has already been sold to Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, one of the commonly publicized movies in recent times.
Simmba, an official remake of Telugu blockbuster Temper, and Baaghi 2, adapted from Telugu mystery thriller Kshanam, were among the top 10 largest grossers in Bollywood in 2018. In reality, Simmba was one of the four Hindi films to accumulate a worldwide total of Rs 400 crore and above last year.
Firstpost speaks to renowned business analysts and trackers in the entertainment industry to investigate how South remakes become strong money-spinners in Bollywood, and why Hindi movies bet heavily on South Indian cinema.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says Firstpost, "This trend began in the 1960s when a couple of South Indian filmmakers re-released their films in Hindi. It was a very good trend at that moment. Jeetendra re-started the trend in the 1980s and it gained a larger boost when films began to succeed at the box office, and performers from the South also forayed into Bollywood. Sridevi was resurrected in Himmatwala, a South Indian remake. And then, many performers like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna involved in South Indian remakes. Then Salman Khan was quite popular when he did Wanted (remake of Telugu movie Pokiri). In reality, Aamir Khan's Ghajini (Ghajini's Tamil remake) was the first Indian film to gross domestically Rs 100 crore.
Trade analyst Girish Johar says, "I wouldn't say it's a fresh trend. Bollywood has traditionally churned out a lot of South Indian remakes. Suddenly, there was a downtrend when a lot of initial storytellers came to the scene. Now, Kabir Singh has rekindled the trend and manufacturers are looking for excellent tales from the South. But there's a periodic exchange of movies between the two.
Speaking of Kabir Singh's blockbuster achievement at the ticket window, Adarsh says, "Kabir Singh has achieved phenomenal company, brave rains, World Cup cricket, and a string of fresh releases. It only proves that individuals have embraced the material. Remaking a South Indian film in Hindi, the benefit is that it's a tried-and-tested formula.
Indian entertainment industry tracker Ramesh Bala observes, "In India's northern and western regions, single-screen owners and exhibitors complain about the absence of content as the mushrooming of new-age storytellers in Bollywood largely caters to multiplex audiences. However, in Tamil and Telugu, where single-screen presence dominates the sector, most films are produced for the c.
Salman Khan's Kick, an official remake of Telugu movie Kick, was the actor's first film to sail past Rs 400 crore in global ticket sales. After launch, Aamir Khan's Ghajini turned out to be the largest grossing Indian film of all time in 2008, before 3 Idiots outperformed the AR Murugadoss-directed film in 2009. In his career, Akshay Kumar was part of nearly 15 remakes of South Indian movies in Bollywood from Hera Pheri to Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Rowdy Rathore.
"I think South Indian cinema has a larger-than-life screen portrayal of characters than Bollywood. Films like Simmba also featured larger-than-life storytelling, and it's commonly valued by the audience here. Akshay Kumar, in specific, has mastered adapting South movies and has now lined up Ikka (remake of Kaththi), Bachchan Pandey (remake of Veeram), and Laxmmi Bomb (remake of Kanchana).
Other South Indian films to be remade in Hindi include Tamil blockbuster Vikram Vedha, who starred Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi as policeman and gangster respectively. The Bollywood grapevine is already abuzz with reports that Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan are in talks to be part of the movie. Top Bollywood studios are also negotiating the rights of Nani's Telugu sports drama Jersey. The upcoming release of Sanjay Dutt, Prasthanam, and the remake of Telugu film RX 100 by director Milan Luthria are some of the upcoming South films that will be refurbished in Bollywood.
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