KathNiel blockbuster movies go Bollywood

The biggest hits of the Philippines’ leading movie company will soon be adapted for one of the world’s biggest film markets. ABS-CBN Film Productions announced Friday it is forging an agreement with Global One Studios of India to remake five of its box-office movies, all top-billed by the phenomenal love team of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. 

The deal is historic in Philippine cinema as it will be the first time for India, considered as one of the largest movie hubs in the world, to localize five Filipino films with lead artists and introduce them to new and talented Indian loveteams to Bollywood.  

“This is a great opportunity for ABS-CBN Films to share our well-loved and heartfelt stories and become a source of inspiration for global audiences,” ABS-CBN Films Managing Director Olivia Lamasan said. 

“The Philippines and India share many common values, among which is the strong love for family, that resonates in our films and will soon be experienced by the people of India,” Lamasan added.

“We are happy to be associated with ABS-CBN Films to bring their well-crafted love stories to the people of India by adapting their heartrending films in Indian languages. Family bonding and cultural values are common to both Philippines and India, which are captured seamlessly in their films. This will be the first time that five Filipino films will be remade in India and we are excited to join hands with ABS-CBN to showcase their relationship stories with the same intensity and emotions through our films,” said Ramesh Krishnamoorthy, President of Global One Studios. 

The five films set for Indian remake are “Barcelona: A Love Untold,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “Crazy Beautiful You, “She’s Dating The Gangster,” and “The Hows Of Us,” which was the Philippines’ top-grossing film in 2018. 

The Indian adaptation deal comes at a time when Kathryn and Daniel, popularly called KathNiel, are celebrating their 10th anniversary as a love team. They started teaming up on television in 2011 and eventually became top movie stars with a stellar lineup of projects together.  

“She’s Dating The Gangster,” their coming-of-age 2014 romantic-comedy film, is about two students who pretend to date to make an ex-girlfriend jealous.  

“Crazy Beautiful You” came out a year later, centering on the story of a rebellious teenage girl sent on a medical mission camp and finds herself falling for a politician’s son.  “Barcelona: A Love Untold” is about two Filipinos who are trying to get over their respective past and finds romance in Spain. It was released in 2016 and named Best Picture in the 65th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards. 

The 2017 romantic-comedy drama “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is an exciting tale of an engaged young lady who discovers that she is already married to a total stranger.  

“The Hows Of Us” is about a young couple who dreams of growing old together but faces hurdles along the way. It received the Golden Jury award from the 50th Guillermo Box Office Entertainment Awards.