Brand Aid

Golmaal,however,is merely one of the many franchises that have cropped up in recent years. While Dabangg 2,Golmaal 4,Dhoom 3,Don 2 and the next of the Munnabhai series remain some of the most-awaited films to come out in the next two years,there are many others,such as Murder 2,Raaz 3 and No Entry Mein Entry that are hoping to meet a fate similar to their originals. Filmmakers,however,remain nonchalant about using the sequel strategy as a way of bringing the crowds to the cinemas. “If I have created a brand,why should I be apologetic about making money out of it. You reap what you sow,” says Shetty,who is soon going to make the sequel to his All The Best.

A successful brand makes it easier to rope in a producer,points out filmmaker Sagar Ballary,whose Bheja Fry 2 had Vinay Pathak reprising the character of Bharat Bhushan. The film didn’t do as well as its predecessor but ensured a good opening weekend. “Producers have become more demanding of sequels. Although there are scripts in the market they are not willing to risk new ideas. They know sequels will surely recover the cost because of the success of the first part and there’s not much to lose,” explains the director.

The trend of sequels in India took off with Harmesh Malhotra’s Nigahen,which took forward the story of Nagina. Post this film,sequels were unheard of for several years,until Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS (2003). Hirani carried forward his two most popular characters Munna and Circuit to his next Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006). Similarly Rakesh Roshan’s Koi Mil Gaya had a sequel in the form of Krissh. “With sequels you don’t have to explain the product to the audience,you just have to enhance their experience,” feels Arbaaz Khan,producer of Dabangg.

The Raaz series and the forthcoming Murder 2 don’t even have characters in common with their originals,leave alone the storyline. An insider from the Bhatt camp admits that the film could have been titled anything,but by referring to it as a “sequel to Murder”,the producers have banked on an already-established brand.

The profits raked in by sequels are a testimony to the fact that producers do have their job cut out. While all three films from his Golmaal series have earned around Rs 100 crore,Dhoom has only grown bigger. Aamir Khan has now stepped into the shoes of a villain,which Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham had played in the earlier parts,upping the glamour quotient considerably.

Shetty and Hirani believe in offering the audience a fresh story with each of their sequels. Arbaaz,however,believes it is the ‘flavour’ of the first film that needs to be retained in the succeeding ones. “It is like James Bond in the West. When a character like Bond has managed to attract the audiences,you only want him to be alive as long as he possibly can,” he explains.

For actors,too,it is tried-and-tested territory. Jacqueline Fernandes,who is a part of three sequels — Murder 2,Raaz 3 and Housefull 2,says,“These films will help me establish myself in the industry. After all,the loyal fan base of these three films will come and watch it.”

The overdose of sequels has cast a shadow on the capability of Bollywood to churn out original ideas. But members of the industry counter that by explaining that making a sequel takes as much effort,though in a familiar direction.

“People might think it’s easy to come up with a sequel. But the pressure to succeed is that much more,” says Arbaaz,who is writing the sequel of Dabangg right now.