During the early years, when filmmakers didn't worry about intangible concepts like 'copyright' or bother about 'official' remakes, Malayalam cinema unabashedly borrowed from mainstream Hindi hits. Films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Majboor and Anand were remade into Malayalam films without batting an eyelid. Similarly, one of Malayalam cinema's most prolific and popular filmmakers Priyadarshan's early films were heavily 'inspired' from Sai Paranjpe's works such as Katha and Chashme Buddoor.
Priyadarshan of course then went on to become a small-scale industry in himself who officially remade several Malayalam hits into Hindi - from Gardish, Hulchul and Bhool Bhulaiyya to Hera Pheri, Dhol and Billu - they've all been remakes of hugely successful Malayalam films.
With Malayalam cinema increasingly getting eyeballs outside Kerala and finding a non-Malayali audience, here are 10 excellent Malayalam films that might be getting a Bollywood version soon.
1. Mumbai Police (2013)
The oldest film in the list of remakes from Malayalam - Rosshan Andrrews' Mumbai Police originally starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Jayasurya, should have been picked up for a Hindi remake a long time ago. Written by Bobby-Sanjay, the film needs a producer and lead actor to play Antony Moses. A star who can see the potential in the script and commit to it without worrying about silly notions of image or mainstream viability. Last heard, the script was with Varun Dhawan.
2. Bangalore Days (2014)
Anjali Menon's mint fresh 'new-gen' cinema winner Bangalore Days was one of the first Malayalam films to find a non-Malayali audience. The original superhit had a dream cast of Fahadh Faasil, Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salmaan, Nazriya Nazim and Parvathy Thiruvothu. Producers Dil Raju and PVP Cinemas quickly snapped up the remake rights of Bangalore Days in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages. Sushant Singh Rajput was reportedly interested in co-producing and acting in the Hindi remake of the film, but that was not to be. The Tamil remake Bangalore Naatkal (2016) was a disaster at the box-office, which might have put the aspiring producers on a back foot.
3. Angamaly Diaries (2017)
Lijo Jose Pellissery's Angamaly Diaries blew quite a few minds when it was repeatedly shown in Mumbai for weeks at screenings organised by cinephiles. Producer Vikram Malhotra had reportedly picked up the Hindi remake rights in 2018 and the project is still in its pre-production stage. A Telugu remake titled Falaknuma Das was released which couldn't recreate the magic of the original. Interestingly, a Marathi remake titled Kolhapur Diaries directed by Joe Rajan was also bankrolled and a 'first look' was released in late 2018, however 4 years later, there's still no news of the film.
Angamaly Diaries is so rooted in the cultural ethos of its location, its language, its food which includes of all kinds of meat, and the brilliance of the film and its onscreen attitude has so much to do with Pellissery's style of storytelling that it will be difficult to replicate.
4. Mayaanadhi (2017)
Aashiq Abu's soulful Mayaanadhi starring Tovino Thomas and Aishwarya Lekshmi has been a personal favourite. Written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair, though plot driven, Mayaanadhi is also so much about the chemistry between the lead pair - John and Aparna's doomed love story leaves you with an aching heart.
A Hindi remake of Mayaanadhi was announced in 2018, once again to be directed by Joe Rajan. There's been no news of the project since.
5. Ishq (2019)
Written by Ratheesh Ravi and directed by Anuraj Manohar, Ishq featuring Shane Nigam and Ann Sheetal is an excellent thriller. It starts off as a breezy romance and enters the hostage thriller zone, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats, and then goes on to add another layer to its narrative. One can easily imagine a Hindi remake set in present day Uttar Pradesh.
Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey bought the Hindi remake rights and last heard the film was to be directed by Shashant Shah with names like Junaid Khan (Aamir Khan's son) and Ritwik Bhowmik (Bandish Bandits) being considered for the lead. The biggest challenge however will be to replace Shine Tom Chacko from the original. Who can play Alwin as creepily as he did?
6. Driving Licence (2019)
An intense face-off between a movie star and his ardent fan is the plot of this critical and commercial hit starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu. Both the actors are in top-form in the film, bringing in the believability required to make this battle of egos a thrilling roller coaster ride. Due credit also needs to be given to the late Sachy's tight script and Lal Jr's engaging storytelling.
The Hindi remake will reportedly see Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi step into Prithviraj and Suraj's shoes respectively and the film is to be directed by Raj Mehta (Good Newwz).
7. Helen (2019)
Anna Ben's Helen will find a Hindi audience as Janhvi Kapoor's Mili. The survival thriller was picked for Janhvi by her father Boney Kapoor, who is co-producing the film along with Zee Studios. The original Malayalam film won the National Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Mathukutty Xavier and Anna received a special jury mention at the Kerala State Awards for her performance. The Hindi version will have Sunny Kaushal playing Janhvi's boyfriend and Manoj Pahwa in her father's role (played by Lal in the original). The Hindi remake might just live up to the original because the story is hugely plot driven and it's being directed by Mathukutty who helmed the Malayalam one too.
8. Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020)
One of my top favourites from last year, Ayyappanum Koshiyum is a superbly written and crafted film by the late Sachy. Here again it's primarily an intense clash of larger than life egos (like in Driving Licence) - this time its of an entitled ex-army man and a frustrated sub-inspector whose paths cross one fateful night. Both Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon have delivered one of their career best performances in the title roles as Ayyappan and Koshy.
John Abraham, who is also co-producing the remake, will clash with Arjun Kapoor in the Hindi version, after Abhishek Bachchan excused himself owing to budget issues. John steps into Biju Menon's character while Arjun will be reprising Prithivraj's role. The Hindi film is being directed by Jagan Shakti, who has Mission Mangal behind him.
9. Nayattu (2021)
This is another remake being co-produced by John Abraham. Nayattu is a powerfully told story, though also criticised for its flawed depiction of caste dynamics in Kerala. With top notch performances by Kunchacko Boban, Joju George and Nimisha Sajayan, and ably directed by Martin Prakkat, Nayattu plays out like a thriller and social drama. Again, here's a film that depends heavily on getting its casting right and its social setting in order.
10. Home (2021)
The latest Malayalam film to find a home in Bollywood is Rojin Thomas' Home. Vikram Malhotra's Abundantia Entertainment will be making Home with the original producers, Friday Film House. The feel-good story of a technologically challenged father, who wants to reconnect with his children in the current digital world, is universal and should easily find an audience up north if done right.
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