2016: When Dubbed Movies Faced Rough Weather

While many movies were dubbed into Telugu (mostly from Tamil) in 2016, not all of those which strode the BO zone like a colossus had their dream run in the Telugu States. It's instructing that most of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil failed to make the cut here.

In this article, IndiaGlitz takes stock of the dubbed movies' performance with a special focus on Kollywood imports. Of the top ten Kollywood BO grossers of 2016, the Telugu audience got to watch the dubbed version of eight of them, and a bi-lingual version of one movie.

By the large, the dubbed movies went through a lean patch at the Telugu BO.

'Theri' as 'Police'

Atlee-directed 'Theri' was brought to the Telugu audience as 'Police'. The Vijay-Samantha starrer was a BO failure here, although its original version went on to become one of the biggest hits of South India! Kollywood's reigning star Vijay once again failed to widen his market base in the Telugu States.

'Kabali' as 'Kabali'

Director Pa.Ranjith and Rajinikanth couldn't live up to the monstrous expectations unleashed by that iconic teaser where the beloved Superstar says 'Kabali raa'. The gangster drama came a cropper, nor did it garner critical acclaim. Its pronounced Tamil nativity did the film in. The openings couldn't sustain the momentum, whatever may be the week day. A thorough disappointment, unfortunately. But 'Kabali' proved one thing with certainty: there never was a Tamil hero in the past, and there never probably will be one like Rajini when it comes to enjoying unmatched charisma in the Telugu States.

'Remo' as 'Remo'

'Remo', brought to the Telugu audience by, once again, Dil Raju, didn't have the kind of dream run it had had in Tamil. Sivakarthikeyan, one of the most successful entertainers of his generation, received applause from the critics for his portrayal of a nurse's role in this rom-com. With several sections of audience registering Siva in their minds, hope he will bounce back in 2017.

'Iru Mugan' as 'Inkokkadu'

While the crime drama was one of the biggest hits in Tamil, it made do with a good show in Telugu. Vikram was loved for essaying the role of a feminine desperado with a lot of nuance and subtlety. That said, 'Inkokkadu' was hardly a breakaway film in terms of the content.

'24' as '24'

A complex film, this Vikram Kumar sci-fi directorial turned out to be one of the most under-rated entertainers of 2016. In this touted coming-of-age movie, the family sentiments were all over, complete with a flashback that involves a whole family. The rom-com track overstayed its welcome. Suriya's class Athreya act brought him critical acclaim like only few roles had in the past.

'Kodi' as 'Dharma Yogi'

Yet another under-rated dubbed movie of the year, this writer-director Durai Senthilkumar's political thriller-drama threw up fabulous performances by Trisha and Dhanush. One of the most brilliant story lines belonging to its genre in recent times, its story had enough potential to be evolved into a racy narration full of twists and surprises. The screenplay materialized this potential into an actuality by embellishing intelligent conversations.

'Kaashmora' as 'Kaashmora'

While this Karthi-starrer walked away with mixed glories, it didn't exactly live up to its huge pre-release promise. In a curious way, the narration was so laid-back that the average audience was not excited about the two things which should have been most exciting: the flashback, and the climax. As our review said of this big Tamil hit, Those about to die do comedy in front of the bloodthirsty evil, an unfleshed character arrives from nowhere to save, and there is no sense of urgency even in the climax.

'Pichaikaran' as 'Bicchagadu'

Directed by Sasi, this Vijay Antony starrer became a run-away hit in Telugu. When the likes of Rajinikanth and Vijay had to see BO failure in the Telugu States, this once-hardly familiar face gave a huge hit. The story of a rich man who renounces all of his wealth for six months so his comatose mother can be cured through divine intervention found countless takers. The emotions, the wit, the pathos as well as the fun in beggars's lives - everything amused the audience.

'Aranmanai-2' as 'Kalavathi'

This Sundar C directorial was like a mere shadow compared with 'Chandrakala'. 'Kalavathi' is a case of the genre overtaking the story, as we said. In his attempt to make a horror-comedy, Sundar C was too faithful to a fault! The heart-wrenching flashback, though, found favour with many.

'Puli Murugan' as 'Manyam Puli'

The Mohanlal of 'Janatha Garage' and 'Manamantha' was here oh-so-different. 'Manyam Puli', an action adventure with a splendid performance by Mohanlal, an excellent action choreography (Peter Hein) and nice music (Gopi Sundar) had a surprise run at the BO. Although some of the episodes smacked of old-style story-telling, it was an OK film, overall. And like 'Theri' and 'Remo', which shook the Kollywood BO, 'Puli Murugan' shook the Mollywood BO, becoming the biggest hit ever.