Bollywood's Shehzada Falls Flat: Why South Indian Remakes Need To Take A Backseat

The 2020 blockbuster Ala...Vaikunthapurramuloo, starring Icon Star Allu Arjun, was recently remade into Hindi as Shehzada, directed by Rohit Dhawan, with Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles. However, the film failed to impress the audience right from its promos and trailers, and its theatrical release was equally disappointing. Shehzada turned out to be one of the biggest disasters of the year, and it is no surprise why.

For a long time, Bollywood has relied on remaking South Indian films to make a quick buck. While this formula worked in the past, it no longer guarantees success. With many people now watching the original films with subtitles on various OTT platforms, they are less inclined to watch remakes in theatres. This makes it even more critical for Bollywood to come up with original content instead of relying on mainstream South Indian flicks.

Moreover, Shehzada was a poorly executed remake, which recently premiered on Netflix. Viewers who watched the film on the streaming platform have taken to social media to express their disappointment, leading to severe trolling. It is high time for Bollywood to acknowledge that audiences are not going to watch every remake film, and they must prioritize creating original and fresh content.