8 Thalapathy Vijay movies that were so good we forgot they were remakes!

Vijay's last outing as an actor, Jana Nayagan, is yet to be released, with rumours of it being a remake. As we anticipate its release, let's take a look at movies that everyone's azhagiya Tamil magan managed to make his own despite being a remake.

Tamil cinema revolves around stars and their star power, because actors transcend their on-screen roles. They are worshipped, prayed to and followed by fans as if their lives depend on it. That’s why it is often unsurprising but inevitable, to see them shifting their careers into politics. Illayathalapathy Vijay aka Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, has now decided to take the same route, announcing his retirement from acting, a news that has created a frenzy among his fans. While several actors have dipped their toes in politics before retiring from acting, Vijay’s move raises its own speculations. Whether he will become a successful politician or return to movies someday, is uncertain. Nonetheless, the excitement surrounding his final film is calling for celebration amongst his fans.

One thing people noticed after the trailer launch was how the story seemed quite similar to Nandamuri Balakrishna aka Balayya starring Bhagavanth Kesari. The 2023 movie, which has also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, saw its fair share of success and criticism. However, people, who have been anticipating Vijay’s last movie, have expressed their scepticism about it being a remake rather than an original movie. But Vijay’s career has always had movies that were remakes of popular movies. Even people who have seen the original can agree that Vijay manages to add his own style to make these versions seem like his own. With the delay in the release for Jana Nayagan and fans waiting for another release date, let's brush through some of his best remake movies that will forever be iconic.

Also Read: 8 themes we'd love to see take shape onscreen in 2026!

Here's what we have loved so far!

Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) - Amazon Prime Video

The original was the Malayalam film, Aniyathipravu, which that released in the same year, starring Kunchako Boban and Shalini in the lead. While it was a movie that gave Boban his big break, it was a breakthrough movie for Vijay, who found his first commercial success. It was also one of the movies that gave us his lover boy character that we loved onscreen.

Priyamaanavale (2000) - Sun NXT

Priyamaanavale is another official remake of Venkatesh’s Telugu film Pavitra Bandham (1996). This movie is counted among one of Vijay’s most peculiar movies that still gets talked about for not just for its casting, the chemistry between the leads but also the songs.

Friends (2001) - Amazon Prime Video

A remake of the Malayalam film by the same name (1999), directed by Siddique in both languages, Friends was one of those movies that saw him share a screen with another actor who was considered a superstar in the making, Surya, and happenedand who? to a commercial success that helped boost both their careers.

Badri (2001) - Sun NXT

A remake of the superhit Telugu film Thammudu (1999), Badri placed Vijay as an action star. The song ‘Travelling Soldier’ and a car running over his fingers managed to become one of those classic moments in Tamil cinema that fans keep going back to.

Ghilli (2004) - Amazon Prime Video

If there’s a movie that majorly impacted how fans pursued him, it was Ghilli. The movie, and a remake of Mahesh Babu's blockbuster Telugu film Okkadu (2003), gave Vijay the global recognition that furthered his image as a blockbuster actor. From the dialogues, scenes, actions to the songs, everything about the movie became iconic. It was so well received that even non-Tamil speaking audience can sing ‘Appadi Pode’ lyric to lyric, while Tamil audiences fell in love with Kabaddi as a sport.

Pokkiri (2007) - Amazon Prime Video

Another golden feather in Vijay’s career, Pokkiri, directed by Prabhu Deva is as Vijayesque as it can get. It was not only a massive commercial success but it also made you forget that it was a remake of the Telugu movie by the same name. It was one of the first movies we loved seeing him play a cop in and his dialogue ‘oru vaati mudivu pannita’ still gives us goosebumps.

Kaavalan (2011) - Zee5

Kaavalan is another of Siddique’s Malayalam films that was remade and directed by him in Tamil. Originally, Bodyguard (2010), Kaavalan gave fans the on-screen chemistry between Vijay and Asin, building on their successful pairing in Pokkiri. Vijay managed to bring his boyish charm with a strong, mass appeal during every fight sequence, making the movie a complete entertainer.

Nanban (2012) - Jio Hotstar

A remake of the blockbuster Hindi film 3 Idiots (2009),Nanban was a bit different from what we were used to seeing Vijay as. With no over-the-top dialogues or fight scenes, Shankar managed to give us his grandeur while putting Vijay back to college in this official Tamil remake.

How excited are you to see Vijay's last project as an actor? Let us know in the comments below.