Drishyam, the 2013 Malayalam film directed by Jeethu Joseph, is now a Chinese blockbuster. The film which starred Mohanlal in the Malayalam original, and Kamal Haasan in its Tamil remake, was bought by a Chinese production house a year ago for a remake.
The Chinese remake entitled Sheep Without A Shepherd was released all over China on December 13, 2019, and became an instant hit, raking in 31.13 million dollars in the first week, making it a bigger success at the Chinese box-office than Jumanji 2: The Next Level, reports the Chinese portal CGTN.
This crime thriller about a middle-class father who goes to murderous lengths to protect his family has been a big success in three Indian languages, Malayalam, Telugu and also Hindi.
In Drishyam in Hindi, Ajay Devgn played the protective father plotting a devious alibi to protect his family from the law. Tabu played the cop on the prowl. The cop’s role is played by the legendary Chinese actress Joan Chen in The Sheep Without A Shepherd.
Commenting on the perennial popularity of the Drishyam story (written originally by Jeethu Joseph) Nishikant Kamat who directed the Hindi adaptation says it is the idea of a man going to any lengths to protect his family, that works in the film’s favour.
“Also the foolproof alibi that the protagonist constructs to protect his family from the law is sheer genius. I’d give the credit for the success of Drishyam in so many languages to the writing,” says Kamat.