It’s all in the title!

Sanju (2018), Kabir Singh (2019), Bharat (2019) and Tanhaji — The Unsung Warrior — what’s the one thing that’s common in all these hit films in the recent past? Yes, they all had big stars, but the film’s title was also the name of the protagonist, respectively played by Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn.

The year 2020 will see a host of such films, which will see actors playing titular roles. Trade analyst Joginder Tuteja feels it’s a recent change, mainly because of how the audience is accepting character-driven films. “It wasn’t possible, say, 10-12 years back. It’s happening now because we have more character-based films being made, which are also commercial. That is something which is helping. We all saw how big Kabir Singh turned out to be. There was Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), too. Krrish works as an overall franchise. Simmba (2018), too, was one. It’s also because different kind of films are being made,” he says.

Actors, on their part, don’t feel the pressure of headlining a film, or carrying it entirely on their shoulders. Kiara Advani, who will lead Indoo Ki Jawani, says, “There’s no pressure about playing a titular role now, it will probably come closer to the release. I am trying not to take that, as I am confident about the script.”

Disha Patani will meanwhile be seen in a different avatar from the usual in Ktina. “It’s very different for sure,” she says, “But I think the pressure would be on everyone, (as) everybody is important.”

As directors, too, the pressure lies in the fact that the audience will trickle in with high expectations, and that the character, being played by a star, has to live up to the ‘image’ which the public has in their minds. Farhad Samji, director, Bachchan Panday, says, “Successful stories are always driven by the main character and the best example is Munna Bhai MBBS (2003). So, movies like Chandni (1989) and PK (2014), etc., are stories which are famous because of their character. The attempt is to make our character sail through the same way.”

Om Raut helmed Tanhaji, which has emerged as a big success, and saw Ajay playing the titular role of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s military leader. He reasons, “Once you have worked out your narration, the rest of the things fall into place. I wouldn’t say it was a ‘pressure’ of working with big stars, as we would call them, or having more money to work with. The bigger pressure was to tell the right story, in the right way with authenticity.”