Remake is an interesting phenomenon. Taking a story that was successful in another culture and adapting it in your own culture. This process is not as easy as it seems. The success of a story is deeply tied to its cultural context. When you place that story in a new context, some elements transfer naturally — and some are completely lost. Indian television has remade several international shows. The results? Mixed — and fascinating.
Kaun Banega Crorepati — A Remake That Became Bigger Than the Original
When 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' was adapted in India as 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' — Amitabh Bachchan's presence turned an international game show format into something genuinely Indian. Here the remake did not beat the original — it transformed it. KBC is not just a quiz show — it is a platform for human stories, a space for empathy.
When Bachchan sahab listens to a contestant's life story, when he genuinely becomes emotional with them, when a tea vendor or farmer wins crores of rupees — these moments were not in the international version. The Indian adaptation added this human angle — and that is what made it iconic. This is the formula for a successful remake — take the original's spirit, add local soul.
Bigg Boss — Where the Format Worked But Controversies Defined It
The Big Brother format was brought to India as 'Bigg Boss'. The format is simple — put contestants in a house, set up cameras, drama will happen. The Indian version added a Bollywood connection — Salman Khan as host, celebrities as contestants — and this combination became a TRP machine.
But there is an interesting tension here. The original Big Brother was a social experiment — observing ordinary people in extreme circumstances. Indian Bigg Boss has increasingly become a celebrity circus where scripted moments and personal grudges are exploited for entertainment. The format is commercially successful — but does it genuinely capture the original's spirit? Debatable.
Rohan Kapoor, Reality TV Producer"Bigg Boss's Indian adaptation is brilliant in one sense — it perfectly captured the local audience's taste. But the 'social experiment' as original concept got lost. Now it is entertainment — pure and simple. Is that bad? Audiences say no."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi — A Concept That Was Purely Indian
This is interesting — 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' was not itself a remake, but after its success international channels studied its format. Indian saas-bahu drama is globally unique — this concept is so culturally specific that it has no direct international counterpart. This proves that original Indian content can be globally interesting.
Some Pakistani channels adapted the Indian saas-bahu serial format — and those shows were hugely successful in Pakistan. This reverse adaptation is interesting — a cultural export of Indian TV content. So sometimes India imports, and sometimes it exports too.
Balika Vadhu — Originality That Was Better Than a Remake
'Balika Vadhu' was an original Indian concept — based on the reality of child marriage. But after its success, several channels tried to make similar shows — and these attempts largely failed. Why? Because Balika Vadhu's success lay in its originality, in its specific cultural grounding.
When you make a copy of a successful show — whether Indian or foreign — you copy its external features, not its soul. The soul was in the original story, in that specific cultural moment when that story was told. That element does not come through in a copy.
The Failed Remakes: What Went Wrong
Some international show remakes in India flatly failed. Common reasons were — over-localisation (so much was changed that the original's spirit was lost), under-localisation (so little was changed that it didn't connect with Indian audiences), or casting mismatches where the right actors were not found.
An interesting case study is the Indian version of 'Ugly Betty' — an attempt was made to adapt it in Hindi. The original show was the story of a Latina woman navigating the fashion industry. The Indian adaptation changed the setting, changed the characters — but that core aspirational energy of the original didn't come through. The show ended relatively quickly.
The Sweet Spot: When Adaptation Is Perfect
The best remakes are those that are inspired by the original — but genuinely create something new. They take the original's foundation, build locally relevant elements upon it, and deliver a story that is different from the original but equally valid.
As KBC did. As 'Anupama' did, which was inspired by 'Sreemoyee' but became a complete, original show in itself. This is the art of adaptation — honouring the source while simultaneously going beyond it.
Shikha Singh, TV Screenwriter, Mumbai"When I adapt a foreign show, I ask myself — why does this story work? What is its core emotional truth? If I plant that truth in the Indian context — will it grow? If yes — make the remake. If no — don't."
