14 Funny Bollywood Movies That Were Inspired by Hollywood Hits

The Indian movie industry is very fruitful and popular. Since 2007, this country has been a leader in the number of movies produced there: for example, in 2018, India produced 2,446 movies. However, there are a lot of problems with Indian movie production, for example, the fact that many movies are remakes or even copies of Hollywood movies. Still, many movies were very well-accepted by the Indian audience.

We at Bright Side wanted to find out which iconic Hollywood movies were the sources of inspiration for Indian directors and how they adapted them to their culture.

1. Léon (1994) and Bichhoo (2000)

In the Indian version of Léon, Mathilda is at least 18 years old and her criminal guru is around 30. So, there’s a romantic plotline in the film. The general plot is the same: the girl loses her parents and wants to avenge them. She finds a killer that teaches her the art of his craft.

2. Rain Man (1988) and Yuvvraaj (2008)

The story is almost identical: the main character and his brother get a very small inheritance from their father and the biggest part of the money goes to another brother that suffers from autism. They try to get the money from the poor guy, but in the end, they become close to him. The Indian director added a big romantic plotline to the film and several unexpected twists.

3. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Chachi 420 (1997)

The main character divorces his wife and loses the right to see his daughter (there were 3 children in the Hollywood version). Dressed as a woman, he presents himself as a babysitter for his own children.

4. Disclosure (1994) and Aitraaz (2004)

In the original movie, the main character meets a woman he knew who tried to have a relationship with him. The Bollywood version is a bit more complicated in terms of the love story, but the overall plot is the same: an angry woman accuses the main character of harassment.

5. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Bunty Aur Babli (2005)

In the Hollywood version, Bonnie falls in love with Clyde when he tries to steal her mother’s car. After that, the couple become criminals together. The Indian version shows a different story: a boy and a girl that grew up in poverty leave their parents, meet each other, and become criminals.

6. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and 3 Deewarein (2003)

In this case, the Indian movie is very different from the original. The creators added another main character — a girl that comes to the prison to make a documentary about 3 convicts that will be executed. And then she helps one of them escape.

7. Scarface (1983) and Agneepath (1990)

The Bollywood version of the western film even has its own remake that was released in 2012. All the films are about a criminal.

8. Confidence (2003) and Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005)

2 frauds trick a dangerous mafia boss. The results are tragic: one of them dies and the other one has to play very serious games to save his own life.

9. Lolita (1997) and Nishabd (2007)

A 60-year-old photographer is happy that his daughter came to his place and he pays a lot of attention to her friend. The Indian Lolita is at least 18 years old.

10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Sangharsh (1999)

The relationship between Clarice and Dr. Hannibal Lecter in this remake is very different. The young and inexperienced Indian FBI agent meets a killer (the Indian version of Lecter, that doesn’t eat people) that helps her catch a maniac. Then, the girl and the professor have a relationship that ends in a tragedy.

11. Hitch (2005) and Partner (2007)

This Indian movie copies the Hollywood film almost completely. A bookkeeper is in love with his boss, but because he’s shy, he can’t tell her about it. This is why he goes to a love “guru” that helps men win women’s hearts.

12. Dead Poets Society (1989) and Mohabbatein (2000)

The Bollywood version took the main character from Dead Poets Society. A music teacher tries to change the teaching methods in a prestigious boarding school for boys. But while John Keating was teaching kids literature and art, the Indian teacher teaches boys how to win women over.

13. The Godfather (1972) and Sarkar (2005)

The Indian movie centers around a big mafia boss that tries to keep his territory under control. He starts fighting another criminal gang and pulls his own son into the conflict.

14. Pretty Woman (1990) and U R My Jaan (2011)

According to the Indian story, this girl wants to be a Bollywood star. Of course, there’s a lot of trouble along the way, and in the most hopeless moment, she meets an incredibly rich man.

Do you watch Indian films? What is your favorite film?