Okay, I realise that the title of this feature may sound sacrilegious to many. After all, every film in this list is an unofficial remake of their Hollywood or Bollywood counterpart, and a couple of the originals are classics. So how can a remake be better than the original? Knowing the history of cinema, there have been a cases where the remakes have been far better than the original, that range from Scarface to Ocean's Eleven to A Star is Born. Lockdown Watch: 12 Malayalam Whodunits Featuring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran to Check Out on Hotstar While in Coronavirus Quarantine.

Speaking of Malayalam cinema, while it has inspired remakes in other languages, the filmmakers in the industry have also looked upto films in other languages to be remade. Priyadarshan has always been accused of plagiarising foreign and other Indian language films as subjects of his movies. But he is not the only one, even acclaimed directors like Kamal and Sathyan Anthikad have looked to other language-films for inspirations. Even during the late '80s-early '90s period that was considered the golden age of Malayalam cinema. But on occasions, these remakes have been as good as the original, and in the below cases, arguably even better.

Mukundetta Sumithra Vilikkunnu

Mukundetta Sumithra Vilikkunnu and Katha Posters

The Remake: Katha

Pretty sure that many eyebrows will be raised over this entry, but do hear me out. Sai Paranjpye's classic, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Dipti Naval and the late Farooque Shaikh,  is a twist on the old hare-and-the-tortoise tale with the hare winning over the good-hearted amphibian. What I like better about the Malayalam remake, made in 1988 by Priyadarshan, that while it remains faithful to the original, the movie also remains faithful to the fable. Mohanlal is incredible as the meek-mannered Mukundan, but it is Sreenivasan who has a blast as Mukundan's friend, who is a cunning manipulator but gets his just desserts in the end. The film is funnier than the original, and the supporting characters are way too good and hilarious. Also it touches your heart when Sumitra, in the end, confesses to the hero that she has been in love with him all along, something that wasn't in the original. Confirmed! Mohanlal's Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 2 Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak.

Thoovalsparsham

Thoovalsparsham and Three Men and a Baby posters

The Remake: Three Men and a Baby

Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 cult comedy film starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson, about three bachelors staying together who have to take care of a baby girl abandoned at their doorstep. Kamal remade the film in 1990 as Thoovalsparsham, starring Jairam, Mukesh, Saikumar, Urvashi, Ranjini and Suresh Gopi. While the basic premise remains the same, Kamal had ditched the drug deal subplot from the original and instead, made the film more emotional, especially in the concluding portions. So by the time, you see the three heroes gaze at the baby's toy hanging from the ceiling, after they give her to her original parents in the finale, pretty sure that tears will be streaming from your eyes. And to think, these very same men were acting like total creeps in the beginning!

Aayushkalam

Aayushkalam and Ghost posters

The Remake: Ghost

The 1990 Hollywood film, Ghost, was a huge hit during its release, and won Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (the movie also won Best Original Screenplay). But let's be honest, this supernatural romantic thriller is mostly remembered these days for that erotic pottery scene between Demi Moore and the late Patrick Swayze set to the tune of "Unchained Melody". The remake, Aayushkalam, that came out in 1992, was more of a dramedy, directed by Kamal (again). Told through the eyes of Goldberg's stand-in, played by Mukesh's character, who is turned into heart patient, who gets a heart transplant from an accident victim, only to begin seeing his dead donor's ghost everywhere. Aayushkalam only borrows a mere strand of Ghost's premise - a  ghost using a human to find who killed him, Kamal makes the film stand out from the remake with its humorous and emotional scenes, and for Jairam and Mukesh's heartwarming camaraderie. Or for the matter, just for that Ouseppachan track "Mounam Swaramayi" is enough for us Mallus to rank Aayushkalam over Ghost.

Malootty

Malootty and Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure posters

The Remake: Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure

Both Malootty, directed by the late Bharathan, and the English television movie are inspired by the same real-life incident of a girl trapped in a drill hole and the rescue operations that ensued to save her. What makes the Malayalam film better than the English one, is the family drama that precedes the rescue, which fleshes out the characters real well, thus making the family's crisis even harder and more gripping to watch. Also, let's not forget it has the Bharatan touch!

Yodha

Yodha and The Golden Child posters

The Remake: The Golden Child

The Eddie Murphy-starrer came out in 1986 and was a box-office success. The Malayalam remake, directed by Sangeeth Sivan (wit score by AR Rahman), came out in 1992 and starred Mohanlal, Jagathy Sreekumar, Madoo and Puneet Issar. The remake plays down the fantasy portions and makes it more of an action-adventure film, with more focus on the bonding scenes between a pursued Lama boy and his Malayali saviour, played by Mohanlal. The final action scenes between Lal and a formidable Puneet Issar are terrific. But what makes Yodha a real treat is the comedy scenes between Lalettan and Jagathy, the latter being in one of his finest forms here!

Aanaval Mothiram

Aanaval Mothiram and Short Time posters

The Remake: Short Time

The 1990 film Short Time is about a cop, who thinks he is going to die due to a disease (he isn't, his blood gets switched), and hence begins to be a daredevil in his career, so that if he dies during duty, the insurance money goes to his family. The Malayalam movie also has the same premise - here the police officer, played by Sreenivasan, is cowardly, but changes his attitude when he learns he is 'dying'. But Aanaval Mothiram, directed by GS Vijayan, feels more relevant because it is works as a satire on Kerala politics, and the merging of the protagonist's predicament with the political setting makes the film all the more entertaining.

Udayananu Thaaram

Udayananu Thaaram and Bowfinger posters

The Remake: Bowfinger

The 1999 underrated comedy Bowfinger is about Steve Martin's director who tries to make a film with Eddie Murphy's superstar, but by filming him without his knowledge and using his doppelganger. Rosshan Andrrews' directorial debut is fascinating take on the superstar politics involved in the cinema industry through the experiences of a film-time film director, played by Mohanlal. Andrrews only borrows a little from the Hollywood film, for its climax, but overall, Udayananu Tharam is a well-made film that works both as a satire, a light-hearted entertainer, and a dramatic telling of a director wanting to bring his vision to life.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2020 06:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).