Apart from Salaar, these 6 Indian remakes did better than the original films

Salaar, starring Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, has been doing well at the box office ever since its release on December 22. Directed by Prashanth Neel, the movie follows the friendship between Deva and Vardha, who is a prince of Khansar. It is a widely known fact now that Salaar is based on Prashanth Neel's debut Kannada film, Ugramm. 

Prashanth has said that Salaar is not a remake of Ugramm, but a retelling of his debut film. Speaking of remakes, did you know that the cult classic Bollywood comedy film Hera Pheri was a remake of another cult classic Malayalam film, Ramji Rao Speaking? Or did you know that Shah Rukh Khan’s career-best film Swades was a remake of the Kannada film Chigurida Kanasu? Surprisingly, unlike traditional perception that remakes fail to cross the benchmark set by original films, these movies broke that norm and went on to become successful films, more successful than the original films.

So here’s a list of popular Indian films that outperformed their original movies:

Mimi (Hindi)

Remake of: Mala Aai Vhhaychy (Marathi)

Kriti Sanon's brilliant performance as a surrogate mother in Mimi won her a National Award. The film is the remake of the 2011 Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy, which stars Urmila Kanetkar and was directed by Samruoddhi Porey. This emotional drama narrates the story of a surrogate mother’s love for the child that she bears for a foreign couple. Mala Aai Vhhaychy also received a National Award for Best Feature Film but wasn't as popular as Mimi.

Bodyguard (Hindi)

Remake of: Body Guard (Malayalam)

This 2011 superhit film marked the Hindi directorial debut of the late Malayalam director Siddique. The original film starred Dileep and Nayanthara in lead roles and was a massive hit. However, beating the original film’s box office numbers was the Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer Hindi film Bodyguard, which went on to become a blockbuster. 

Hera Pheri (Hindi)

Remake of: Ramji Rao Speaking (Malayalam)

Can one ever forget Paresh Rawal, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar’s antics in Hera Pheri? The movie, which revolutionised the comedy genre in Bollywood and became a cult classic, was a remake of yet another cult classic Malayalam film, Ramji Rao Speaking, which was directed by director duo Siddique-Lal. The Malayalam movie starred Sai Kumar, Mukesh and Innocent in lead roles. The film became a massive hit, and just like Hera Pheri, it became a pop culture classic. However, Hera Pheri became an even bigger hit, even among non-Hindi speakers.

Tera Naam (Hindi)

Remake of: Sethu (Tamil)

Salman Khan’s Tera Naam, directed by the late Satish Kaushik, has been regarded as one of the actor’s best films in terms of acting. The tragic romantic drama was the remake of the Tamil film Sethu. The Bala directorial starred Vikram; the film was a turning point in Vikram's career. Tera Naam and Sethu narrate the story of a short-tempered college student who loses his mind after the tragic loss of his love. Tera Naam has gone down as one of the best films of Salman Khan.

Drishyam (Hindi)

Remake of: Drishyam (Malayalam)

The blockbuster Jeethu Joseph directorial Malayalam film starring Mohanlal was remade in several languages. However, the Hindi remake of the crime thriller starring Ajay Devgn became the most commercially successful film. Directed by Nishikant Kamat, the film centres around a father who takes extreme measures to save his family from a crime that was committed accidentally. The Hindi film was a huge box office success despite the popularity of the Mohanalal-starrer in the Hindi belt.

Salaar actor Shruti Haasan rubbishes marriage rumours sparked by Orry, asks people to 'calm down' 

Swades (Hindi)

Remake of: Chigurida Kanasu (Kannada)

Shah Rukh Khan’s cult classic hit film Swades is still relevant even after two decades. However, director Ashutosh Gowariker's film was inspired by the 2003 Kannada film Chigurida Kanasu. Although the Sandalwood film, starring Shivarajkumar, Anant Nag and Vidhya Venkatesh, became a critical acclaim, it failed to make a mark at the box office. However, the Hindi remake Swades went on to become a superhit film, which is still loved by many.

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