We take a look back at 50 foreign films that inspired the birth of 50 Tamil films

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50 Tamil films that were 'inspired' from foreign movies

We take a look back at 50 foreign films that inspired the birth of 50 Tamil films

Team CE

Updated:31st Aug, 2020 at 8:34 PM

The MGR-Jayalalithaa starrer Aayirathil Oruvan,(1965) was inspired by Captain Blood, (1935) that tells the story of a doctor who gets captured as a slave.

May Madham (1994) had Sandhya fleeing from her home due to a overly possesive father was inspired from Roman Holiday (1953)

Making Mr.Right (1987) had a robot that eventually developed feelings for a woman. Sound familiar?

Father of the Bride (1991) and Abhiyum Naanum (2008) are both feel good flicks that gives us the story of a daughter who is about to get married through the lens of a possessive father.

Sathyaraj and Ramyakrishnan do the required comedic justice to the source material in 3 Men and a Baby (1987) in their film Asathal (2001)

Cellular (2004) and Vegam (2007) are both almost the same films in which a simple call dictates the whole storyline of the film.

Alone (2007) and the Priyamani led Chaarulatha (2012) frightened us with one half of a twin sister returned to haunt the other living half.

Saavi (1985) and Dial M for Murder (1954) are both incredibly similar murder stories of a tennis player and a wife.

The Dirty Dozen (1967) and Jai Hind (1994) are both similar patriotic stories that abolishes injustice through war.

Kannamoochi Yenada (2007) is a the remake of Guess Who (2005) which is itself a remake of American film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Manmadan Ambu (2010) is the remake of Romance on the High Seas (1948) in which stories are built on suspision between a couple

Sundar C starrer Nagaram Marupakkam (2010) is based on Carlito's Way (1993) in which the protagonist tries to move on from his past and start a new life.

Nallathambi (1949) follows Mr. Deeds Goes to Town's (1936) footsteps in telling a story about fortune

Panneer Pushpangal (1981) is the remake of A Little Romance (1979) that portrays a cold love and a budding love story between a boy and a girl

This is a no brainer. Predator (1987) and Asuran (1995)

The KS Ravikumar directorial Jaggubhai (2010) was inspired from Wasabi (2001) that tells a story across a span of 20 years.

Muran (2011) is highly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller Strangers on a Train (1951)

Big (1988) and New (2004) both have the same plots in which a teenage boy finds himself in the body of an adult.

The Classic (2003) is a Korean movie in which a college girl finds a diary that reveals shocking details about her parents. The same plot is used in Chikku Bhukku (2010)

Pattiyal(2006) was inspired from Bangkok Dangerous (2000) focuses on an assassination mission

Whistle (2003) follows the footsteps of Urban Legend (1998) in which a college student suspects a series of bizarre deaths are connected to certain urban legends.

Staring Gemini Ganesan and Kanchana, Shanthi Nilayam (1972) was an extraction of The Sound of Music (1965)

Sunflower (1970) and Roja (1992) were both about a women's search for her husband.

While Very Bad Things (1998) wasn't such a big hit in the west, the genius of Kamal Hassan and Crazy Mohan made Panchatantram (2002) one of the finest productions of Tamil Cinema.

Momento (2000) and Ghajini (2005) dealt with a man facing short-term memory loss who hunts down the murderer's of a loved one.

Avvai Shanmugi, (1996) yet another classic hit of Kamal was inspired from the Robin Williams starrer Mrs.Doubtfire (1993)

The K. S. Ravikumar directorial Thenali (2000) and Frank Oz's What About Bob? followed the similar doctor-patient storyline.

Mahanadi (1994) and Hardcore (1979) went hand-in-hand in exploring the sensible topic of 'Child sex workers'

Brewster's Millions (1985) featured a man who had to spend 30 million dollars in 30 days without telling anyone about it. Need we say more about the Tamil version of this story?

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) and Anbe Sivam (2003) both left scars on our hearts with it's subtle messages and philosophies.

The Vikram starrer Deiva Thirumagal (2011) is an inspiration from I am Sam, (2001) in which a mentally retarded man fights for the custody of his daughter.

Judgement Night (1993) and Saroja (2008) had a bunch of guys traveling to a boxing and a cricket game respectively, who take a short-cut to meet the unexpected.

Indiran Chandiran (1990) and Moon Over Parador (1988) both said similar political thriller stories

The Corsican Brothers (1941) and Neerum Neruppum (1971) are both old classics that told the tale of two brothers and their journeys.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) and Enakkul Oruvan (1984) both spun interesting tales that we engrosses us in a character's past and present lives. Truly, a classic.

9 to 5 (1980) and Magalir Mattum (1994) has three women working in the same office (Revathi, Rohini, Urvashi) who are constantly harassed by their lecherous boss.

Misery (1990) and Julie Ganapati (2003) are both remakes of a Stephen King novel that tells a painful story of a famous author.

Two Much (1995) and Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar (1998) carry similar story lines of a man who falls in love with two sisters at the same time.

She-Devil (1989) and Sathi Leelavathi (1995) are loosely based on each other and tell revenge stories of a woman when her husband cheats on her.

Five Angles on Murder (1950) and Andha Naal (1954) followed similar trajectories in telling a thriller story.

Witness (1985) and Soora Samhaaram (1998) are high-octane action sequences that featured two superstars Harrison Ford and Kamal Haasan

Rettai Vaal Kuruvi (1987) is an unauthorized version of Micki + Maude (1984) in which a man must prevent his two wives from meeting each other.

Red Corner (1997) and Dhaam Dhoom (2008) were gripping stories that showed a man fighting his way out of a murder with the help of a female lawyer.

Sivagamiyin Selvan (1974) and To Each His Own (1946) were similar only in some ways, but they both told stories of a mother and a son who are separated from each other.

Jim Belushi's The Principal (1987) and Kamal Haasan's Nammavar (1994) are both similar stories that took us down the memory lane back to college.

The famous Madhavan starrer Evano Oruvan (2007) took a big slice of Falling Down's (1993) plotline in its attempt to fight corruption in the society.

A feud boils up between a taxi driver and a businessman in Changing Lanes (2002). What happens in TN-07 AL 4777 (2009) is pretty much the same.

Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum (1965) was remade just 4 years after its inspiration The Parent Trap (1961) which shows two girls who bring their separated parents together

Coming to America (1988) and My Dear Marthandan (1990) are just two years apart from each other and tell stories of a man moving to unknown territory in pursuit of something that he needs.

Twist of Fate (1954) and Pudhiyamugam (1993) followed similar storylines in its attempt to tell an interesting tale.