The trend of remaking South Indian blockbusters in Bollywood is well established, with mixed results at the box office. However, a recent development is taking this trend a step further: the creation of sequels for these remakes, which themselves are based on existing South Indian films.
This phenomenon is exemplified by the “Baaghi” franchise. All three “Baaghi” films are remakes of South Indian movies – “Varsham,” “Kshanam,” and “Tadakha” respectively. Now, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is replicating this strategy with “Dhadak” and its upcoming sequel.
Released in 2018, “Dhadak” launched actress Janhvi Kapoor and was a remake of the Marathi film “Sairat.” The upcoming “Dhadak 2” will feature an entirely new cast and crew and will be a remake of the Tamil blockbuster “Pariyerum Perumal.” Both films explore the sensitive topic of honor killings within the context of inter-caste love stories.
This approach raises several questions. Will audiences embrace sequels to films they might not even recognize as remakes in the first place? Can the emotional core of the original South Indian films be effectively translated twice, through a Hindi remake and then a sequel to that remake?
The success of “Dhadak 2,” starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri and slated for release in November 2024, will be a key indicator of the audience’s receptiveness to this new iteration of the remake formula. It remains to be seen whether this trend signifies a lack of original ideas in Bollywood or simply a strategic attempt to capitalize on proven storylines from other regional industries.
