5 Bollywood inspired Tellywood Tracks

But we seem to readily accept and overlook, and sometimes even enjoy the small screen adaptations of our Bollywood flicks.

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Visual entertainment is one of the few harmless addictions in India. It is an inescapable medium whose magnetizing effect only amplifies with time. Every now and then, we come across pre-owned concepts wrapped in opaque foils of new age drama. We've seen Bollywood ape the West; we've seen Bollywood ape other regional industries; we've seen them all and while we've liked some, we've criticized many. But we seem to readily accept and overlook, and sometimes even enjoy the small screen adaptations of our Bollywood flicks. Read on to know BollyCurry's take on some of the successful and not-so-successful ones.

Chhoona Hai Aasman - Main Hoon Na (2004)

So the STAR One show tops the list because it rarely indulged in originality. Its very inception was based on the tried-and-tested formula of love in the air (literally) by STAR Plus' popular show Saara Akaash (2003). Few months in to the story of Chhoona Hai Aasman (2007), a college drama similar to Main Hoon Na (2004) was introduced. A fellow commander also attempted the saree-clad Sushmita Sen act, but wasn't quite convincing. Despite having the heartthrob Iqbal Khan and a promising star cast, the series lost its real intention midway and bid goodbye in less than a year's time.
Pilot: October 15, 2007
Finale: July 10, 2008
 
Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai - Vivah (2006)

Vaguely inspired from Rajshri Productions' sleeper hit, the STAR Plus show was originally supposed to be about society's bias based on skin colour. The show, just like Vivah (2006) explored the bond between two cousin sisters and how their small town matrimonial prospects discriminated between them due to their skin tones. Co-incidentally Alok Nath was roped in to play the fairer sister's supportive uncle in both the adaptations. Protagonists Sara Khan and Parul Chauhan shot to instant fame as the show became a massive hit overnight. Later it indulged in a lot of daily soap kitchen-politics and time leaps before eventually the makers decided to pulled the plug.
Pilot: October 8, 2007
Finale: November 13, 2010
 
Do Hanson Ka Joda - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)

Rajshri Productions came up with a decent, but a not so authentic, show two years after the release of YRF's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) on the now defunct NDTV Imagine. Loosely based on similar character sketches, some saas-bahu drama and side-plots about domestic violence, the series also witnessed a dance competition similar to the parent film but on a smaller scale. The rapport between the lead couple Shubhangi Atre and Shaleen Bhanot was compared to Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma's silver screen romance. The show had a short on-air run but managed to garner audience's appreciation.
Pilot: January 18, 2010
Finale: September 9, 2010
 
Love U Zindagi - Jab We Met (2007)

The biweekly series was the official small screen remake of the Shahid Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Jab We Met (2007). But even the influential subject and inputs from the movie's director Imtiaz Ali could not boost the TRPs. Also, we cannot deny the fact that then debutante Pavitra Punia and model-turned-actor Siddharth Shukla failed to match Kapoor and Khan's acting prowess. Overall, the STAR Plus show was declared a flop and went off-air sooner than we realized.
Pilot: January 29, 2011
Finale: July 10, 2011
 
Jodha Akbar - Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Despite public outrage and controversy, Ekta Kapoor leaves no stone unturned to reproduce her vision on the screen, be it the big one or the small. One such example is the Zee TV series Jodha Akbar, which was admitted to be influenced from Ashutosh Gowariker's magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar (2008). Except for the backdrop and chronology of events, Kapoor began exploring her fetish for the supernatural with this historical drama. No myth missed the chance of starring in a Balaji series - blackmagic, vishkanyanaagin, re-birth, etc. The only aspect that helped maintain the show's popularity was the romantic chemistry between Rajat Tokas and Paridhi Sharma, who played the titular roles. The show was declared a hit and its success paved way for the era of period dramas on television.
Pilot: June 18, 2013
Finale: August 7, 2015

Not just Bollywood, but many series like Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani (2010) and Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum (2015) have adopted plots from numerous Western movies and television dramas. It sure is disheartening to see how the Indian entertainment industry relies more on past successes than new ideas. Is the Indian originality lost? Or are we too afraid to experiment? Recently, Colors' Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki introduced their female protagonist as a transgender, which is extremely new for audiences. All we can do is hope that modern times are accompanied with more originality.
 
Writer: Anushka J.
Editors: Pooja B. and Gunia K.
Graphics: Ayesha S.
 
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Shah Rukh Khan Thumbnail

Shah Rukh Khan

Iqbal Khan Thumbnail

Iqbal Khan

Ashutosh Gowarikar Thumbnail

Ashutosh Gowarikar

Kareena Kapoor Thumbnail

Kareena Kapoor

Rajat Tokas Thumbnail

Rajat Tokas

Ekta Kapoor Thumbnail

Ekta Kapoor

Sushmita Sen Thumbnail

Sushmita Sen

Shahid Kapoor Thumbnail

Shahid Kapoor

Alok Nath Thumbnail

Alok Nath

Shaleen Bhanot Thumbnail

Shaleen Bhanot

Shubhangi Atre Poorey Thumbnail

Shubhangi Atre Poorey

Sidharth Shukla Thumbnail

Sidharth Shukla

Parul Chauhan Thumbnail

Parul Chauhan

Ssara Khan Thumbnail

Ssara Khan

Anushka Sharma Thumbnail

Anushka Sharma

Imtiaz Ali Thumbnail

Imtiaz Ali

Pavitra Punia Thumbnail

Pavitra Punia

Paridhi Sharma Thumbnail

Paridhi Sharma

Jodhaa Akbar poster

Jodhaa Akbar

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi poster

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Jab We Met poster

Jab We Met

Vivah poster

Vivah

Main Hoon Na poster

Main Hoon Na

Comments (1)

New concepts are never accepted or are not handled properly by the channel!!!!

Shakti is awful!!!!It is a regular saas-bahu saga and is handling transgender issue like it is skin colour or a disability!!!!

7 years ago

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