THE SUCCESS SERIES

As Ajay Devgnstarrer Golmaal Again hits the bullseye at the box office and Housefull 4 is announced, we take a look at what’s making top Bollywood stars and filmmakers turn towards franchises in a big way

Prashant Singh W hat do Housefull (2010), Singham (2011) and Golmaal (2006) have in common? Well, besides being big successes at the box office, these Hindi potboilers also spawned three of Bollywood’s biggest franchises, with the recently released Golmaal Again becoming the biggest hit in the Golmaal franchise, and director Sajid Khan coming back to helm the fourth film in the Housefull series, starring Akshay Kumar.

BIG BANDWAGON

It wasn’t the case in past years, but Bollywood seems to have developed a knack for coming up with and sustaining hit franchises. What’s more, a number of top stars are also choosing roles in blockbuster franchises.

The list includes, Ajay Devgn, who headlines the Singham and Golmaal series; Akshay, who has franchises such as Housefull, Hera Pheri and Khiladi in his kitty, and Salman Khan, who has the Dabangg and Tiger

series.

Hrithik Roshan is credited for coming up with B-Town’s own indigenous superhero franchise, Krrish; Sanjay Dutt is the face of Rajkumar Hirani’s Munna Bhai series, and the Deols have come up with the Yamla Pagla Deewana films. And that’s not all: other successful franchises to hit Bollywood over the past few years include Race, Welcome, Dhoom, Sarkar, and Raaz, among others.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “The big reasons [why franchises have become

popular] are tremendous recall value and high entertainment quotient. When a franchise becomes a brand, people can easily associate with it.” Referring to Varun Dhawan’s sequel to Salman’s 1997 hit, Judwaa, Adarsh adds, “It wouldn’t be surprising if Judwaa 3 is also announced in a few years’ time.”

BRAND VALUE

Actors also admit that “over time, franchises become brands”. Ajay says, “You can only make a franchise work when the characters in the

film work well. When you rework a script, everything changes and it excites you again. And it (the Golmaal series) is a brand that people love.”

On his part, Hrithik is looking forward to shooting for Krrish 4.

“I am not nervous [about the fourth film]. But I am happy about the fact that dad (film-maker Rakesh Roshan) is excited to make it, because I think it [the franchise] deserves one more part,” he says.

(Clockwise) Krrish 3, Housefull 3, Dhoom:3, and Golmaal Again have been big hits at the box office