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Inspirations of Kollywood from Hollywood

Topic started by music-man (@ 61.2.32.173) on Sat Aug 7 04:04:26 EDT 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Call it plagiarism or plain inspiration, Indian commercial cinema has been importing Hollywood,European,Latin American or Japanese classics for all these years.Recently I read a newspaper article claiming some best inspirations of Tamil movies from the Hollywood stuff.I have added some more on my own findings.Pardon me if there is any discrepancy.
Some of the movies are:
1)Mahanadi-has a plot very similar to the English film "Hardcore" by William.C.Scott.
2)Anbe Sivam-inspired from"Planes,Trains and Automobiles".
3)Avai Shanmughi-inspired from "Mrs.Doubtfire".
4)Tenali-inspired from"What Bob can do".
5)Ayudha Ezuthu is also said to be an inspiration(dont know the movie).
6)Nayakkan-inspired from "Godfather".
I dont know why talented artists like Kamal get inspired so much from these Hollywood stuff.Almost each Kamal film has got an inspiration (atleast some of the scenes) like the climax fight of "Vetri Vizha" totally lifted from "The Commando".
7)Boys-said to be an inspiration from"Hot Bubblegum".(some say its from "American Pie").
8)Kadhal Kottai and E20U18-inspiration from"Shop around the Corner".
9)Jayam-inspired from "Serendipity".
10)Shock and Bhoot has shades of "The Exorcist".
11)Vaa Arugil Vaa-inspiration from "Child's Play".
12)Maya Bazaar(and to some extent "Naina") are inspired from "Ghost".
13)"New" inspired from"Big".
14)Ammavasai Iravil-inspired from "The Friday Freak".
15)"Jenma Natchathiram"-inspired from "Omen".
16)"Asuran" inspired from "Predator".
O.K. friends this is only a small list.The list is sure to bulge.What is the reason for this? Is it due to lack of creativity.At one end the MD's are busy copying sound tracks and on the other end these inspirations are going on silently.You can list ur own list of inspirations.Plz discuss.Thanks bye.

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Responses:

• From: Thamizhan (@ 61.2.33.159) on: Sat Aug 7 04:12:38 EDT 2004
  
  Jayam-inspired from "Serendipity"
  
  I think you wanted to put "Jay Jay",not "Jayam",Jayam is the very same cliched Love story.
  
  "Aaidha Ezhuthu" is said to be inspired from two movies namely "Amorres perros" and "City of Gods",but the amount of inspiration is yet to be known,if it's jus the narrative style then it's ok.As for as "Nayagan" is concerned,though it's obvious that Mani has had his inspiration from the all -time Gangster classic "Godfather" by Francis coppola,the piece can be very well called as an amazing adaptation,creating a classic even from another classic is not that easy,i suppose.
  
  Other than these.."Avvai Shanmughi" is a lifted one surely more than inspiration.
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Sat Aug 7 09:47:46 EDT 2004
  
  Vetri Vizha climax might be lifted from Commando but the entire movie was a direct lift from "Bourne Identity"
  
  Actually I have been doing some sort of research in this matter (it is fun isnt it). The following are some of the movies in my list which arent mentioned here.
  
  Indran Chandran - Moon over parador
  Apoorva Sahodarangal - Corsican Brothers
  Enakkul Oruvan - The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
  Panchathantiram - Very Bad Things
  Nammavar - The Class of 1984
  12B - Sliding Doors
  Magalir Mattum - 9 to 5
  Julie Ganapathy - Misery
  Kaathala Kaathala - Two Much
  Sathileelavathi - She Devil
  Thiruda Thiruda - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  Anjali - Son Rise
  May Maadham - Roman Holiday
  Soora Samharam - Witness
  Nala Damayanthi - Green Card
  Kadhal Kirukkan - Primal Fear
  Kadhal Kondein - Fear
  Alaipayuthey - Barefoot in the Park
  Kandukonden Kandukonden - Sense and Sensibility
  Arunachalam - Brewster's Millions
  Michael Madana Kamarajan - Goldrush (Climax)
  
  Any more to add?
  
  
• From: harish (@ 68.57.194.224) on: Sat Aug 7 10:31:28 EDT 2004
  
  Avai Shanmughi-inspired from "Mrs.Doubtfire". an Tootsie. mixed cocktail
  
  
• From: Ravi (@ 69.148.86.90) on: Sat Aug 7 20:58:29 EDT 2004
  
  Kadhalar Dhinam- You've Got Mail
  
  
• From: Vj (@ 203.76.129.2) on: Sat Aug 7 21:55:52 EDT 2004
  
  crazy mohan claimed that he wrote a story/drama "meesai aanalum manaivi" a long time back before 'Mrs.Doubtfire'... and also claimed that Avvaishanmugi was based on his drama.
  
  
• From: Vj (@ 203.76.129.2) on: Sat Aug 7 22:05:24 EDT 2004
  
  "Naalaya manidhan" - Silent Rage (Stg:chuck norris)
  infact, most of the movies of Thakkali Srinivasan are inspired (rather remakes) of English movies.
  
  and there was this one Tamil movie in which Nagesh was the hero... i watched it in SunTV and i dont remember the movie name but i think it was a miserable failure... but it took a different avatar and got Kamal as the hero and got remade as "Ellaam inba mayam". I was surprised to see the kamal movie almost scene-by-scene remake of the nagesh movie..!!!
  
  We know Hollywood remaking their own films..Has this ever happened in Tamil Film or Indian films?
  
  
• From: Nisha (@ 24.101.7.108) on: Sat Aug 7 22:55:51 EDT 2004
  
  umm Devdas?
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Sat Aug 7 22:58:02 EDT 2004
  
  Wow. Naalaya Manidhan is a direct lift from Silent Stage. Thanks for the info Vj.
  
  Any more guys?
  
  
• From: Nisha (@ 66.185.84.78) on: Sat Aug 7 23:24:30 EDT 2004
  
  Virumaandi- few inspirations from "Life of David Gale"
  
  
• From: harish (@ 68.57.194.224) on: Sun Aug 8 00:30:14 EDT 2004
  
  Parbu's "My Dear Maarthandan was a lift from Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America"
  
  
• From: Nisha (@ 24.101.7.108) on: Sun Aug 8 00:36:28 EDT 2004
  
  E20 U18 inspired from "On The Line"
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Sun Aug 8 03:27:52 EDT 2004
  
  E20 U18 is certainly inspired from On The Line. Virumandi also has close similiarities. But My Dear Marthandan, I havent seen it so cant comment.
  
  Good going people. I hope there are more.
  
  
• From: music-man (@ 61.2.33.98) on: Sun Aug 8 07:26:51 EDT 2004
  
  Thanks for the huge response.Keep posting friends
  
  
• From: nalla sivam (@ 210.186.138.77) on: Sun Aug 8 11:01:23 EDT 2004
  
  bourne identity released some year back but vetri vizha were release decades ago...i think it was inspired by van damme's movie....donnno the name..forget ready
  
  
• From: harish (@ 68.57.194.224) on: Sun Aug 8 11:18:32 EDT 2004
  
  Bourne Identity is a novel from Robert Ludlum. It was a bestseller in 1980s. It made it in to a TV movie then recently they made a motion picture of it. Anyways, Prathap Bothen stole the essence from the novel and made Vetri Vizha.
  
  
• From: harish (@ 68.57.194.224) on: Sun Aug 8 11:19:54 EDT 2004
  
  btw..My Dear Marthandaan also directed by Prathap Bothen.
  
  
• From: Vj (@ 203.76.129.2) on: Sun Aug 8 21:35:25 EDT 2004
  
  we can see many scenes in tamil films lifted straight from english movies.
  
  1. the funny cycle-chase scene in "Oora therinjikitten" (stg : pandiarajan) is lifted straight from "Project A" (stg : Jackie Chan)
  
  2. the bike-stunt sequence in the godown in "paayum puli" is from "game of death" (BruceLee)
  
  3. the climax of "thanga magan" atop the hill is from the Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" (Roger Moore)
  
  
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Mon Aug 9 01:28:40 EDT 2004
  
  I have seen this scene from Pandiarajan movie and being a Jackie fan for years I noticed it but didnt know the name of the tamil movie. Thanks for the info Vj.
  
  
• From: Ras (@ 57.12.70.31) on: Mon Aug 9 04:49:37 EDT 2004
  
  Pratap Pothen also made another movie, "Aathma", whose story is lifted from another famous novel (forgot its name) which is based on "Vision" of Mary.
  
  
• From: doubttu (@ 136.1.1.101) on: Mon Aug 9 14:08:31 EDT 2004
  
  If a movie is based on a novel, how is it `lifted'?
  
  
• From: harish (@ 68.57.194.224) on: Mon Aug 9 19:32:09 EDT 2004
  
  Doubtu, it was made in to a TV movie then it was lifted by our prathap pothen...
  
  
• From: music-man (@ 61.2.32.21) on: Tue Aug 10 05:53:29 EDT 2004
  
  Infact Manirathnam in his movie "Thiruda^2" had copied a scene from the hindi film"Saagar" where both the heroes try to express their love to the heroine in a waterfall or something like that
  
  
• From: zz (@ 203.145.174.4) on: Tue Aug 10 06:56:19 EDT 2004
  
  Ya...he also copied another scene from a TOM cruize film where the hero uses his left arm to eat...!!!
  
  Idhu epdi..!!
  
  
• From: 20000910 (@ 136.1.1.33) on: Tue Aug 10 09:05:59 EDT 2004
  
  Thevar Magan - God Father 2
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Tue Aug 10 09:51:29 EDT 2004
  
  "Thevar Magan - God Father 2"
  
  I dont think so. Can you explain?
  
  
• From: Kannan (@ 171.72.5.133) on: Tue Aug 10 11:03:17 EDT 2004
  
  Virumaandi should mostly likely be based on the Japanese Movie Rashomon (1950). This is a great movie by Akira Kurosawa. I think this is made in Hollywood as Courage Under Fire but not not sure. The original Japenese movie goes like this... A rape of a woman and a murder of a man is told by 4 different people, each adding their own flavor to the happenings. The central characters are the same but the way they all say what happened is different. May be this is what Kamal saw as inspiring. I am pretty sure that the camera work, choosing different angles for different plots is all brilliant, only Kamal can do. Eventhough we may see this as an inspired movie, it is a perfectly taken movie. I especially like this movie for the attention given to the tiny details. The movie may not be impressive for a normal tamil moviegoer. This is my humble opinion.
  
  
• From: Guess Me (@ 202.83.35.96) on: Tue Aug 10 11:32:02 EDT 2004
  
  Virumandi used the narration style from Roshomon. Similiar was the case of Aayitha Ezhuthu by borrowing idea from Amores Perros
  
  

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