Hugh Grant Birthday Special: 5 Romcoms of the British Icon That Inspired These Bollywood Movies of Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, and Shahid Kapoor
Nowadays, Grant is more into grittier stuff, like in Cloud Atlas, The Man From UNCLE, The Gentlemen, quite a change from geekily romantic he used to do. As Hugh Grants turns a year older, let's look at five popular movies of his that inspired some well-known Bollywood blockbusters.
Every '90s kid knows how huge of a heartthrob Hugh Grant was in the era. Thanks to the successes of films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility, Mickey Blue Eyes and Bridget Jones Diary, Grant was a popular pinup boy. While it was romantic comedies that made him very well-liked, Grant had also ventured into serious and even darker territories, though with less success, with films like Bitter Moon, Night Train to Venice, Extreme Measures etc. Happy Birthday Hugh Grant! From William Thacker in Notting Hill To Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones' Diary, Here Are His Best Films!
Nowadays, Grant is more into grittier stuff, like in Cloud Atlas, The Man From UNCLE, The Gentlemen, quite a change from geekily romantic roles he used to do. As Hugh Grant turns a year older, let's look at five popular movies of his that inspired some well-known Bollywood blockbusters.
Nine Months - Salaam Namaste
Hugh Grant played a man confused with the change in his love life when his girlfriend, played by Julianne Moore, gets pregnant. The 1995 film, also starring Jeff Goldblum as Grant's friend, is most remembered for the late Robin Williams' hilarious cameo in the end. Robin Williams Birth Anniversary Special: 5 Times How Jumanji Star Inspired Popular Bollywood Characters of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kamal Haasan.
Nine Months was the inspiration for Siddharth Anand's Salaam Namaste, starring Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Arshad Warsi. In Robin Williams' shoes steps in Abhishek Bachchan.
Notting Hill - Humko Deewana Kar Gaye
Notting Hill, directed by Roger Michell, is considered as one of the most loved romantic comedies ever made. The 1999 film has Grant's book shopkeeper seek romance with a Hollywood star, played by Julia Roberts, who land in his shop one unexpected moment. Ronan Keating's popular romantic song "When You Say Nothing at All" belongs here. The Gentlemen Movie Review: Hugh Grant Is an Absolute Scene-Stealer in Guy Ritchie’s Thrilling Crime Caper.
In 2006, the late Raj Kanwar made Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Anil Kapoor, which was loosely inspired by Notting Hill.
Mickey Blue Eyes - Welcome
This crime comedy, directed by Kelly Makin, has Hugh Grant's British auctioneer find himself trapped in crime syndicate after falling for a gangster's daughter.
The movie inspired another Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer, Welcome, that had him romance the sister of a gangster, while trying to get his future brother-in-law and his right-hand man on the right path. The comedy, also starring Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar, was a big hit.
Two Weeks Notice - Kismat Konnection
Two Weeks Notice is yet another hit romantic comedy of Hugh Grant, where he gets to clash and then romance always-dependable Sandra Bullock. Bullock is an environmental lawyer who crosses paths with Grant's real estate developer over the redevelopment of a community centre.
Aziz Mirza's Kismat Connection is loosely based on this film, with Shahid Kapoor playing a down-on-luck architect and Vidya Balan being an activist.
Love, Actually - Salaam-e-Ishq
Richard Curtis' 2003 film is a multi-narrative romantic drama, featuring an ensemble cast including Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson among others. Grant plays the newly elected UK Prime Minister, who falls in love with his household staff.
Speaking of which, in Bollywood, we had Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq. While it doesn't share the same plot as Love, Actually, the movie borrows the multi-narrative style and use of ensemble cast to tell six love stories. Well, five love stories and one comedy track! Salaam-e-Ishq stars Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar.
Interestingly, one iconic scene in Love, Actually - where Andrew Lincoln's character silently professes his love to Keira Knightley's through placards - was borrowed in Rohit Shetty's Dilwale, with the scene featuring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2023 09:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).