India’s two prominent leading industries in films and television, Bollywood and Southern cinema, has made tremendous box office records in the recent past. Be it Tollywood’s Baahubali or Bollywood films like Kick and Singham, both the industries are ‘A listers’ in the game. But, who stands superior between the two is a question many movie buffs still debate without reaching a conclusion. Let’s find out which films were better; the original or the remake?
Kick and Kick (Telugu)
The action packed thriller film, which showcases a common man fighting against corruption by becoming a modern day Robin-Hood (almost a superhero). The original film Kick starring Ravi Teja and Ileana D’Cruz, went on to become a blockbuster and spawned a sequel titled Kick 2. But, in terms of box office collection the story is pretty much different. Bollywood remake broke several records and went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all time. Thanks to the Salman Khan factor, the film beats the original.
Dabangg and Gabbar Singh (Telugu)
Salman Khan starrer Dabangg was huge success in the Indian and Overseas market and fetched numerous awards and recognitions. But Pawan Kalyan’s remake Gabbar Singh was no less! The remake starring Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Hassan was one of the highest grossing films at that time and became a blockbuster because of the star power added to it. The film not only did commendable at the box office but also garnered rave reviews from the critics. The remake gave a tough competition to the original in this case
Singham and Singam (Tamil)
Every fan falls in love with the fearless cop, Singam/Singham, and the proof to their admiration was the box office collections and critical appreciation. While Singham did better at the box office, Singam was way better in terms of performances and plot of the film. Nonetheless, Ajay Devgn starrer was one of the top grossing films of 2011 and Surya’s franchise Singam is one of the leading franchise in the Tamil cinema
Force and Kaakha Kaakha (Tamil)
Both the films marked a turning point in the lead actor’s career. While John Abraham’s remake gave himself a much-needed push, Surya’s Kaakha Kaakha also marked his first commercial and critical success after quite some time. The Hindi film did an average job at the box office but garnered much acclaim for the performances of the actors. Kaakha Kaakha was not only a critical success but went on to become a blockbuster as well.
Rowdy Rathore and Vikramkudu (Telugu)
Don’t angry me! remember the popular dialogue, But where did it originate from? Vikramkudu, the original Telugu film starring RavI Teja was made on a mere budget of Rs 10 crore but went on to become a super hit and celebrated 100 days at the box office. Coming to Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore, a remake with slight variations (not really noticeable) became a massive hit and became Akshay’s first solo film to enter the prestigious 100-crore club. While both the films share a fair amount of critical success, Akshay’s remake was way ahead in terms of box office collections
Wanted and Pokiri (Telugu) and Pokiri (Tamil)
A three-way dance between three languages! Pokiri (Telugu) starring Mahesh Babu was the original film that passed on the baton to Bollywood and Tamil Cinema with Salman Khan and Vijay as the protagonist respectively. But undoubtedly, Mahesh Babu’s Pokiri stands atop the mountain. Look at the number of remakes it had. Salman’s Wanted did a fair job and became his comeback film and Vijay’s film also became the first Rs. 75-crore film in Tamil cinema back in 2007. But nobody can replace the legacy of the original in this specific case.