Indian cinema can't get enough of reboots, Tumhari Sulu to be remade in Tamil

While Bollywood is known for picking up films from other segments of the Indian cinema to be remade in Hindi, it too has been an inspiration many times. And this time, it is Vidya Balan’s Tumhari Sulu that will be remade in Tamil, titled Kaatrin Mozhi, which will release on October 18 this year.

Starring Vidya Balan, Tumhari Sulu ended the actor's dry spell at the box office. The film collected Rs 32 crore and remained in theatres for a long time and even new releases didn’t disrupt its long run.

Tumhari Sulu’s strong box office performance could be a contributing factor in the success of Kaatrin Mozhi as film trade analysts believe that there is an advantage in doing a remake. If the film has already tasted commercial success with the audience, the chances of the remake succeeding becomes higher.

Even the film industry down south has been an inspiration for Bollywood. Films like Ghajini, Bhool Bhulaiya, Force, Wanted, Rowdy Rathore and Singham that saw commercial success were all South remakes. In fact, south Indian remakes have taken a big leap in Bollywood with the action genre. Ranveer Singh-starrer Simmba, which will release on December 28, is inspired by Telugu hit film Temper.

Remakes seem a viable trend for all the sections of the Indian film industry as avenues for remaking a film is higher in India, thanks to the diverse content produced from the Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and regional markets. Be it Bollywood or South or Marathi or Gujarati, if a film is both critically acclaimed and a box office success, it gets picked up for a remake.

The Gujarati film industry took inspiration from its Marathi counterpart. The 2016 release Natsamrat, which was both critically acclaimed and a box office success, is being adapted in Gujarati and is scheduled for August 30 release. Natsamrat had clocked Rs 38 crore at the Indian box office.

Trade pundits dub reboots safe choices as they are a tried-and-tested formula. Financially, refashioning an existing film is less risky than trying something from ground zero. Film executives, too, find comfort in the familiar.