Can a remake ever recreate the beauty of the original? Is the remake better in terms of catering to the needs of the regional audience? This is a never-ending debate. Whilst both sides have strong arguments, the audience seems to be reluctant to welcome remakes. Regardless, no amount of pressure from meme-makers and critiques has deterred the Telugu filmmakers from making more remakes from other languages. The trolling remakes face on social media only serve as publicity.
No publicity is bad publicity. The tremors Bheemla Nayak, a remake of the Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum, has created is a testament to this fact. Some Telugu film fanatics, though ardent lovers of the original, are equally hyped for Bheemla Nayak and so are the Powerstar fans. Comparisons have been drawn and Bheemla Nayak has passed the litmus test of delivering a mass, action-packed superhit.
Many believe remakes are purely for commercial purposes and have no artistic value. Although, the following remakes have tipped the scales in favour of the remake trend in Tollywood. Here is a list of Telugu movies that changed the way we view remakes:
Uma Maheshwara Ugra Rupasya
Uma Maheshwara Ugra Rupasya, Venkatesh Maha’s ground-breaking remake of the Malayalam flick, Maheshinte Prathikaaram, has tipped the scales in favour of remakes. This movie, though strictly sticks to the original screenplay, adds the flavour of the native setting of Araku, making it relatable to Telugu audiences. This is a landmark movie that made the audience rethink their negative opinion on remakes.
Narappa
Venkatesh Daggubati proved himself as an actor yet again in this remake of Dhanush’s Asuran. This breathtakingly raw retelling by Srikanth Addala came as a surprise, considering that family dramas and romcoms were his forte. This remake was a well-deserving justification to Vetrimaaran’s original and hence well received by the audience.
Dhruva
Ram Charan’s Dhruva introduced us to a new side of the very talented actor. Many are of the opinion that this is one of those rare instances where the remake outperformed the original. Aravind Swamy, who also starred in the original Tamil version, Thani Oruvan, won the hearts of the Telugu audience too.
Drushyam
This is a remake of the blockbuster Malayalam movie Drishyam. This movie proves that retelling a story to a different audience is also an art. Mohanlal’s original and Venkatesh’s remake are both equally great in terms of narration, cinematography, and editing.
Oh! Baby
This film which establishes Samantha as a versatile, glamorous, and layered actress, is a remake of a South Korean film, Miss Granny. Director Nandini Reddy has taken great care to do total justice to the original, all while making it relatable to the Telugu family audience.
Gabbar Singh
After facing a few flops at the box office, Pawan Kalyan came back with a bang in this blockbuster of a remake. The fervour Salman Khan generated in Bollywood with Dabangg, was multifold in Tollywood with Power Star’s Gabbar Singh. Though the storyline pretty much remained the same, the power-packed performances delivered the commercial hit the audience sought.
Khaidi no. 150
It would be a crime not to mention Mega Star’s comeback film in this list. This remake of Thalapathy Vijay’s Kaththi caught the mass pulse and did justice in terms of appeasing the fans. The emotional impact carried by the original flowed through the remake as well.
Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.
This list is incomplete without the old-school Chiru’s remake of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., which took everyone by storm. Both the films were blockbusters and are still among the top favourite movies for many.
Thimmarusu: Assignment Vali
Kannada films need more recognition. Not many are aware that Satyadev’s Thimmarusu is a remake of Birbal Trilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni. Satyadev received a lot of praise for his mature acting in this remake. This is a case of the remake bringing the original into the limelight.
Kapatadhaari
Yet another Kannada film, with a compelling storyline, called for a remake. The Sumanth starrer was filmed simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil. Both the remakes brilliantly maintained the rhythm of the original, Kavaludaari.
So do you prefer originals or Telugu remakes? Comment below and let us know!
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