Bollywood Movie Inspirations

This page is all about the Indian Bollywood movies, and mainly its inspiration. In case you are wondering what is Bollywood, well again the name is inspired by Hollywood.

India churns out highest number of movies every year in the whole world. Around 800 movies are made every year by this industry. For more indepth information about the Indian Film Industry visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood.

Many of the movies made in Bollywood are blatantly copied or partially plagiarized (from other movies). Some of them just take some inspiration and some of them are simply a remake and some even go to the extent of copying the original movie scene-by-scene. This article is an attempt to create a list of such copycat inspirations.

Note: Please note that the producer may have acquired the necessary right or it may be the author's original idea which incidentally matched the alleged inspirations.

Bollywood these days are giving lot of efforts to curb the rampant piracy in India. Hopefully these original movie makers do not campaign against them for curbing this piracy, else many of the producers/directors will be behind bars!

Year	Movie	Inspiration
2006	Naksha Sunny Deol, Vivek Oberoi	English Movie The Rundown (2003) Plot, Storyline. Copy Details »
2006	The Killer Irfaan Khan	English Movie Collateral (2004) Plot, Storyline. Copy Details »
2006	Krrish Hrithik Roshan	English Movie Paycheck (2003) Plot, Scenes and Setup. Copy Details »
2006	Tathastu Sanjay Dutt	English Movie John Q (2002) Exact Copy. Copy Details »
2006	Shaadi Se Pehle Akshay Khanna	Hindi Movie Meri Biwi Ki Shaadi (1979) Plot Only. Copy Details »
2006	Rang De Basanti Aamir Khan	English Drama All My Sons (1948) Plot Only. Copy Details »
2006	Zinda Sanjay Dutt	Korean movie Oldboy Exact Copy. Copy Details »
2005	Mr Ya Miss Antara Mali	English Movie Hot Chic (2002) Plot Only. Copy Details »
2005	Sauda - The Deal Sanjay Kapoor	English Movie Indecent Proposal (1993) Plot Only. Copy Details »
2005	Ek Ajnabee Amitabh Bachchan	English Movie Man On Fire (2004) Scene to scene remake. Copy Details »
2005	Chocolate Anil Kapoor	English Movie The Usual Suspects (1995) Scene to scene remake. Copy Details »
2005	Salaam Namaste Saif Ali Khan	English Movie Nine Months (1995) Plot Only. Copy Details »
2005	Main Aisa Hi Hoon Ajay Devgan	English Movie I Am Sam (2001) Remake. Copy Details »
2005	Kyon Ki... Salmaan Khan	English Movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Plot. Copy Details »

2004	Aabra Ka Dabra Anupam Kher	English Movie Harry Potter (2001) Plot. Copy Details »
2004	Dhoom John Abraham	English Movie The Fast and the Furious (2001) &Ocean's Eleven (2001) Concept, Scenes, Plots, Setup. Copy Details »
2004	Hum Tum Saif Ali Khan	English Movie When Harry Met Sally... (1989) Storyline, concept. Copy Details »
2004	Murder Mallika Sherawat	English Movie Unfaithful (2002) Storyline, concept. Copy Details »
2004	Taarzan: The Wonder Car Ajay Devgan	English Movie Christine (1983) Concept, Plot. Copy Details »
2003	Qayamat: City Under Threat Ajay Devgan	English Movie The Rock (1996) Remake. Copy Details »
2003	Koi... Mil Gaya Hrithik Roshan	English Movies E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Forrest Gump (1994) Concepts, Storyline, Plot. Copy Details »
2003	Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai	English Movie Meet the Parents (2000) Storyline. Copy Details »
2003	3 Deewarein Naseeruddin Shah	English Movie The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Storyline. Copy Details »
2003	Kucch To Hai Tusshar Kapoor	English Movie I Know What you did Last Summer (1997) Storyline, concept. Copy Details »
2002	Chor Machaaye Shor Bobby Deol	English Movie Blue Streak (1999) & Hindi Movie Gol Maal (1979) Remake. Copy Details »
2002	Awara Paagal Deewana Akshay Kumar	English Movie The Whole Nine Yards (2000) plot. Copy Details »
2002	Deewangee Ajay Devgan	English Movie Primal Fear (1996) Plot, Partial Story. Copy Details »
2002	Kaante Amitabh Bachchan	English Movie Reservoir Dogs (1992) Remake. Copy Details »
2002	Raaz Dino Morea	English Movie What Lies Beneath (2000) Remake. Copy Details »
2002	Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai	English Movie My Best Friends Wedding (1997) Indianised Remake. Copy Details »
2002	Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai	English Movie American Pie (1999) Concept. Copy Details »
2001	Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998)
2001	Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta Inspired by Liar Liar (1997)
2000	Karobaar: The Business of Love Inspired by Indecent Proposal (1993)	See also Sauda (1995) Sauda - The Deal (2005)
1999	Kartoos Inspired by Point of No Return (1993) Bridget Fonda (Sanjay Dutt)	A prisoner is given an option to kill a criminal out of reach of the law, after which he is supposed to be set free. He does that in hope of getting free, only to find that government intends to kill him after the job is done. He runs but is caught. In the end his handler who is suppose to kill him frees him.
1999	Baadshah Shahrukh Khan	Lot of movies Nick Of Time, The Mask, Rush Hour, Mr. Nice Guy Mix-Remake. Copy Details »
1997	Judwaa Inspired by Cantonese movie Shuang long hui (1992), also know as The Twin Dragons. The movie copied the exacts scenes also. Salman Khan (Jackie Chan)	A comedy story about two twin brothers separated at birth. One grew up to be a rich and a star, other a tapori. When both come in the same city there is a comedy of errors that follow ending by killing the bad guys and bhai-bhai milan! If looked upon they both look to be inspired by Comedy of Errors.
1996	Papi Gudia Remake of child’s Play in Marathi called Jhapatlela Or it got inspired by Child's Play (1988). Karishma Kapoor	An evil tantrik before dying off the police firing transfers his soul in a kid's doll. Now this doll is purchased by a kid and then all the hell break loose.
1996	Fareb Inspired by Unlawful Entry (1992) Suman Ranganathan (Madeleine Stowe) Milind Gunaji (Ray Liotta)	A cop who get introduced to a couple in a case take fancy of the wife and start getting closer to them by acting friend. The reason behind this closeness is eventually understood by the husband, but the wife is clueless.
1996	Agni Sakshi Inspired by Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Nana Patekar (Patrick Bergin) Manisha Koirala (Julia Roberts)	A newly wed couple in a restaurant meet a man who claims and later proofs that the newly wed wife is actually his wife. The story and the reason behind the change in identity of the heroin is the abusive and brutally obsessed husband who she wants to escape. Also Check out Yaarana and Daraar.
1996	Daraar Inspired by Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Arbaaz Khan (Patrick Bergin) Juhi Chawla (Julia Roberts)	Second inspiration in the same year! Also Check out Agni Sakshi and Yaarana.
1995	Akele Hum Akele Tum Inspired by Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Aamir Khan (Dustin Hoffman) Manisha Koirala (Meryl Streep)
1995	Sauda Inspired by Indecent Proposal (1993) Sumeet Saigal Neelam	See also Sauda - The Deal (2005) Karobaar: The Business of Love (2000)
1995	Yaarana Inspired by Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Raj Babbar (Patrick Bergin) Madhuri Dixit (Julia Roberts)	Only difference being Madhuri does not marry Raj, she escapes! Also Check out Agni Sakshi and Daraar.
1995	Criminal Copy of The Fugitive (1993) Nagarjuna Akkineni (Harrison Ford)	A doctor framed to be the murderer of his wife runs and hides as fugitive till he proves himself innocent.
1993	Hum Hain Kamaal Ke Inspired by See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989). Kader Khan (Richard Pryor) Anupam Kher (Gene Wilder)	It is a comedy movie. A deaf and blind witness a murder. Police suspect them for the crime. The movie is all about how they manage to catch the actual culprit.
1991	Akayla Inspired by Cobra (1986). Amitabh Bachchan (Sylvester Stallone)
1989	Main Azaad Hoon Inspired by Meet John Doe (1941). Amitabh Bachchan (Gary Cooper)
1988	Maalamaal Inspired by Brewster's Millions (1985). Naseeruddin Shah (Richard Pryor)	A comedy movie about a poor man receiving a lot of money from his rich and dead relative as per the will. Only catch for getting the Rs. 200 cr. money he needs to spend Rs 30 cr. in 30 days. That too without purchasing or donating anything.
1986	Janbaaz Inspired by Duel in the Sun (1946) Anil Kapoor (Gregory Peck) Dimple Kapadia (Jennifer Jones)	Hero a womanizer and alcoholic lives on farmhouse with his family. His older brother is an police inspector. Orphaned heroin comes to live with the family. Hero gets intimate with her that is not liked by his father. Twist comes when in a fight hero kills a worker on the farm. His brother is now after him to apprehend and he is on a run. Now some family villains come into picture who have some old score to settle. In the end both brothers kill all the villains, but the hero takes some bullets and dies making him a Janbaaz!
1980	The Burning Train Dharmendar	Japanese Movie Shinkansen Daibakuha (1975) Remake. Copy Details »

Other Suspected Inspirations

These are the movies that are currently suspected of inspiration. Once convinced more details will be provided.

Movie	Suspected Inspiration
Partner (2007)	Hitch
Bichhoo(2000) Starring Bobby Deol and Rani Mukherji	Léon(1994). Whole plot of Léon has been copied
Hum kaun hai - Dimple Kapadia.	The Others - Nicole Kidman.
Bazigar(Sharukh Khan)	A kiss before dying(1991; staring Sean Young).
36 China Town	Once Upon a Crime (1992; staring Young).
Aitraaz	disclosure (1993; staring Demi Moore).
Jism	Body Heat (1981; staring William Hurt)
The Train (2007, Emraan Hasmi)	Derailed
National Award for Best Hindi Film winner Raghu Romeo (2003)	Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's Atame! (1990...also known as Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down)
Dansh (2005)	(BAD) remake of Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden (1994)
Sangharsh (1999)	Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Ek Din 24 Ghante (2003)	German film Lola Rennt (1998...also known as Run Lola Run)
Gulzar's classic Parichay (1972)	The Sound of Music (1965)
Josh (2000) by Mansoor Khan	remake of musical West Side Story (1961)
Deewane Huye Paagal (2005)	Its plot has been copied from There is Domething About Mary. Many of the Scenes also direct rip-off.

All the above details are provided by the visiters of this site. Many many thanks to them. If you have any additional information please use the feedback links below.

Special thanks to Gita Babaria for providing lot of valuable inputs.