As Vikram Vedha hits the theatres this week, experts share how remakes can make a mark and not tank at the box-office

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Whether it’s dearth of original content or love for well-made regional cinema, more and more Bollywood remakes are coming our way. As Vikram Vedha, remake of a 2017 Tamil film by the same name, hits the theatres this Friday, we ask experts why the remake trend thrives despite many films tanking at the box-office, and also how remakes should be made to keep business afloat.

Old ways

Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh (remake of Arjun Reddy) was a hit at the box-office while Jersey was a flop show. The directors of Kabir Singh and Jersey, Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Gowtam Tinnanuri, were the ones who helmed Telugu blockbusters Arjun Reddy and Jersey too!

Film critic and business analyst, Taran Adarsh explains, “One cannot blame the makers for these remakes as these were planned long before. However, they should bring some variations in the script to suit the audience.”

Filmmaker-actor Rahul Mittra too believes that the human mind has the ability to create and innovate, he says, “Although I’m not a fan of remakes, they too involve imagination and creativity. But blatant copying is an absolute no.” Mittra thinks traditionally remakes worked, as big stars came on board, but, “After Covid, the star system is more or less decimated.’

Story of failures

As for OTT releases, Akshay Kumar-starrer Cuttputlli (Ratsasan, Tamil) couldn’t find an audience, whereas Good Luck Jerry (Kolamaavu Kokila, Tamil) did. Instead of adding to the narrative, Cuttputlli lacked in the same departments as the original. Jahaan Chaar Yaar director Kamal Pandey says, “Some stories work in South India, but not in the Hindi belt. So, before selecting a film, one has to understand the target audience. Although I do believe a good story works worldwide. And for all those films which couldn’t create magic for the audience, be it in theatre or on OTT, it’s the story which failed, not the remake trend.”

Deciding factor

Punjabi director Mandeep Chaahal, known for films Munda Faridkotia and Nidarr, is eagerly waiting for Drishyam 2 and calls Vikram Vedha a promising remake. He adds, “There is no formula to make a hit film. No one knows what will work at the box-office. Whether it’s a fresh film or a remake, there should be something that should connect with people.”

Director of Pardesi Babu Manoj Aggarwal vouches for PS1 over Vikram Vedha, “Many remakes have been made in the past two years, such as Soorarai Pottru and Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, which isn’t a good sign.”

Get set to watch these movies

Original (Language-year) Hindi remake cast

• Drishyam 2 (Malayalam, 2021) Ajay Devgn and Tabu
• Kaithi (Tamil, 2019) Ajay Devgn and Tabu
• Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu, 2020) Kartik Aaryan (Titled: Shehzada)
• Joseph (Malayalam, 2018) Sunny Deol (yet untitled)
• Veeram (Tamil, 2014) Salman Khan (Titled: Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali)
• Driving Licence (Malayalam, 2019) Akshay Kumar (Titled: Selfiee)
• Thadam (Tamil, 2019) Aditya Roy Kapur (Titled: Gumraah)
• Soorarai Pottru (Tamil, 2020) Akshay Kumar (yet untitled)
• Master (Tamil, 2021) Salman Khan (yet untitled)
• Naandhi (Telugu, 2021) Ajay Devgn (yet untitled)
• Helen (Malayalam, 2019) Jahnvi Kapoor (Titled: Mili)
• Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (Tamil, 2016) Varun Dhawan (Titled: Sanki)
• Anniyan (Tamil, 2005) Ranveer Singh (yet untitled)
• HIT: The Second Case (Telugu, yet to release) Rajkummar Rao
• F2: Fun and Frustration (Telugu, 2019) Arjun Kapoor (yet untitled)
• The Great Indian Kitchen (Malayalam, 2021) Sanya Malhotra (yet untitled)