Mammootty Birthday Special: 10 Popular Movies of the Malayalam Megastar That Were Remade in Bollywood With Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn!

Mammootty is turning 69 on September 7, 2020, but man! You can just cut off a couple of decades less from his age, for that's how young he looks. One of the two reigning superstars for nearly three decades, the other being Mohanlal, Mammootty continues to rule the silver screen with his powerful performances and charisma. Even with the advent of younger stars in the competition, including his own son, Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty's pedestal stays strong. From 1982 to 2019, Mammootty’s Transformation Through Historical Sagas Proves He Is the Fittest Malayalam Superstar!

A lawyer by education, Mammootty begun his long illustrious career starting off as an extra in the 1971 film Anubhavangal Paalichakal. His first leading role was in the 1980 film Mela. The mid-80s saw his rise as a superstar with films like Athirathram, Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, New Delhi etc. In career spanning 49 years, Mammootty has won three National Film Awards, seven Kerala State Film Awards, 13 Filmfare Awards, 11 Kerala Film Critics Awards and five Asianet Film Awards, not to mention, Padma Shri.

He has also worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Some of his popular films have also been remade in other languages, including Hindi. Here's a look at 10 popular films of his that were remade in Bollywood with some big stars.

Yathra

Directed by Balu Mahendra, Yathra itself is a remake of his own Telugu film. The movie stars Mammootty and Shobana in the lead, and is about a man who returns to his lover after spending years in jail imprisoned for being mistaken for a Naxalite.

Remade As: Milan

Mahesh Bhatt's 1995 romantic thriller starring Jackie Shroff and Manisha Koirala in the lead is loosely inspired by Yathra.

Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal

This 1986 film, directed by Fazil, has Mammootty play a loner who finds himself protecting an orphaned deaf-and-mute kid, from the deadly killer of his mother.

Remade As: Hatya

Kirti Kumar remade the Malayalam film in Hindi with his brother Govinda in the lead, and Neelam as his love interest. Baby Sujitha who played the kid in the original reprised the role in the remake, and so did Babu Antony as the killer. Unlike the original film, where Mammootty's character dies in the end, Hatya has a happy ending.

New Delhi

New Delhi is an iconic crime thriller directed by Joshiy. Mammootty plays GK, an investigative journalist, who is falsely imprisoned by a corrupt politician and a businessman. After his release, he slyly takes his revenge on them by beginning a newspaper of his own and using his friends from prison to help him carry out the vendetta. Year Ender 2019: These 10 Movies of Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Asif Ali, Parvathy Had Won Our Hearts This Year.

Remade As: New Delhi

Joshiy himself directed the Hindi remake, retaining most of the cast from the original. However it is Jeetendra who steps into Mammootty's shoes. Unlike the original which was a huge hit at the box office, the remake didn't work well.

Oru CBI Diary Kurippu

Oru CBI Diary Kurippu flagged off not only the most successful franchise in Mollywood, but is also one of the best suspense thrillers made in Indian cinema. His almost non-violent but brilliant Sethuraman Iyer is one of the most cult characters in Malayalam cinema.

Remade As: Police Public

Not many Mammootty fans know this, but Oru CBI Diary Kurippu had a Bollywood remake, starring the late Raaj Kumar, taking on Mammootty's role and Naseeruddin Shah doing the character that the late Sukumaran did in the original.

No 20 Madras Mail

This Joshiy film is most remembered by both Mammootty and Mohanlal fans for being the best film starring the powerful duo. Mammootty plays himself who takes to titular train to Madras for a shoot, where a girl gets killed during the journey, while the suspicion falls on Mohanlal's character and his friends. Mammootty later helps them out, believing their innocence and also aids them in bringing the right culprit to justice. Did You Know Juhi Chawla Almost Romanced Shah Rukh Khan, Mammootty and Mohanlal in a Single Movie? This Picture Is Proof!

Remade As: Teesra Kaun?

In Teesra Kaun?, it is Mithun Chakraborty who plays the superstar, while Chunky Pandey takes on Mohanlal's character. Directed by Partho Ghosh, the movie also stars Jaaved Jaaferi, Somy Ali, Rakesh Bedi, Satish Shah and Amol Palekar. The title song of the film was quite popular.

Parampara

Mammootty had a double role in the film, of that of an estranged father and son. The father is a don, and the son is someone who doesn't want anything to do with his father's criminal activities, so he stays away from him. However, he had to seek his father's help when his own son gets kidnapped. Also stars Sumalatha and Suresh Gopi.

Remade As: Phool Aur Kaante

Ajay Devgn's lead debut was loosely inspired by Parampara, especially the plot element of him being the son of a don, played by the late Amrish Puri, and his child being kidnapped. Phool Aur Kaante, a huge hit, is still popular for Devgn's iconic entry scene.

Mazhayethum Munpe

A lovely romantic drama, this Kamal film is a love triangle between a professor, his fiancee and his student who falls for his tough demeanour. Also starring Shobana, Annie and Sreenivasan, Mazhayethum Munpe was a hit at the box office and also is loved for its soundtrack.

Remade As: Zameer

Kamal later remade the film in Bollywood with Ajay Devgn, Mahima Chaudhry and Ameesha Patel. Unlike the original, Zameer has action and thrill elements, keeping its male lead actor's macho image. Zameer couldn't bring the audiences to the theatres even with this new treatment and was a disaster at the box office.

Hitler

This Siddique-Lal family entertainer was a huge hit at the box office. Mammootty plays the overprotective brother of five pretty sisters, who beats up the young men trying to woo his siblings. It has both comedy and drama, with Mukesh and Jagadeesh handling the comic portions with aplomb, and Mammootty tackling the dramatic and action scenes with ease. Also stars, Shobana, Vani Vishwanath, Saikumar, Innocent, Chippy among others. Mammootty, Parvathy, Nivin Pauly and More – 10 Actors Who Owned Malayalam Cinema in 2019 With Their Marvellous Performances.

Remade As: Krodh

Ashok Honda directed the Hindi remake four years later with Suniel Shetty in the lead, and Rambha playing his love interest. The movie, which was a flop, also starred Apoorva Agnihotri, Johnny Lever, and Sakshi Shivanand.

Katha Parayumbol

Inspired by the tale of friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama, Katha Parayumbol is about a barber, played by Sreenivasan, whose life goes topsy turvy when a film shoot takes place in his hamlet. The news goes around that the film's superstar actor, played by Mammootty, is his childhood friend, and people began to seek his help to get acquainted with the actor, including his kids, though he is reluctant to do so. Katha Parayumbol was both a critical and commercial success.

Remade As: Billu

Priyadarshan, the man known for remaking many Malayalam hits in Bollywood, remade Katha Parayumbol for Red Chillies, with Shah Rukh Khan playing the superstar. While a glossier adaptation with cameos from Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor, Billu couldn't retain the same charm as the original. Though it was praised for the late Irrfan Khan's fine performance as Billu Barber and SRK's speech in the climax.

Pokkiri Raja

This Vysakh blockbuster starred Mammootty and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead, while Shriya Saran was the heroine. Mammootty and Prithviraj played siblings, with Mammootty being a don from Madurai, and Prithvi a hot-blooded youngster. The movie spawned a remake, Madhura Raja, came out in 2019. While Mammootty reprised his role in the original, Prithviraj gave it a miss. Madhura Raja Movie Review: Mammootty in Good Form, but Struggles to Raise This Vysakh Film From Mediocrity.

Remade As: Boss

In the Bollywood remake, directed by Anthony D'Souza, it was Akshay Kumar who played the don, while Shiv Panditt played his brother. Aditi Rao Hydari was the heroine. Sonakshi Sinha had a cameo in the film. Boss was an average grosser at the box office.

We wish the perennially handsome Mammootty Many Many Happy Returns of the Year, and hoping to see more of his blockbusters on the big screen, once the lockdown is over!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2020 10:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).