From Driving Licence to Drishyam: Malayalam thrillers which graced Bollywood as remakes in the past decade

South Indian cinema is slowly gaining a place as a formidable player among world cinema. Stories of the region have been captivating audiences for generations now and continue to do so. South Indian films have managed to break the barriers of region and language to become beloved all over the country, and Malayalam cinema is no different.

While the dubbed versions have won the favour of many who are not familiar with the language, Malayalam films have also been a central figure in the phenomenon of remakes, especially from Bollywood. The past few years have seen a number of great Malayalam thrillers get Bollywood renditions, although not all of them have worked.

Check out some Malayalam films which have gotten Hindi remakes.

Forensic

Starring Tovino Thomas and Mamta Mohandas, this Akhil Paul and Anas Khan directorial follows the story of a police officer who investigates multiple killings of young children, while dealing with the fallouts of problems in her own personal life. After a forensic expert discovers that the murders could be the work of a dreaded serial killer, the duo team up to bring the killer to justice.The Malayalam film can be watched on Netflix.

The film was remade into Hindi in the same name, starring Vikrant Massey and Radhika Apte. the Vishal Furia directorial can be streamed on ZEE5.

Driving Licence

Driving Licence tells the tale of a police officer whose biggest dreams seem to come true when he gets the chance to help his favourite actor obtain a driver’s licence, albeit illegally. But their first meeting does not go his way, and the two soon become sworn enemies. The Lal Jr directorial is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Director Raj Mehta adapted the film for Bollywood in the form of Selfiee, which starred Akshay Kumar, Emraan Hashmi, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Diana Penty in lead roles. The film is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Drishyam

Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam is by far one of the best Malayalam thrillers to hit the silver screen in recent times. The film follows the story of Georgekutty, a simple yet intelligent man, who is forced to make an elaborate plan to help his family escape the consequences after the latter accidentally commits a crime. The film stars Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Asha Sharath, and Siddique.

The film was remade into Hindi by director Nishikant Kamat, and starred Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta and Rishab Chadha. Both films can be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.

Drishyam 2

The sequel to Drishyam follows Georgekutty still grappling with the consequences of the crime his family committed in the first film. Things take a turn for the worse when, six years later, the investigation reaches a new turning point. The film was also remade into Hindi as Drishyam 2. Both the films can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Helen

The survival thriller follows the story of the titular protagonist, a young woman who dreams of going abroad to Canada, much to the dismay of her loving father. However, one day at work, the young woman is trapped in a freezer, and struggles to stay alive. The Malayalam film starred Anna Ben, Lal, Noble Babu Thomas, Aju Varghese, and Rony David.

The film was remade in Hindi by Mathukutty Xavier, who had directed the original as well. Mili, which stars Janhvi Kapoor, Sunny Kaushal and Manoj Pahwa, is available for streaming on Netflix.