Nayak Was A Remake Of Mudhalvan, One Was A Disaster, The Other Was A Blockbuster At The Box Office (Photo Credit – IMDb)
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There was a time in Bollywood when remaking a South Indian film was a trend. Whatever worked phenomenally at the South Indian Box Office was then remade in Hindi. These remakes sometimes worked and sometimes did not. A sequel of one such remake is currently being planned. Fighter director Siddharth Anand is roping Milan Luthria for Nayak 2.
However, the sequel to one of the best films of Anil Kapoor‘s career will not have the star in the lead. In fact, an altogether new cast is being searched for a sequel to the 2001 film.
It was in 2001 that Shankar delivered a film that did not work at the box office but was a huge hit once it was released on satellite. Nayak starred Anil Kapoor in the lead alongside Amrish Puri, while Rani Mukerji & Paresh Rawal played the supporting leads.
Interestingly, it was a remake of Shankar’s own film, Mudhalvan, that was released in 1999. But Mudhalvan and Nayak had a stark difference – while one was a box office flop, the other churned out profits.
Same Budget But Two Results
Both films were made on the same budget of 21 crore. While Mudhalvan churned out 90.5% profit at the box office, Nayak, on the other hand, faced a loss of around 55%. Mudhalvan earned 40 crore at the box office, while Nayak collected 10 crore. Interestingly, it was Shah Rukh Khan‘s gain and Thalapathy Vijay’s Loss.
Mudhalvan and Nayak’s Casting
Mudhalvan starred Arun Sarja, and Manisha Koirala was in the lead. Although Shankar approached Thalapathy Vijay for the film first, he refused to be a part of such a politically motivated film. When the director attempted a Hindi remake, he first approached Aamir Khan & Shah Rukh Khan for the film. But Aamir was wary of the political connotations, while Shah Rukh Khan took an easy escape, retorting he played a journalist in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and did not want to repeat it.
Finally, while Mudhalvan sailed at the box office, costing Thalapathy Vijay the loss of a blockbuster in his filmography, even Shah Rukh Khan lost a good film that might not have worked at the box office but would have been essentially a very important film at his filmography!
Every film is destined, as they say. Nayak was destined to be Anil Kapoor’s film. Looking forward to who will step into his shoes for Nayak 2!
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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