ARE PRE-PLANNED FRANCHISES A GOOD GAMBLE?
Industry experts weigh in on the emerging trend of announcing films as part of a pre-determined series
It’s not just about how well a project should do so that we could make another one using the same name. For me, it’s passion-driven. LAKSHYA RAJ ANAND, Director
It is common practice in showbiz for films to receive sequels and eventually become franchises. However, it was dependent on a number of factors, including how well the film did with the audience, to determine whether or not a sequel would be demanded. But now, producers are announcing movies while introducing them as the first instalment of a predetermined series.
Intended as a trilogy, the upcoming movie Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is one such example. The reason, according to director Ayan Mukerji, is “confidence, hard work, and nervousness”. “We really believe in the content. We had set out to make a trilogy and we are confident,” he asserts.
But what about waiting to see how the first one is received? Mukerji says, “I know how the movie business is. I hope the youth gets attached to the movie, so it can give us wings.”
Aside from Mukerji’s movie, actor Allu Arjun’s blockbuster Pushpa (2021), too, was released as Part 1: The Rise .So was John Abraham’s Attack, which has been released as Part 1. Its director, Lakshya Raj Anand, says more than confidence, it’s the art of storytelling: “It’s not just about how well a project should do so that we could make another one using the same name. For me, it’s passion-driven. We created these characters whose journey doesn’t end in part one; it only begins.” Ask him about the risk involved in terms of box-office and he says, “The industry has always been risky.”
Industry experts credit Baahubali for propelling this trend. “People saw that it had come out in two parts. And the success of the movies made the makers think and come up with something (ideas for films) that could have two parts or be a trilogy,” says trade expert Atul Mohan. He adds that in case the first instalment was a flop, the public won’t recall if a franchise was ever launched: “The public memory is too short. Two-three years will pass after the release [of the first movie]. Makers will claim story nahin mil rahi, and the actors will say they are [too] busy (for sequels).”