The Tamil thriller series Vilangu was originally released on Zee5 on February 18, 2022. It was later remade in Bengali as Bibhishon, Hindi as Janaawar, Kannada as Raakshasa, and now in Telugu as Rudravanam PS.
What makes this remake particularly surprising is that the original series could have simply been dubbed and made available to Telugu audiences. Instead, the makers have gone ahead with yet another remake of a story that is already accessible on the same OTT platform.
The Telugu version is now being promoted aggressively. Sai Dharam Tej and Kiran Abbavaram have heaped praise on this cop drama, helping the makers generate buzz around it.
But why so much hype for a remake? The promotions almost make it look as though the team has created something completely original and never seen before. There is nothing wrong with remaking a successful series, but presenting an already available story as some big achievement feels rather strange.
If the original is already streaming on the same platform, what exactly is the reason for viewers to watch another version?
This is where Tollywood’s priorities look rather strange. Dubbing an existing series could have done the job, but remaking it, promoting it with great fanfare and getting celebrities to shower praise on it has itself become a talking point, with Telugu audiences questioning the need for all this hype on social media.
Tollywood is indeed a strange place!
