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Dhoom 3, Krrish 3, Race 2, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Again and many more, the year is replete with franchises which consolidate cine branding more than ever before. An overview of upcoming releases that include big bonanzas like Chennai Express, Kick and Himmatwala; an eclectic mix of serious and spurious films that have the making of a hit parade
The New Year is a landmark year for the Indian film industry as it turns 100 and reinforces Brand Bollywood as the most prolific filmmaking entity in the world. Also, the concept of franchises takes a deep root — marking a strong synergy between commerce and creativity in Bollywood. "It is a year of big bonanzas and the year of most probable blockbusters," predicts Udaya Tara Nayar, veteran film chronicler and a trade expert.
Circa 2013 will also be marked for being the year of super sequels. What was a common marketing tool in Hollywood with flourishing film franchises of Bond, Rocky, Spiderman films, has come in handy in Bollywood as well. Ever since Munnabhai, Krrish and Golmaal sequels took the box office by storm, Bollywood has wised up to the importance of sequels and franchises. "What works in favour of sequels is that the characters and genre is already established in the minds of the audience and with the right content and treatment, filmmakers can leverage the brand to make bigger profits. In the recent years, sequels have outdone the business of the original irrespective of their content — Kya Supercool Hain Hum, Phir Hera Pheri fared better though they weren’t exactly an improvement in terms of content," points out Nayar. The swagger of Chulbul Pandey (Dabbang), the zany cast of characters (Golmaal), the street savvy Munnabhai or the break-neck thrill of Race — the familiar grounds and approved characters work well with the audience. "Like Bond films which completed a run of 50 long years with a loyal following, there are exciting possibilities in Bollywood as well," observes Vinod Mirani, trade analyst. Although the sequels ride on the success of the predecessor and the stock characters remain the same, the plot and the cast is easily changed. As director Milan Luthria admitted that casting Akshay Kumar in place of Emraan Khan in Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Again isn’t going to hamper the story telling in any way, "It really doesn’t matter, the audience is already clued in to the story," he adds. Sequels are a sure shot formula for success, it appears — the success of a thriller like Kahaani has spurred director Sujoy Ghosh to script Kahaani 2. Successful small-time franchises include Murder 3, Aashiqui 2, Ragini MMS 2 and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns.
The year certainly celebrates the power of sequels — Dhoom 3 and Krrish 3 — reprise the huge appeal of sequels. "This year has big-budget films releasing throughout and the success rate is also going to be high. Don’t be surprised if Bollywood collections touch a record high this year," proclaims N. P. Yadav, editor Entertainment Trade. Star Power Will the Khan triumvirate make the turnstiles whirl yet again this year with big releases? Well, SRK’s Chennai Express, which is set to hit the screens in October , has everything going for it. "The first time pairing of action-comedy specialist Rohit Shetty with SRK, the king of romance makes for an interesting watch. Don’t be in a hurry to write off SRK, such is boxoffice muscle that even his much-panned Jab Tak Hai Jaan crossed the 100 crore mark very easily. Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn’s much-hyped hits haven’t grossed anywhere close to that. Remember SRK still has a huge overseas market," asserts Yadav. Dhoom 3 with Aamir Khan playing the mythical anti-villain in the top-con film will be the major release of the year. But in all probability, Salman Khan may not be visiting the theatres this year as none of his projects — Kick and Sher Khan are yet to go on the floors.
Chhote Nawab, Saif Ali Khan’s Race 2 has all the potential to be a huge boxoffice draw as does Akshay Kumar’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again and Ajay Devgn’s Himmatwala. "Imagine Devgn in such an unconventional remake, the curiosity factor and good music will certainly attract fans," foresees Nayar. Ranbir Kapoor’s Youngistan fanbase will be further augmented with discernible viewers as he continues to experiment and consort variety of genres with Besharam and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. "His pairing with Deepika Padukone backed with good music is sure to work wonders," says Yadav. Star power is at play in a big way this year. Novel themes Continuing with the spirit of new age cinema, Vishal Bharadwaj is out to experiment right from the title of his film — Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola and the music is also a new audio experience altogether. Rockstar director Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Pochche, an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller 3 Mistakes, choreographer –turned-director Remo’s 3 D dance flick Anybody Can Dance, Rakeysh Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Khan in the title role, Sudhir Mishra’s Arjun-Chitrangda starrer Inkar and A Wednesday director’s Special Chhabbis will provide reason for the thinking audience to buy tickets to cinema. Shahid Kapoor’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero, Ranvir Singh’s Lootera and John Abraham’s Shootout At Wadala will pull in more audience into the theatres. Southern superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil period saga Kochadaiyaan and Kamal Haasan’s Viswaroopam to be released simultaneously via DTH will be the added attractions of the new year. From the listing of
forthcoming releases, in all probability, this year looks like the
year of hit parade.
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