Bollywood has never shied away from remakes. Many of the blockbusters in Bollywood are remakes. Recently we have seen many Bollywood movies officially remade from Tollywood super hits. ‘Wanted’ is a classic example of a movie making it big in Bollywood as well as Tollywood. What we do not know is that the South Indian film industry has always been an inspiration for Bollywood movies. Here we look at some super hits of yesteryears and their cinematic inspiration.
10. Darr – Preethse (Kannada)
This classic psycho movie that made stalking a scary thought was considered the break through movie of the 90’s. The Shahrukh Khan-Sunny Deol-JuhiChawla starrer made everyone feel bad for the poor girl being stalked by a psychopath in every walk of life. This movie was inspired by a similar south Indian movie named Preethse which showed a similar storyline.
9. Mr. India – En RathathinRathame (Tamil), Jai Karnataka (Kannada)
This movie about the boy next door turning into a superhero was a true inspiration for all. Many even tried to develop the watch that turned Anil Kapoor into a invisible hero that fought against the evil of the society. This movie was inspired by two south Indian classics. So much so that Mogambo was originally featured in the Tollywood movie and was not an original Bollywood creation.
8. Mard– Maaveeran (Tamil)
This Amitabh Bachchan starrer that saw a young man fight against the British regime was the ultimate macho representation of the Indian hero. Many took inspiration from Amitabh Bachchan’s character and made him a hero in real life as well. This movie was also inspired from Rajnikanth starrer Maaveeran that was equally inspiring.
7. GolMaal – ThilluMullu (Tamil), AasegobbaMeesegobba (Kannada), SimhavalanMenon (Malayalam)
This classic comedy movie has gained cult status in the history of Indian cinema. The amazing chemistry between AmolPalekar and UtpalDutt had the audience roaring in laughter. This movie was inspired by three equally funny movies from the south – ThilluMullu, AasegobbaMeesegobba and SimhavalanMenon.
6. Don – Billa, Yugandhar, Shobaraj (Malayalam)
This movie saw Amitabh Bachchan in a double role. One a don and the other trying to portray him to bring down his empire. This was however inspired by three amazing south Indian movies.
5. Amar Akbar Anthony – John JafferJanardhanan (Malayalam), Ram Robert Rahim (Telugu)
This is another classic story about three brothers separating at birth and re-united through fate. The movie also tried to minimize the communal hatred in the country. However this Amitabh Bachchan blockbuster was inspired by two very similar films from the south – John JafferJanardhan and Ram Robert Rahim.
4. Deewaar – Thee (Tamil), Magadu (Telugu)
This powerful Amitabh Bachchan – ShashiKapoor movie was an inspiration to many. The movie saw many sub plots – brother against brother, evil turns good and so on. However this classic was inspired by two movies from the south – Thee and Magadu, that saw equally powerful performances.
3. Yaadon Ki Baaraat – NaalaiNamadhe (Tamil), AnnadammulaAnubandham (Telugu)
This amazing story of brothers separating when they were young and reuniting during their youth was a classic NasirHussain movie that changed the face of family story telling. The movie also witnessed the debut of Aamir Khan as a child artiste. This was inspired by two movies of the south – NaalaiNamadhe and AnnadammulaAnubandham, with a similar storyline.
2. Bawarchi – Samayalkaran (Tamil)
This classic Rajesh Khanna starrer won a lot of hearts for showing what a person could do for love. This movie was however inspired by a classic from the south – Samayalkaran, that won equal accolades.
1. Seeta Aur Geeta– Vani Rani (Tamil), Ganga Manga (Telugu)
This classic HemaMalini in a double role was inspired from two movies of the south. The story lines were pretty similar and the stars were also up to the caliber of HemaMalini.