This female-led film was made on a Rs 8-crore budget but was still a blockbuster, spawning a Bollywood remake that never released in theatres.
The mid-2010s saw a rise in female-led films in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Actresses like Anushka Shetty, Nayanthara headlined several of these films that were successful at the box office too. Many of these inspired remakes in Hindi and other languages too. Perhaps the most profitable of these films was Kolamavu Kokila, the Tamil sleeper hit from 2018, which earned nine times as much as its humble budget.
Kolamavu Kokila’s impressive box office record
Starring Nayanthara in the title role, Kolamavu Kokila was a black comedy directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The film also featured Yogi Babu, Saranya Ponvannan, VJ Jacqueline, R. S. Shivaji, Charles Vinoth, and Hareesh Peradi in supporting roles. The film was a critical and commercial success, generating good reviews upon its release and growing via word of mouth. As per reports, the film was made on a bidget of Rs 8 crore only and minted Rs 73 gross worldwide, one of the highest for a female-led Tamil film. The 800% profit it earned at the box office also remains one of the highest ever.
Kolamavu Kokila’s Bollywood remake, which featured a star kid
In 2022, Kolamavu Kokila was remade in Hindi by debutant director Siddharth Sen. The film Goodluck Jerry, set in Punjab, starred Janhvi Kapoor in the lead role, along with an ensemble cast of Deepak Dobriyal, Mita Vashisht, Neeraj Sood, Saurabh Sachdeva, Sushant Singh and Samta Sudiksha. The film interestingly did not get a theatrical release. It premiered directly on Disney+ Hotstar where it recieved mixed reactions. Good Luck Jerry recieved largely positive reviews from critics but audienced compared it unfavourably to the original.
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 "Nelson and Nayanthara on the sets of Kolamavu Kokila")
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