Post-pandemic most remake films in any language have been flops. But the unexpected success of Drishyam 2 in Hindi has again given rise to the debate if remakes are still feasible.
Recently Megastar Chiranjeevi’s GodFather, despite getting decent reviews, flopped at the box office. And the main reason for its flop status was its remake factor and the half baked second half. The audience had already seen the original Malayalam film Lucifer in Telugu dubbed version.
But on the other hand, Drishyam 2’s Hindi version wasn’t available online which gave the Hindi remake a huge boost. Also, there was a huge recall value to the film as the first part was a big hit on Television and the audience wanted to know what happens to Ajay Devgn’s family in the second part. There was a huge undercurrent among the audience which resulted in bumper collections all over, which the trade never expected.
Coincidentally, both are Mohanlal films.
Recently many remake films like Jersey, Vikram Vedha, and Ori Devuda bit the dust because their original versions were available in many languages on OTT platforms and the majority of the audience had no interest to watch them in theaters again.
Remakes can still work if they have strong content, solid recall value, and most importantly if the original films are not available in dubbed languages on OTT platforms.
