After Hollywood, it's now time for the South...

It's no secret that our Hindi film industry enjoys being 'inspired' by many Hollywood flicks, but with movies such as Kambakkht Ishq, Short Kut ' The Con Is On and Wanted; it seems as if Bollywood has shifted it's base down South.

 

Akki and Bebo's much anticipated romantic comedy, Kambakkht Ishq, is actually a remake of 2002 Tamil hit, Pammal K.  Sambandam directed by Kamal Hassan.  Producer Sajid Nadiawala had to shell out Rs. 7.5 million to acquire the remaking rights of this film.

 

Similarly, Short Kut and Salman Khan starrer Wanted are remakes of Malayam movie Udayananu Tharam and Tamil film Pokhiri respectively.

 

The copy game seems to have kept Bollywood afloat in the past few years with fewer production houses favouring original scripts over remakes that have been approved by audiences elsewhere.  But with successes, there have also been many blunders.

 

However Short Kut producer Anil Kapoor stated that this trend was purely a consumer-driven call.

"Actually it was not my idea to adapt a south Indian film... as a consumer I had seen this film in Malayalam and loved it. I thought it will be great to make the film in Hindi. I spoke to Anees Bazmee (who has written the script) about it and he too liked the idea of adapting it for a Hindi film," the actor-turned-producer said.

One of the most successful adaptations of Southern films has undoubtedly been Aamir Khan's Ghajini, which grossed Rs. 290 crore worldwide.

We will have to wait to see, if the Southern wonders can liven up the 70 mm screen once again.   Author: Tomiko