Five Hindi Blockbusters And Their Tamil Remakes Nobody Asked For

Tamil and Telugu films getting a Hindi remake is so passé. But what if five impossible-to-remake Hindi films begged for Tamil versions? And what if two TR fans with a lot of time in their hands are tasked to find a cast and crew for these remakes? Here's what the minutes from that extremely important conversation would look like. 

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…

Karan Johar pulled off a huge casting coup in K3G. The film brought together big stars from across generations. If the film were to be remade today, perhaps, only someone like Shankar or Mani Ratnam could ever assemble such a cast in Tamil. But, the theme of K3G seems right up director Vikraman's alley, what with his track record of successful films centred around large families and the complications of relationships. Director Pandiraj, with his recent successes Namma Veettu Pillai and Kadaikutty Singam, might also be an interesting option. So, what about the cast?

Sivaji Ganesan and Saroja Devi have to play Amitabh Bachchan's Yashvardhan Raichand and Jaya Bachchan's Nandini Raichand. It's hard to think of a more apt casting; the confrontation near the end of the film, between the patriarch and his wife, would be exciting. And what if Suriya and Jyotika reprise the roles played by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol? Suriya would be perfect as the dutiful son of Yashvardhan. You would believe that he is both a good son and a good father.

 With Suriya playing Rahul Raichand, it seems a no-brainer to cast Karthi as Rohan, his brother and peacemaker in the film. Amy Jackson might be just right for Kareena Kapoor's Pooja, a character who has partly grown up in London. And what do you think of Asin for Rani Mukerjee's Naina?

 Dil Chahta Hai

The format of this breezy, coming-of-age film was already adopted by director I Ahmed in Endrendrum Punnagai. It was, of course, a less edgier take on Dil Chahta Hai, but the director might still be a good choice for the remake. Maybe, Gautham Vasudev Menon is a more interesting option. His sensibilities are somewhat similar to Farhan Akhtar's, so one can trust him to recreate the film's essence, while making the film his own.

 Which star today can play the young and urbane Akash Malhotra, one of Aamir Khan's good roles? Simbu would be a great choice. Santhanam, with his comic timing, could play Saif Ali Khan's Sameer. If you think he is not quite the heart-throb that Saif is, how about Dulquer Salmaan? Akshaye Khanna's Sid is trickier to cast because he's a relatively serious character. GV Prakash or Arya, maybe?

And, music has to be by Harris Jayaraj. All of us would like to have our Ullam Ketkumae days back.

Rockstar

It's the easiest to decide who should be doing the music for Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar — AR Rahman, of course. But, it's pretty hard to cast for Ranbir Kapoor's Janardhan (or JJ). It's an intense role that needs a young and charismatic actor. There's suffering, aggression, and moments of vulnerability in the character — it needs a performer.

Dhanush? Possible, but he might not have the appearance of a rockstar. But the actor has, through his body language and powerhouse performances in the past, made us believe that he was a dreaded don in Pudhupettai, a middle-aged father of two in Asuran, and a local dada in Maari. We are so taken by his performances that we forget how he looks physically. Sai Pallavi could play Nargis Fakhri's Heer.

Can someone other than Imtiaz Ali himself remake his films? Kanden Kadhalai was no Jab We Met. So, maybe, Imtiaz should remake it himself into Tamil.

The Dhoom Series

We've always been missing out on a series like Dhoom in Tamil. Not only are they buddy cop movies, but they also form a mega-action franchise that can afford to cast just about anyone as the villain. Someone like Vishnuvardhan could perhaps direct the series, because he's not only proved that he's great with a remake (Billa), giving it his own spin, he's also got the skillset to shoot high-speed action scenes and chases — the essence of Dhoom (not to be mistaken with the late Jeeva's Dhaam Dhoom). Or, if the heist portions need to take precedence, how about someone like Nalan Kumarasamy doing his Soodhu Kavvum thing with Dhoom?

Playing Abhishek Bachchan's role should be an actor like Sarathkumar or Arjun, who we can easily identify as an upright cop. And how about Sivakarthikeyan playing the loveable sidekick? Of course, there's no replacing Pritam as the film's music director.

For the villains of the three films, Vikram can play the villain in the first film, reprising John Abraham's role. It would also be incredible to see Ajith reprise Hrithik's role from the second film, rocking the anti-hero role again. And for the biggest film of them all, wouldn't it be brilliant to see Kamal Haasan himself, that too in a double role, playing the villain in a huge action movie? 

Student Of The Year

Like any other industry, we too need a franchise like SOTY to ensure some fresh blood gets pumped into the industry every five years or so. Only a flashy director like Atlee can do justice to such a film because it's all about glamour and drama in sports. He can perhaps call upon GV Prakash for the songs or maybe even Anirudh, the favourite among youngsters. 

As for the cast, how about SOTY being the launch vehicle for an actor like Dhruv, instead of Aditya Varma? Harish Kalyan too would be a great choice to play the other lead. As for the role played by Alia, one can't think of another actor but the talented Kalyani Priyadarshan to play Shanaya. The title? As a tribute to the much-loved director Kathir, why not name it Kalluri Salai? 

Who do you think should act in the fictional remakes of these films? Wouldn't Vijay be  great in a Tamil version of War? How about Rajini playing the father of four daughters in a film like Dangal? Feel free to add on.  

(With inputs by Ashutosh Mohan)