Bollywood also makes movies which are highly inspired from the other industries as well. Hollywood is one of them. The remake of the film also attracts the audience and even do better at the box office. There are quite a few to this list but we have shorlisted the top ones for you. So, check them out!
Top 15 Bollywood Films Highly Inspired from Hollywood Movies! Bollywood also makes movies that seek inspiration from Hollywood movies. Some might be direct adaptations or remakes of the film while others might take the story and make it their own by adding some key elements to the movie. Some of these movies have turned out to be Bollywood’s biggest Hits.
Today we will have a look at some of these movies that are definitely inspired from Hollywood movies!
1) Dhamaal (2007) – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
‘Dhamaal’, is one of the most fun-filled movies in Bollywood is an official remake of the American Comedy ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’. The story follows a similar theme where the dying words of a thief, start a cross country rush to find some treasure.
2) Mohabbatein (2000) – Dead Poets Society (1989)
Top 15 Bollywood Films: The Blockbuster ‘Mohabbatein’ featured the two big sharks of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan alongside Aishwariya Rai Bachchan. The two superstars had shared the screen for the first time. And the fans were thrilled to see them battle it out for supremacy. The film is loosely based on ‘Dead Poets Society’ starring the late and great Robin Williams who was one of Hollywood’s biggest and most renowned actors.
3) Baazigar (1993) – A Kiss Before Dying (1991)
The movie ‘Baazigar’ put Sharukh Khan on the list of all the awards shows hosted in 1993. His performance as the antagonist lead character is highly cherishable. However, Matt Dillon’s ‘A Kiss to Remember’ follows almost the exact same storyline. A revengeful main character who unleashes his wrath on a billionaire family by having a relationship with the two daughters of the family and eventually planning their murder. The iconic scene where Shahrukh’s character pushes Shilpa’s character over a building is also shot frame to frame.
4) Ghajini (2008) – Memento (2000)
Top 15 Bollywood Films: Aamir Khan seems to be quite fond of making remakes of Hollywood films as this is not the first or last time, he had made a movie like this. The story of Ghajini and Memento both follow a lead character who is in search of his dead lover’s killer. Both the characters face the issue of short-term memory loss and have tattoo’s engraved on themselves to keep reminding them of what had happened and who they are after. Memento was Christopher Nolan’s claim to fame as he was rising the charts to become one of the greatest directors ever. Aamir did quite a justice to the movie and role as it was a huge commercial hit and fans appreciated it a lot due to his performance and dedication towards the role.
5) Kyon Ki (2005) – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ featured Jack Nicholson as an anti-authoritarian criminal and Louise Fletcher as a nurse who develops a lot of feelings for him. The Bollywood reboot of the movie starred Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the same roles respectively.
6) Chachi 420 (1997) – Mrs Doubtfire (1993)
Adapted from Robin Williams’ ‘Mrs. Doutfire’, Kamal Hassan put together this laugh riot bringing with him great characters like Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and Nassar. Both followed the same plotline of a divorced father trying to stay close to his child/children dressing up as a nanny.
7) Vicky Donor (2012) – Delivery Man (2013)
This is a special entry on this list as this is the only entry that features a film where Hollywood took inspiration from Bollywood and not the other way around. Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Vicky Donor’ was a monumental movie in the new wave of movies that started during the early 2010s. It was his debut movie but it received huge success due to its unusual yet engaging storyline which also brought to light some of the most shunned topics in society today. Bollywood is not always a copycat and writers are talented enough to write up a good script which even catches the eye of Hollywood producers!
8) Kaante (2002) – Reservoir Dogs (1992)
‘Reservoir Dogs’ was Quentin Tarantino’s first feature-length film. It had a budget of just 120,000 USD which went on to become one of the most critically successful movies that Hollywood has ever produced. Inspired from this movie, Sanjay Gupta decided to make ‘Kaante’ which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali and Mahesh Manjrekar in the lead roles. Both the stories follow the lives of a group of criminals who come together to pull off one big plan or heist. Tarantino himself agreed that ‘Kaante’ is his official favourite remake of his movie among all the international remakes that had been made.
9) Thugs of Hindostan (2018) – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl (2003)
As we had promised, here is another entry from Aamir Khan as he attempted to recreate the magic of the POC franchise led by legendary Bollywood Actor Johnny Depp. This time though, his efforts are less as the movie had a lot of hate right after its initial success. The audience had gone into the theatres expecting a magical and fun-filled journey through the waters of India but they received only disappointment as the movie did not live up to its trailers or its budget. Our perfectionists really let us down this time!
10) Josh (2000) – West Side Story (1961)
Mansoor Khan, a director known for making Hollywood remakes was the director of the movie ‘Josh’ which was a direct adaptation of the classic Hollywood movie ‘West Side Story. Both the movies follow the lives of a boy and a girl from rival gangs who fall in love with each other against the will or acceptance of their respective fraternities. The Bollywood Version featured Shahrukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai and Chandrachur Singh in lead roles.
11) Hero Panti 2 (2021?) – John Wick (2014)
Since the new trailers and posters for Heropanti 2 have been released. Fans are in rage due to their lack of originality. The poster seems heavily inspired from the game ‘Hitman’ and the storyline seems awfully familiar to that of John Wick. The second poster seems to be a direct adaptation from John Wick as well. The storyline follows a similar pattern where Tiger Shroff goes on a solo mission. To hunt down a huge mafia gang alone. Keanu Reeves is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. And trying to step into his shoes will be quite a task, even for someone as talented as Tiger. Fans are excited to see what happens next. As the release of the movie had been delayed due to the pandemic.
12) Dhoom 3 (2014) – Prestige (2006)
Top 15 Bollywood Films: Not a huge surprise at this point that this list keeps reverting back to Aamir Khan movies. Although the previous instalments of this franchise are arguably copied or inspired. From multiple different Hollywood movies, this film just makes it too obvious. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Prestige’ starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman is a movie. It follows a very similar climax and overall theme. First of all, the twins, the element of magic and a female character who came to know about their secret. Which they had kept hidden from all of the worlds. Aamir can at least try to make things a bit harder for the fans to figure out. Bollywood walo tumhari aisi ki taisi!
13) Shaurya (2008) – A Few Good Men (1992)
Rising up to Sorkin’s machine-gun dialogue, Samar Khan’s ‘Shaurya’ was always going to fall short of its adaptee. However, putting aside the forgettable performances of Rahul Bose and Javed Jaaferri. The film is in rescue from the grace of Deepak Dobriyal and is an explosive performance from Kay Kay Menon. Menon manages the unthinkable by recreating Nicholson’s stunning act
14) Munnabhai MBBS (2003) – Patch Adams (1998)
Top 15 Bollywood Films: ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ adaptation from the Hollywood Movie ‘Patch Adams’ where both the lead characters are basically goons. They get into a medical school with the help of his sidekicks. The Hollywood version of the movie features Robin Williams in the lead role. While the Bollywood adaptation stars our very own Sanjay Dutt. His role as Munna in this movie was quite inspirational. And helped him define himself as an actor in the later stages of his acting career.
15) Lal Singh Chaddha (2021?) – Forest Gump (2014)
As promised, we leave you with another Aamir Khan remake. The movie ‘Forest Gump’ was a 1994 Blockbuster starring Tom Hanks. Who at that point was arguably the king of Hollywood. It follows the adventures of a dumb witted yet lovable man. He thrives in life due to his hard work and a unique stroke of luck. Tom Hanks won many national awards for his performance in the movie as Forest Gump. The movie also crossed over with actual historic events that had happened in the era that it was focusing on. Fans are on the edge of their seats to see how this one turns out. We hope that Aamir maintains his reputation and doesn’t disappoint us this time.
In closing, even if Bollywood might make movies that are heavily seeking inspiration from Hollywood movies. But ultimately it all comes down to the execution and the hard work of the people behind making the movie. That decides if it will make or break. Simply having a known script doesn’t ensure the success or failure of a movie. It only helps the actors, directors and producers to understand what to do and not to do.
Also, Read Top 10 Bollywood Movies and their Upcoming Sequels. Stay Tuned! (rbollywood.com)