The Hindi film industry is infamous for lifting Hollywood movies, but it has often been inspired by cinema content from southern India as well. With forthcoming movies like ‘Kambakkht Ishq’, ‘Short Kut – The Con Is On’ and ‘Wanted’, Bollywood seems to be on a spree of remaking films made down south.

Releasing Friday, Akshay Kumar- Kareena Kapoor’s romantic comedy ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ is the remake of Kamal Haassan’s 2002 Tamil hit ‘Pammal K. Sambandam’.

The film was earlier to be remade in Hindi by writer-turned-director Anees Bazmee for south-based production house G.V. Films, which had acquired the remaking rights for Rs.500,000.

But it was producer Sajid Nadiadwala who finally made it after buying remaking rights of the same film by reportedly shelling out Rs.7.5 million.

‘Short Kut’, another forthcoming comedy, is a remake of Roshan Andrews’ Malayalam movie ‘Udayananu Tharam’. Similarly, southern dancing star Prabhu Deva’s directorial venture ‘Wanted’, which has Salman Khan in the lead, is a remake of Tamil film ‘Pokiri’.

“Bollywood has always survived on the pillars of inspiration and remakes… whether it is the west or the south, it has always copied content. While half of it has been successful, others have been blunders,” said a trade analyst from Mumbai on condition of anonymity.

But Anil Kapoor, who is producing ‘Short Kut’, described the trend as a consumer-driven call.

“Actually it was not my idea to adapt a south Indian film… as a consumer I had seen this film

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