16 Bollywood Movies That Are Remakes Of South Films

Bollywood has lost its originality as it indulges in endless movie remakes for the sake of profits. For some time now, Bollywood moviemakers have started picking up tried and tested storylines from regional films to serve their audience. Sometimes remakes did hit the mark, there are many which failed to even come close to the originals. Here are 16 Bollywood movies that were remade from South Indian films:

Popular Bollywood Movies Remake Of South Indian Movies

1. Tere Naam (2003)

Salman Khan’s super-hit movie Tere Naam is not an original. Rather, it is a remake of the 1999 Tamil film Sethu, which starred super talented Vikram. The original film was directed by Bala, whereas the Hindi remake was helmed by Satish Kaushik.

2. Laxmii (2020)

Like the original Tamil hit Kanchana, Akshay Kumar starrer Laxmii focuses on the ostracization of the trans community but for a limited time. Even though the original is equally problematic as the remake; it manages to pull some laughs that the remake fails to!

3. Kabir Singh (2019)

Kabir Singh is the remake of Arjun Reddy. Though both the movies were huge hits at the box office, both suffered from the glorification of the sexist and toxic protagonist!

4. Ok Jaanu (2017)

Focused on modern-day complex relationships, Ok Jaanu is the remake of Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani (O Kadhal Kanmani). While the original movie captured innocence and love, the remake had much less to offer to its fans, except PDA. Though the audience loved the original, the remake miserably bombed at the box office!

5. Kick (2014)

Starring Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez, Kick is a remake of a 2009 Telugu action comedy that stars Ravi Teja & Illeana. No one would deny that with logic-defying action stunts and a sloppy plot, this movie is a remake that we never needed!

6. Simmba (2018)

The remake of the 2015-Telugu hit film Temper, Ranveer Singh starrer Simba failed to create a similar buzz as that of the original.

7. Hera Pheri (2000)

This cult classic comedy is a copy of the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, which in turn was loosely based on the 1971 television film See The Man Run. 

Also Read: 12 Heartbreaking Bollywood Movies That Will Leave You Crying for Days

8. Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)

Starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan, this hit movie was an official remake of the 1993 Malayalam film, Manichitrathazhu. Later, the film was remade in Tamil (Chandramukhi) and in Bengali (Rajmohol).

9. Swades (2004) 

Starring Sharukh Khan, this Bollywood hit was based on a real-life story by K. Shivaram Karanth in his novel, Chigurida Kanasu. Do you know this story was adapted into a Kannada film in 2003?

10. Jersey (2022)

Jersey captures the struggle of a good father and how he is willing to go to any extreme to keep his son happy. Cricket acts as a key theme to move the story forward. Jersey, the Hindi remake of the 2019 Telugu film Jersey, is about cricket and a father-son relationship.

11. Ghajini (2008)

Starring Amir Khan, this movie was a remake of a 2005 Tamil film, which was also directed by A R Murugadoss. The original starred Suriya, Asin, and Nayanthara in the lead roles. Do you know both the films became huge hits?

12. Drishyam (2015) 

In 2013, the original Malayalam version of the movie was released. Post which, the movie was remade as Drishya (2014) in Kannada, Drushyam (2014) in Telugu, Papanasam (2015) in Tamil, and Drishyam (2015) in Hindi.

13. Nayak: The Real Hero (2001)

Starring Anil Kapoor, Nayak was a remake of the Tamil film Mudhalvan (1999). Both films were directed by S. Shankar. Do you know A.R. Rahman’s music from the Tamil version was reused along with Hindi lyrics. 

14. Virasat (1997)

Do you know Virasat was an adaptation of Kamal’s earlier Tamil movie – Thevar Magan. He didn’t only write the movie but also played the lead role. 

15. Sadma (1983)

Sadma was a remake of 1982 Tamil film Moondram Pirai. Yes, and both the films featured Kamal Haasan and Sridevi.

16. Saathiya (2002) 

This Mani Ratnam hit was a remake of his own Tamil movie – Alaipayuthey (2000). The movie featured Madhavan and Shalini in lead roles. A.R. Rahman composed the music for both versions. But, the Hindi lyrics were penned down by Gulzar. 

Have you watched them all?

*All images are screengrabs from respective movies.