13 Bollywood Movies That Are Copied From Korean Movies

From Radhe to Zinda, a look at Bollywood movies that are actually copied from Korean movies.

As Korean movies and shows have become a rage, entertainment lovers across the world are looking for classic Korean content this is worth watching. When we talk about Bollywood, filmmakers here stop at nothing when it comes to remakes and remixes. They have not even left out Korean Movies and have rapidly started copying content from South Korean movies. Here is a list of Bollywood movies that are copied from Korean movies:-

Zinda (2005) 

Sanjay Gupta’s Zinda has been identified as an unauthorized remake of the South Korean film Oldboy (2003). There are a lot of similarities in both the movie like a man is captured without reason and kept locked in a prison for over a decade. When he comes out, he meets a woman who helps him find the evil mind who did this to him. The producers of Oldboy initially expressed legal concerns but no legal action.

Awarapan (2007)

Mohit Suri’s very successful film Awarapan is an uncredited remake of the South Korean movie A Bittersweet Life (2005). The Korean movie illustrated the ethical codes in the Korean mob and how they clash with personal morality. Awarapan had a similar storyline with some small changes.

Ugly Aur Pagli (2008)

Just like Ugly Aur Pagli, My Sassy Girl (2001) too had an engineering student who meets a drunk girl who makes him do crazy things for love. In fact, many scenes were taken directly from the original film. The only difference was that the original movie was a blockbuster while its remake tanked at the box office.

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Murder 2 (2011)

South Korean movie The Chaser (2008) has the same storyline as a former police officer, who is hired by a gangster to trace missing call girls and their abductor by using the skills of his old job. Murder 2 just had the addition of a love interest of Emraan Hashmi.

Ek Villain (2014)

Ek Villian shares many similarities with the plot of the Korean movie I Saw The Devil (2010). In this film too, the lead actor starts on a quest for revenge when his fiancée is brutally murdered by a psychopathic murderer. Rings any bells?

Jazbaa (2015)

Jazbaa was the official remake of the South Korean movie Seven Days (2007). Almost every plot point is similar between the two movies, involving a lawyer on a mission to save her kidnapped daughter. In order to do it, she needs to fight the case of a criminal who is on death row for committing rape and murder.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)

This is perhaps the most unexpected movie on this list. But Prem Ratan Dhan Payo bears a lot of resemblance to the South Korean movie Masquerade (2012). Though the Indian version of the movie had a lot of ‘desi’ stuff and lots of ‘sanskars’ embedded!

Rocky Handsome (2016)

John Abraham’s Rocky Handsome is an official adaptation of the action classic The Man From Nowhere (2010). Both the films revolve around a man with a mysterious past who works as a pawnshop attendant and forms a relationship with a small girl. He goes berserk when that girl is kidnapped.

TEEN (2016)

Ribhu Dasgupta’s TEEN draw parallels with a South Korean thriller movie Montage (2013). The plot is almost similar with some minute changes like instead of the woman, we have a grandfather looking for his kidnapped granddaughter.

Barfi (2012)

One of the most appreciated movies in Bollywood, Barfi is actually a copy of the South Korean movie Lover’s Concerto (2002). Directed by Anurag Basu, Barfi is considered one of the best movies of Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D’Cruz.

Bharat (2019)

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Salman Khan’s Bharat is based on the South Korean movie Ode to My Father (2014). Salman has an old habit of ruining classic movies but Bharat seems to be an exception.

Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai (2021)

One of the worst made Bollywood movies, Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is actually based on the Korean movie The Outlaws (2017). If you really want to know how Salman and Prabhu Deva ruined an exciting action-thriller, watch the original movie.

Dhamaka (2021)

Well, this one is an official adaptation. Kartik Aaryan starrer Dhamaka is an official remake of the South Korean action thriller movie The Terror Live (2013). Released on Netflix, Dhamaka received appreciation for Madhvani’s direction and Aaryan’s performance.

Well, these are the movies we know. God knows how many Korean movies have actually been ripped-off by Korean filmmakers.