Vijay Tasted Success with Telugu Remakes, Says Gopi Mohan
ijay built his own market in the Telugu states with direct releases and dubbed versions like Thuppaki, Master, and Leo, earning over ₹22 crore share.
With Tamil superstar Vijay’s upcoming film Jana Nayagan being the remake of the Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari, noted writer Gopi Mohan has credited Telugu cinema for shaping the actor’s career in Kollywood.
“Vijay has to thank Telugu stories for his meteoric rise, along with the hard work of Tamil directors who made him a superstar,” says Gopi Mohan. “He began his success journey with films like Priyamanavale, Youth, and Badri, which were remakes of Telugu hits Pavitra Bandham, Chirunavvutho, and Badri. By doing diverse stories, he steadily expanded his fan base.”
The turning point, however, came when Vijay adapted Mahesh Babu’s blockbusters Okkadu (Ghilli) and Pokiri. “Both Vijay and Mahesh were of the same age and had a similar mass following. Vijay cleverly picked Telugu hits that mixed action and romance, while Mahesh strictly avoided remakes. That strategy paid off big time for Vijay,” he explains.
Interestingly, the exchange wasn’t one-sided. Pawan Kalyan found success by remaking Vijay’s Love Today as Suswagatham and Sivakasi as Annavaram. Even Nagarjuna tasted a big hit with Nuvvu Vastavani, which was a remake of Vijay’s Thulladha Manamum Thullum. “Yet, it was Vijay who consistently trusted Telugu stories to fuel his rise,” Gopi Mohan points out.
Over time, Vijay built his own market in the Telugu states with direct releases and dubbed versions like Thuppaki, Master, and Leo, earning over ₹22 crore share. “With Jana Nayagan, he will easily cross ₹25 crore in Andhra and Telangana. Still, he falls a little short of Rajinikanth’s market in the Telugu region,” he observes.
When asked if Vijay could replicate Pawan Kalyan’s transformation from superstar to Deputy Chief Minister, Gopi Mohan laughs it off. “Not at all. Vijay has his own agenda. Andhra people rewarded Pawan Kalyan after a decade of relentless political work. He has witnessed unprecedented turnouts, his speeches have rocked social media and triggered tremors among his political opponents, and we have to see what's in store for him in political arenas in 2026,” he concludes.
