Bollywood films that inspired Hollywood films

More often than not Bollywood is accused of copying poster ideas and picking up storylines from movies in the west, especially Hollywood. However, very few know that it is also the other way round. There have been times when Bollywood has come up with really good original content and ideas and has inspired their Hollywood counterparts. Here we give you a rundown of Bollywood films that inspired Hollywood films.

‘A Wednesday’ is one of the best films of Neeraj Pandey in Bollywood. The 2008 thriller film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Sheirgill and others. The critically acclaimed film not only performed well at the box-office but also inspired Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam to officially remake the Neeraj Pandey film in Hollywood in 2013.

Titled as ‘A Common Man’, the film starred Ben Kingsley in the role of Naseeruddin Shah. Director Rutnam re-worked the screenplay of this highly suspenseful thriller. ‘A Common Man’ bagged Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor awards at the Madrid International Film Festival.

Produced by actor John Abraham, ‘Vicky Donor’ starred Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam in the lead roles. The 2012 romantic comedy dealt with the subject of sperm donation and infertility. The film received positive response from the audience and critics alike and it performed well at the box-office.

The Bollywood film apparently inspired the 2013 film ‘Delivery Man’ starring Vince Vaughn and Cobie Smulders in the lead role.

Although there are reports that while ‘Vicky Donor’ is inspired from 2011 film ‘Starbuck’, ‘Delivery Man’ is the official remake of the French-Canadian film ‘Starbuck’.

Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Jab We Met’ starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor is one of the most loved films of all time in Bollywood. The 2007 film not only became a hit in India but overseas too. The movie reportedly catapulted to one of the best success stories throughout the Bollywood cinema.

Anand Tucker’s ‘Leap Year’ (2010) starring Matthew Goode and Amy Adams is reportedly based on similar lines. Although the makers have time and again denied any similarities between the two films, director Imtiaz Ali was reportedly happy that Hollywood is taking inspiration from his film and did not apparently raised concerns over copyright and plagiarism.

Yash Chopra’s romantic psychological thriller ‘Darr’ starred Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in lead roles. Shah Rukh’s role of an obsessive lover was appreciated and is still remembered as one of the iconic characters portrayed by the superstar. The 1993 film received positive response from the audience and the critics alike.

Directed by James Foley, ‘Fear’ starred mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Peterson, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman in pivotal roles. Apart from its title, the story, Shah Rukh Khan’s character etc have all been included in the film. The film went on to reportedly become the sleeper hit of 1996.

The 1964 film ‘Sangam, directed by Raj Kapoor, starred Vyjayanthimala, Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar in lead roles. The film showed a love triangle drama in a war-torn backdrop. The film, which was reportedly one of the magnum opus of Raj Kapoor, is still considered to be a classic work in Hindi cinema.

The 2001 film ‘Pearl Harbour’ starring Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Colm Feore, and Alec Baldwin. Although the title of the film suggested that it was about the attack on the Pearl Harbour, the movie reportedly ended up being a triangular love story, similar to that of ‘Sangam’. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in four categories.