Telling effect of titles
Surendra Miglani

The success of Taare Zameen Par saw the title being used in various television programmes

If face is the index of a man, title is the index of a movie. Film producers Udai Tiwari and Raj Kundra must have realised this when they released their venture Strangers in December last year. Though a Hindi flick, cinegoers mistook it for an English movie. And why blame only the viewers. Several newspapers listed this Jimmy Shergill-Kay Kay Menon-Nandana Sen-starrer among English movies in their show time columns. The film took a beating at the box-office and lack of an interesting plot was perhaps not the only factor responsible for it.

Johnny Gaddaar was certainly among the best movies that rolled out of Bollywood last year. This thriller kept one hooked to one’s seat. Yet it fared very badly at the box-office. According to trade analysts, the title made it sound like a ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade stunt movie.

Ketan Maroo’s Manorama Six Feet Under came as a breath of fresh air when it hit the theatres in September 2007. Trade pundits were of the view that the movie would have made some moolah had its producer not given it such an obnoxious title.

Johnny Gaddaar was among the best films of 2007. Yet it fared badly at the box-office

Raj Kanwar’s Raqeeb, which nose-dived at the box-office last year, became a victim of criticism for, among other things, its title. Most people did not know the meaning of the word, it was said.

Yash Chopra’s Tara Rum Pum was an inappropriate title, according to a top film critic. Cinegoers went into theatres to watch a musical but were disappointed to see something else. The car of Yash’s super success at the box-office turned turtle with this movie.

Catchy titles sometimes help a film get a good initial success and thanks to the new economics of film trade, initial response ends up dictating the fate of the movie at the box-office.

Surely, it was this belief that drove Dhillin Mehta to conduct a countywide poll last year to choose the right title for his movie starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. He gave three options to viewers — Punjab Mail, Ishq via Bhatinda and Jab We Met. The producer actually respected the outcome of the poll. No prizes for guessing the title that emerged victorious. The popularity of Jab We Met prompted Ajay Devgan to change the title of his film from Main Tum Aur Hum to U Me Aur Hum. Unfortunately, the film has failed to create a stir at the box-office. Had its fate been different, there was every chance of such "linguistic adulteration" in titles becoming a fad just as long titles became a rage after the success of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.

Ram Gopal Varma earned a name for himself for coining interesting titles for his movies. Some examples are Raat, Rangeela, Daud, Bhoot and Sarkar. One fails to understand what made him give a ridiculous title like Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag to his last venture. Why the filmmaker decided to append his own name to the title is a mystery (now this is another matter that there is hardly anyone who wants mysteries associated with such Z-grade movies solved).

Shah Rukh Khan’s title Om Shanti Om drew rich applause when it came in November last year. It carried the names of the characters and even hint of its theme of reincarnation (repetition of Om). Moreover, it was the title of a movie being made within the movie and these were the opening words of a song from Subhash Ghai’s Karz, a clip of which too made a part of the movie.

Some titles may not sound very exciting initially but the success of the films makes them extremely popular. Taare Zameen Par is one such beneficiary. When some sportsmen failed to perform recently, headlines like Sitaare Zameen par and Saare Zameen Par were splashed on the TV screens. When the stock market witnessed a bloodbath in January this year, it was headlines like Sensex Zameen Par were a common sight.

When it comes to popularity flowing out of success, Chak De! India beats all others. Indian sports lovers now love to raise this slogan whenever they are watching a match. A TV channel even named its sting operation as "Operation Chak De" that finally led to the earthquake in the Indian Hockey Federation. Chak De! India seems to have become our new national anthem.

It qualifies to figure in the list of all-time popular titles like Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye (just see how many marriage bureaus advertise their services with taglines like Dulhan Wohi Jo Khannaji Dilaayen), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai? (Even English newspapers still give headlines like Mayawati ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai?) or Pati Patni aur Who (Woh has now virtually become a synonym for husband’s mistress).

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