Not Just a Gimmick

Relying heavily on India’s obsession with cinema and stars,film maker are hoping to push their films into the audience’s conscience. Jha explains that comic books are an effective tool for reaching out to the youth — a growing movie audience. Saif believes that action-driven plots lend themselves well to the comic book format and hence,characters such as Agent Vinod can engage the audience. “A three-hour film can only offer a glimpse into Agent Vinod’s life. But the comic book offers a back story and brings to the fore his characteristics,” he says. Similarly,Ra.One’s nine-part online series,as a countdown to the film’s release,told the superhero G.One’s back story.

The trend may be driven by a surge in action films,but Jha believes that other genres can also use the format as long as they have strong characters and engaging plots. “Our series is based on current events,such as the recent raids on Mumbai’s nightlife spaces by police official Vasant Dhoble. We use these events to introduce our characters and their ideology,” Jha says. However,while others have launched their products in book format,Jha’s series will be available exclusively on web. Chopra,the editor-in-chief of Yomics,seconds Jha’s belief that genres beyond action work for the format. Alongside Dhoom Redux and Ek Tha Tiger,he has launched a romcom series Hum Tum and Daya Prochu that centres on a mischievous boy. “Most people use comics as a tool to market their films,but I am using films to nurture the culture of graphic art,” says Chopra. He will soon introduce a title based on one of his filmmaker-father Yash Chopra’s “iconic” films as well as a few non-film titles. New editions of each title — priced at Rs 99 — will release in both Hindi and English every fortnight. The content will also be available in a digital format and regional languages.

With improvement in quality of art work,the strategy sounds promising. But very few of these comic books rise above the status of a marketing gimmick. Ra.One series — of mediocre quality — was lost in the many promotions. Don:The Origin,priced at Rs 95,found limited takers in film enthusiasts. The Jungfrau Encounter released only a few days before Agent Vinod’s release and the film’s box-office performance didn’t help either. “Success of comic books depends on continuous production. One or two editions before the film’s release are gimmicks,” says Jai Saxena of BPI India,the publisher of Yomics. “Audience gets hooked only after reading multiple stories and assured of quality storytelling,” he concludes.