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Bollywood looking to the South for inspiration is not new. However, recently an incredible number of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada movies are being adapted for Hindi audiences. In fact, almost every other big Hindi film announcement this year has been a remake. Almost every successful South film has a Hindi remake in the works. Post the stupendous success of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Kabir Singh, we're seeing more directors from the south remaking their own movies again in Hindi. In 2021 alone there have been 15 official announcements of remakes, many more in the works and several like Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey that are completed but unreleased.
The original is a 2017 Tamil film starring R Madhavan as a police inspector named Vikram and Vijay Sethupathi as a drug smuggler named Vedha. The film is a modern thriller adaptation of the well-known folktale Betaal Pachisi. Director duo Pushkar-Gayathri – who helmed the original – will also direct the Hindi remake. Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan are set to star in the two key roles, and the film is slated for release on 30th September 2022.
This 2020 film stars Suriya and is based on the journey and struggles of a young man who dreams of launching a low-cost airline in India. The original was inspired by the book Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey by G. R. Gopinath, based on his own life. The film went straight to OTT due to the pandemic. Suriya is co-producing the remake and the director of the original Tamil film, Sudha Kongara, will return to helm the Hindi version.
Following the trend of Hindi remakes being directed by the creators of the original, the remake of Telugu cop thriller HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) will also begin production this year. Director Sailesh Kolanu will also helm the Hindi version. The film is a story of a policeman on the trail of a missing woman. While Rajkummar Rao has been cast as the cop, Sanya Malhotra is starring too. Kolanu plans to expand the franchise in multiple languages, with different cases focusing on different characters. Bhushan Kumar, Dil Raju, Krishan Kumar and Kuldeep Rathore will be producing the film.
U-Turn was originally released in Kannada (2016) starring Shraddha Srinath in the lead role. The film follows a newspaper reporter who is investigating multiple accidents that keep happening on the same flyover, and gets framed for the murder of a man. It was remade in Malayalam in 2017. Samantha Akkineni played the lead role in its Tamil-Telugu versions in 2018. Alaya F is playing the lead in the Hindi remake, which is being produced by Ekta Kapoor. The project was set to begin production on July 6, 2021, with debutant director Arif Khan at the helm.
Telugu film Naandhi is about IT professional Surya (Allari Naresh), who is wrongly framed in a high-profile murder case. Aadhya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), plays a fresh out of law school graduate. They team up to prove his innocence, going up against corrupt politicians and policemen. Ajay Devgn acquired the rights for a Hindi remake recently and will be producing it with the producer of the original, Dil Raju.
Janhvi Kapoor will be playing the titular role in the Hindi remake of this Malayalam survival thriller. The film is being directed by Mathukutty Xavier, who also directed the original. The remake will be shot in North India, and director Mathukutty Xavier and his crew are currently scouting for appropriate locations. Helen was praised by the audience and critics alike, with Anna Ben winning a Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award for her performance in the original. Production is slated to start in August, after being delayed due to lockdown curbs.
This Telugu blockbuster is also being remade in Hindi. Allu Arjun was the star of the original, which was a drama action film. After being patronised by his father his whole life, Allu Arjun's character learns his true parentage and tries to fit into a new family. The project is titled Shehzaada, and Rohit Dhawan (Dishoom) is directing. Kartik Aaryan will be playing the lead.
The Bollywood remake of the 2017 Kollywood movie Maanagaram is titled Mumbaikar. The original is about four youngsters who move to a big city and become tangled in crime, lies and revenge. It is being directed, written, edited as well as produced by Santosh Sivan, and marks the Bollywood debut of Vijay Sethupathi. Vikrant Massey will be playing the lead role, with Tanya Maniktala, Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey and Sachin Khedekar co-starring. The original was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starred Regina Cassandra, Sri and Sundeep Kishan.
Anniyan is a 2005 Tamil psychological thriller about a lawyer with multiple personality disorder. He becomes frustrated with the inequality in society and develops another personality – a vigilante who fights for justice. The film won a National Award for Special Effects. Ranveer Singh will star in the Hindi-language remake of this 2005 Tamil blockbuster. S. Shankar, who directed the original, will direct the remake produced by Pen Studios and God Bless Entertainment.
Fatima Sana Shaikh will play the lead role in the Hindi adaptation of this 2017 Tamil blockbuster. Aruvi tells the story of a woman who faces several hardships, including AIDS and sexual assault, after being kicked out by her family for bringing shame to them. Applause Entertainment has collaborated with Faith Films for the remake, which will be directed by E Niwas. The original, directed by Arun Prabu Purushothaman, starred Aditi Balan.
John Abraham is producing the Hindi remake of the hit Malayalam drama, which starred Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon. The film is about the conflict between an ex-army havaldar and a sub-inspector. Both of them have strong egos and clash so fiercely that their lives are almost ruined because of it. The remake does not have a director yet.
Aditya Roy Kapur is reprising Arun Vijay's double role, in the remake of this 2019 hit Tamil film. Debutant director Vardhan Ketkar will helm the film. Bhushan Kumar's T-Series and Murad Khetani are producing. The original is about a murder investigation, during which the police find two probable suspects who look alike but do not know each other.
Ajay Devgn has also acquired the rights to Telugu crime comedy Brochevarevarura. The film follows three friends who plan a kidnapping that goes wrong. The original film starred Sree Vishnu, Nivetha Thomas, Nivetha Pethuraj and Satyadev Kancharana in the lead roles. The remake will reportedly star Karan Deol alongside Abhay Deol, the rest of the cast is yet to be announced.
One of this year's most acclaimed movies, Nayattu is a Malayalam film about three cops on the run. The remake rights for the film have been acquired in multiple languages, including Hindi. John Abraham's JA Productions holds the rights for the Hindi remake, director Martin Prakkat announced. While Allu Arjun will be producing the Telugu version, the Tamil adaptation is being helmed by director Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Good Luck Jerry, starring Janhvi Kapoor, is a remake of Kolamavu Kokila. The 2018 Tamil film featured Nayanthara in the role of a woman who gets involved in a drug ring to earn some quick cash. Produced by Aanand L Rai, the Hindi remake releases in 2021 and the poster has already been revealed.