Top Bollywood Remakes of Hollywood Movies

It’s a necessity in the world of movies for filmmakers to be constantly on the lookout for inspiration that they can then turn into captivating and well-received stories up on the big screen. Well, what could be more certain of success than taking inspiration from a movie that has already done amazingly at the box-office? Not a lot, and that’s why remakes are such a modern day phenomenon in movie-making.

Whilst a lot of remakes catch a fair amount of flak for being lazy and totally unimaginative, sometimes it can be fascinating watching a story you’ve already heard being retold in a new way. Bollywood is great at this, where it takes a previously made Hollywood movie and brings a fresh and vibrant twist to the proceedings.

Let’s take a look, then, at some of the top Bollywood remakes of Hollywood movies. Make sure to check if they’re any of the movies that are recently updated on Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming apps, so you can watch them in all their glory.

Kaante (Reservoir Dogs)

When Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs blasted onto the scene back in 1992, it became a real cultural phenomenon. It seemed like overnight, if movies didn’t feature quick and snappy dialogue that was laced with inventive swearing, highly-eccentric characters from the underworld that somehow still seemed to have one foot firmly planted in reality, and graphic yet cartoony violence, all soundtracked by insanely cool songs, then they suddenly seemed about a million years old.

It’s no wonder then that Bollywood wanted to put their own spin on this benchmark Tarantino film, and ten years later, they did, with 2002’s Kaante. This Hindu-language movie was directed by Sanjay Gupta, and featured an ensemble cast of Bollywood royalty, including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, and Kumar Gaurav. The story doesn’t take place in India though, as the action instead remains where Reservoir Dogs was located and centres on Los Angeles.

Sometimes directors can be annoyed when others remake their movies, but Tarantino actually loved the Bollywood remake of his cult hit, with him heaping immense praise on the character development, and the intense storyline that saw so many legendary Indian actors strutting their stuff in LA.

Chaci 420 (Mrs Doubtfire)

Mrs Doubtfire was a massive hit with Western audiences when it was released in 1993. The story had Robin Williams dressing up as a female housekeeper to try and spend some more time with his children during a turbulent divorce. Despite being pretty creepy in theory, the late great Williams’s comedic ability managed to turn it into a heartwarming venture.

It only took Bollywood four years to give it their own go, with 1997’s Chaci 420. The Hindu-language movie was directed by Kamal Haasan, with him also performing the lead role. Interestingly, this version is technically a remake of a remake, as it’s based on the Tamil-language Avvai Shanmugi, released a year before, and which was also starred Haasan. The comedy transferred well to an Indian audience, with both movies being monster successes.

Laal Singh Chaddha (Forrest Gump)

Tom Hanks melted the world’s heart back in 1994, with his mesmerising performance as the lovable titular character in Forrest Gump. Gump might’ve been slow witted, but he was anything but slow when he started running, and the movie was a fascinating journey through his remarkably storied life. Highlights include him teaching Elvis Presley how to dance, earning medals for his heroism in Vietnam, and starting a highly-lucrative shrimp fishing company, all through sheer chance.