Even as the wait continued for normalcy to resume across the country and films to get back on the floors, there is widespread excitement around checking out what do the top stars and superstars have to offer in time to come. While majority of the big stars have at least one major biggie up their sleeves, incidentally there are South remakes which are turning out to be hot favorites amongst them as well. Let’s take a look.
Akshay Kumar – Laxmmi Bomb [Kaanchana]
The only South remake that is in fact complete is Laxmmi Bomb. Though the principle shooting of this Raghava Lawrence remake of his own Kaanchana is through, its just the VFX that remains. Akshay Kumar is known for making three to four movies every year and this time around he has caught fancy of this horror-comedy around which there are rumors of OTT release.
Akshay Kumar – Bachchan Pandey [Veeram]
Another South remake that Akshay Kumar is doing is Bachchan Pandey. The film is an official remake of Ajith Kumar starrer Veeram [2014]. Sajid Nadiadwala, who is known for picking up the germ of an idea from South films and then bringing his own take on it, is ensuring that director Farhad Samji makes Bachchan Pandey as yet another pan-India affair.
John Abraham – Ayyappanum Koshiyum remake
This one is the most recent announcement to have come in for a film that released just a few months back. Ayyappanum Koshiyum is a riveting dramatic thriller with Prithviraj Sukumaran & Biju Menon in the lead and now John Abraham would be remaking it in Hindi. Though it is yet uncertain whether John would be seen as an actor as well, expect a cat & mouse game here.
Kartik Aaryan – Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo remake
Another Telugu remake which is already hot in the Bollywood circuits is Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. The film, which released earlier this year, already holds the distinction of being the biggest Telugu hit in Andhra Pradesh outside Baahubali which pretty much tells volumes of its popularity. Kartik Aaryan indeed has a job in hand to full the big shoes of this Allu Arjun entertainer.
Shahid Kapoor – Jersey remake
Other than Laxmmi Bomb, one South remake which has actually seen substantial shooting been completed is Jersey. Based on the namesake Telugu film featuring Nani in the lead, this one is an emotional father-son tale with cricket as the backdrop. For Shahid Kapoor, this would be his second consecutive South remake after Kabir Singh which was based on Arjun Reddy.
Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan – Vikram Vedha remake
Though an official confirmation around Vikram Vedha remake is yet to come, there is strong buzz that Aamir Khan & Saif Ali Khan have signed up for the remake of this Tamil film which has been in news ever since its release. This Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi starrer is one of the best thrillers to have come out of the Tamil film industry and now Bollywood should benefit.
Ajay Devgn – Kaithi remake
Of late, Ajay Devgn too has started working on multiple films and now looks at at least two to three releases every year. One such film that he has planned ahead for him is the remake of Karthi starrer Kaithi. The action thriller was released just late last year and soon enough rights were picked up for the Hindi remake. The film is expected to arrive towards the end of 2021.
Sidharth Malhotra – Thadam remake
The last major announcement made just before the lockdown was announced, Tamil action thriller Thadam would soon feature Sidharth Malhotra leading the show from the front. The original with Arun Vijay in the lead had released early last year and was always hot in the remake circuits. With Sidharth showing his mettle as an action hero after Marjaavaan, one awaits this one.
Ahan Shetty – Tadap [RX100]
If not for the corona virus scare, Ahan Shetty could well have made his debut in 2020 with Tadap, remake of Telugu hit RX 100. A relatively small film, this Kartikeya Gummakonda led romantic action dramatic thriller was a surprise success at the box office. Now producer Sajid Nadiadwala is scaling it up further with director Milan Luthria for this Ahan Shetty launchpad.
Karan Johar’s next – Dear Comrade
Vijay Devarakonda became an overnight sensation in south after Arjun Reddy and then found quite some visibility come his way after Shahid Kapoor reprised the role with Kabir Singh. Impressed, Karan Johar picked the rights for Vijay’s Dear Comrade. Though he is currently making another film with the actor, for Dear Comrade hunt is still on for its Bollywood hero.