Changing Trends in Bollywood
Bollywood has witnessed a significant shift in audience preferences, particularly when it comes to remakes. The recent failure of Varun Dhawan’s film ‘Baby John’ has sent a strong message to the industry. Despite being released during the Christmas holiday, a time considered ideal for masala films, ‘Baby John’ struggled to earn even Rs 30 crore at the box office in 5 days.
Public’s Interest in Remakes Waning
Before the lockdown, remakes were a surefire way to deliver hit films in Bollywood. However, with the rise of OTT platforms, the public’s interest in remakes has begun to dwindle. The success of Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Kabir Singh’, a remake of Vijay Deverakonda’s Telugu film ‘Arjun Reddy’, can be attributed to the fact that most people had not seen the original film in Hindi. However, when Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Jersey’, a remake of the Telugu film ‘Jersey’, was released, it flopped, as the original film was widely available on OTT platforms.
Industry’s Failure to Adapt
Despite the failure of several remakes, including ‘Bachchan Pandey’, ‘Selfie’, ‘Tadap’, ‘Shehzada’, ‘Thank God’, and ‘Vikram Veda’, the industry has been slow to adapt. The recent release of ‘Sarfira’, a remake of Tamil star Suriya’s film ‘Soorarai Pottru’, which was released directly on OTT, was expected to flop, and it did. The film’s poor performance has reinforced the notion that remakes are no longer a viable option for Bollywood.
‘Adaptation’ vs. Remake
‘Baby John’ producer Atlee attempted to rebrand the film as an ‘adaptation’ rather than a remake, citing changes to the story. However, the public was not convinced, and the film’s poor reception was largely due to its association with the original ‘Theri’. The Hindi dubbed version of ‘Theri’ has been widely available on TV and YouTube, making a remake unnecessary and unwise.
A Lesson for Bollywood
The failure of ‘Sarfira’ and ‘Baby John’ serves as a wake-up call for the industry. As the public’s preferences continue to shift, Bollywood must adapt and focus on creating original content rather than relying on remakes. The mantra for 2025 should be clear: ‘remakes are not to be made.’