Bollywood Directors Who Helmed Multiple Movies With Same Title
Posted On: 26 Sep 2022 | Last Updated : 19 Oct 2022 | Views : 1.2k
For centuries, the Indian society has found itself entangled in the web of superstitious practices, where every Indian child grows up believing and following these superstitions. When we talk about superstitions, in the Indian entertainment industry, the Bollywood industry doesn’t stay far behind. Bollywood celebrities do everything to amplify the charm of their movies and to be the best in the industry. Which is the main reason we see Bollywood actors appearing in movies with the same title or remaking the movie to replicate its charm and success. Similarly, Bollywood filmmakers and directors are seen using the same title twice to get the same returns and positive responses from audiences and critics. So today, we will talk about such popular Bollywood directors who used the same movie titles multiple times. For more such Bollywood updates, articles, topics, and trivia related to movies and celebrities, stay tuned.
1. J. J. Madan - Laila Majnu (1922), (1931)
J.J. Madan was an Indian film director and theatre business owner, who was active in Bollywood during the silent era. J.J. Madan was the third son of an important film personality Jamshedji Framji Madan, and after his death, J.J. Madan continued his legacy and took over Madan Theatres. He started his career with the 1922 silent film that retells the Savitri and Satyavan story. One of his most successful films, Laila Majnu (1922) is still remembered, and to imitate its charm, J.J. Madan directed another movie with the same title in 1931.
• Laila Majnu (1922) is based on the Arabic poem that praises the tragic yet compatible love story of Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, also referred as Majnu, and his ladylove Laila. This silent movie features H. B. Waring and Dot Foy in titular roles.
• Laila Majnu (1931) is again based on the tragic love story of Laila and Majnu, thus has the same storyline. Again, a silent movie by J.J. Madan, the 1931 Laila Majnu features Khurshid Begum and Nissar in titular roles.
2. V. Shantaram - Chandrasena (1931), (1935)
Shantaram Rajaram Vankundre, popularly known as V. Shantaram, was an Indian actor, film producer and filmmaker, who had predominantly worked in Hindi and Marathi films. He is best known for his works like Duniya Na Mane (1937), Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), and many more. V. Shantaram became one of the Bollywood directors who used the same movie titles twice by directing two movies with the title Chandrasena in the years 1931 and 1935.
• Chandrasena (1931) is a silent adventure mythological drama, which was co-directed by Keshavrao Dhaiber and V. Shantaram. The movie features G. R. Mane, Leelavatio, Kamla Devi, Leela Chandragiri and Ebrahim.
• Chandrasena (1935) is a remake of V. Shantaram’s 1931 movie with the same title. The movie is based on an episode from Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’ that follows the story of Chandrasena, wife of Mahiravana, who kidnaps lord Rama and his brother Lakshman, and keeps them in Pataal Lok. However, Chandrasena helps lord Hanuman to rescue Rama and Lakshman from Mahiravana by revealing the secret to kill Mahiravana. The movie features Nalini Tarkhad, Sureshbabu Mane, Kelkar and Azurie.
3. Sohrab Modi - Jailor (1938), (1958)
Actor, director and producer Sohrab Merwanji Modi is best remembered for one of his earliest works Khoon Ka Khoon (1935), which was a Bollywood version of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. During his early days, Sohrab Modi gained reputation as a theatre artist and became a prominent Parsi theatre artist, and after gaining some knowledge in the silent films, Sohrab Modi went on to start his career in Bollywood.
• Jailor (1938) is psychological thriller drama that follows the story of a dictatorial jailor, who finds his wife with her lover, and locks her up in his home and forbids her to have any contact with their child. The movie features Sohrab Modi and Leela Chitnis in the titular roles.
• Jailor (1958) is a crime drama with somewhat similar plot as the preceding one. The movie follows the story of a liberal man who is a jailor, whose life undergoes a change, when his wife leaves him for another man. The movie features Sohrab Modi, Geeta Bali and Abhi Bhattacharya in the lead roles.
4. Vijay Bhatt – Ram Rajya (1943), (1967)
Grandfather of director Vikram Bhatt, Vrajlal Jagneshwar Bhatt, popularly known as Vijay Bhatt was an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter. He was the founder of Prakash Pictures, a film production company, and Prakash Studios, which produced around 64 Bollywood films. By using the movie title Ram Rajya twice, once in 1943 and again in 1967, he became one of the Bollywood directors who used the same movie titles more than once.
• Ram Rajya (1943) is one of the best works of Vijay Bhatt, which follows the episode of Hindu epic Ramayana, where lord Ram returns to Ayodhya with his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshman. After their return, the question about Sita’s character arises, who was under Ravana’s captivity for around one year. The movie features Prem Adib as Bhagwan Ram and Shobhna Samarth as Devi Maa Sita.
• Ram Rajya (1967) is a mythological drama by Vijay Bhatt, which again retells the episode from Hindu epic Ramayana. The movie features Bina Rai as Sita and Kumar Sen as Lord Ram.
5. Homi Wadia - Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1954), (1966)
Homi Wadia who was the co-founder of Wadia Movietone had a career spanning around five decades. He directed over 40 films, including Hunterwali (1935), Miss Frontier Mail (1936), Diamond Queen (1940) and Hatim Tai (1956). He directed two movies with the same title as Alibaba Aur 40 Chor in the years 1954 and 1966.
• Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1954) is an action-adventure drama that follows the story of a young man named Alibaba, who is shunned by his family. Alibaba endangers his life when he finds the secret of the hidden treasure belonging to 40 dangerous thieves. The movie features Shakila, Mahipal and B.M. Vyas in titular roles.
• Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1966) is another movie directed by Homi Wadia that has a similar storyline as the movie preceding it. The movie features Sanjeev Kumar and L. Vijyalakshmi in lead roles of Ali Baba and Princess Marjina.
6. Babubhai Mistry - Sati Naag Kanya (1956), (1983); Maya Bazaar (1958), (1984); Har Har Gange (1968), (1979)
Babubhai Mistry was a well-known director and special effects pioneer of his times, who was best known for his works based on the Hindu mythology, like Sampoorna Ramayana (1961), Mahabharat (1965) and Parasmani (1963). In 1999, he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution towards Hindi cinema. The director used not one or two, but three movie titles twice, namely Sati Naag Kanya, Maya Bazaar and Har Har Gange.
• Sati Naag Kanya (1956) follows the story of a snake princess who marries Indrajeet Meghnath, son of King Ravana. The movie is based on the episode from Hindu epic Ramayana. It features Manhar Desai, Mahipal and Nirupa Roy in titular roles.
• Sati Naag Kanya (1983) follows the similar plot as the 1956 film with the same title, and stars Neera, Vikram Gokhale and Manhar Desai in the lead roles.
• Maya Bazaar (1958) is a mythological drama based on the episode of Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’. The movie revolves around Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, who falls in love with Surekha, daughter of Balaram. However, the lovers face a series of challenges to be together, as Balaram wants to get his daughter married to Lakshman, son of Duryodhan. The movie features Mahipal, Anita Guha and Raj Kumar in main roles.
• Maya Bazaar (1984) is a fantasy epic drama following the same storyline as the 1958 film Maya Bazaar, however, with a different star cast, composed of Dara Singh Randhawa, Rakesh Pandey and Rita Bhaduri.
• Har Har Gange (1968) is a fantasy historical drama. The movie revolves around lord Shiva, who isolates himself after the death of his wife Sati. However, to restore order, Adishakti reincarnates as Uma and Ganga. Uma is dedicated to break Shiva’s penance, while Ganga is brought to heaven as an auspicious river that purifies everything it touches. The movie features Jayshree Gadkar, Abhi Bhattacharya and Jeevan in lead roles.
• Har Har Gange (1979) follows the same story as Babubhai Mistry’s 1968 film with the same title, and it features Neera, Ashish Kumar and Anjana Mumtaz in lead roles.
7. Nanabhai Bhatt – Baghdad Ki Raatein (1962), (1967)
One of the very first members of the cinematic Bhatt family, Nanabhai Bhatt is best remembered for making mythological and fantasy movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Some of his best works include Mr. X (1957), Kangan (1959), Lal Qila (1960), and many more. He is one of the Bollywood directors who used movie titles multiple times. In 1962, he made a movie with the title Baghdad Ki Raatein, and 5 years later, he made another film with the same title.
• Baghdad Ki Raatein (1962) is an adventure fantasy drama that features Master Bhagwan, Ajeet and Shyam Kumar in the titular roles.
• Baghdad Ki Raatein (1967) is adventure fantasy drama, which follows the same storyline as 1962 film with same title and features Mumtaz Askari, Master Bhagwan and Bela Bose in lead roles.
8. Pramod Chakravorty – Barood (1976), (1998)
Pramod Chakravorty was known for directing superhit movies including Ziddi (1964), Love in Tokyo (1966), Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai (1969), Jugnu (1973) and many more.
• Barood (1976) is an action crime drama featuring Rishi Kapoor, Shoma Anand and Reena Roy. The movie follows the story of a young middle-class man named Anup Saxena who lives in Bombay with his widower father. However, his father gets killed by four men, which turns his life upside down. Anup decides to avenge his father’s death and go on to train himself to succeed in his mission and kill all those responsible for his father’s death.
• Barood (1998) is an action crime drama featuring Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon that follows the story of a police officer named Jai, who makes it his mission to fight those who wronged him and completely eliminate crime from the society.
9. Rajkumar Kohli - Jaani Dushman (1979), (2002)
Rajkumar Kohli, father of actor Armaan Kohli, is an Indian director, who has directed several famous Bollywood movies. He started his career with the 1973 film Kahani Hum Sab Ki, featuring Lalita Pawar and Mala Sinha. He is known for directing horror and fantasy movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He made it to the list by using the title Jaani Dushman twice.
• Jaani Dushman (1979) is an action horror drama, which revolves around a mysterious mountain monster that abducts every newlywed bride in the nearby village and kills them. The movie features Sunil Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha as main characters.
• Jaani Dushman (2002) is an action horror fantasy drama that follows the story of a shape-shifting snake who seeks exact vengeance from those responsible for the death of his lover. The movie is a multi-starrer that features Sunny Deol, Arman Kohli, Manisha Koirala, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Sonu Nigam.
10. Ram Gopal Varma – Shiva (1990), (2006)
Ram Gopal Varma’s best works include Rangeela (1995), Satya (1998), Company (2002) and many more. He has directed movies Shiva (1990) and Shiva (2006) that share the same title.
• Shiva (1990) is a crime drama featuring Nagarjuna Akkineni and Amala. The movie revolves around a young college-going student, who stands against the student union leader and a group of gangsters that completely changes his peaceful life.
• Shiva (2006) is an action crime drama featuring Mohit Ahlawat, Priyanka Kothari and Vinod Jaywant. The movie revolves around an honest police officer named Shiva, who befriends a journalist named Sandhya, who is on the mission to expose the nexus between the police department and underworld gangsters. However, Shiva’s friendship with Sandhya and his efforts to help her, put him in trouble.
11. David Dhawan – Coolie No. 1 (1995), (2020)
David Dhawan is best known for directing multi-starrer comedy movies, mostly featuring actor Govinda or Salman Khan as leads. Some of his best works include Bol Radha Bol (1992), Aankhen (1993), Saajan Chale Sasural (1997), Haseena Maan Jayegi (1999) and many more. David Dhawan directed two movies titled Coolie No. 1, in the years 1995 and 2020.
• Coolie No. 1 (1995) is a comedy-drama that follows the story of a young man named Raju, who is a coolie by profession. Pandit Shaadiram asks Raju to pose as a wealthy tycoon to marry a rich man, Hoshiarchand’s daughter Malti. The movie features Govinda and Karishma Kapoor in the lead roles.
• Coolie No. 1 (2020) is again a comedy-drama with the same storyline as David Dhawan’s 1995 film with the same title, however, with a different star cast, composed of Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav and Jaaved Jaaferi.
12. Imtiaz Ali – Love Aaj Kal (2009), (2020)
One of the best directors of contemporary Hindi cinema, Imtiaz Ali started his career as a director with the 2005 film Socha Na Tha, featuring Ayesha Takia and Abhay Deol. However, it was his second directorial venture, Jab We Met (2007) that helped him garner fame. The director made it to the list, as he used the movie title Love Aaj Kal twice, first in the year 2009 and again in 2020.
• Love Aaj Kal (2009) is a romantic comedy drama featuring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Giselli Monteiro. An old man tells his love story to a modern young man who has just broken up with his girlfriend and has no care for true love. The movie depicts the changes the love has gone through over the years.
• Love Aaj Kal (2020) is a romantic comedy drama that has the same plot as the 2009 film with the same title. The movie features Sara Ali Khan, the daughter of Saif Ali Khan, who was in the 2009 Love Aaj Kal, along with Kartik Aaryan and Arushi Sharma.
