Family Ties

The success of Yamla Pagla Deewana will help the Deols make their way back to Bollywoods pecking order. It will perhaps also give family films an impetus.

Considering that real competition within the film industry of late is between family ventures Yamla Pagla Deewana,an offering from the Deol stable looks likely to put them back in the families-to-reckon-with pecking order this year.

Quite like what Dabangg did for Salman Khans family. Bhai of course,has always been known to keep a league of his own. The rest of the brood,brother Arbaaz Khan in particular,given the runaway success of the film,has come into his own as producer.

But I digress. With Dharamji celebrating his 50th year in business,Yamla Pagla Deewana could not have been timed better. Set firmly in the mindless caper bracket,the film that is breezy and entertaining is likely to do well around the country. The family equation is exploited to the hilt resulting in an excess of jhappis and pappis but the film,which pokes fun at the lead trio with reference to their movies,manages to get the laughs.

Their last outing together in Apne,did not really put them in the center of Bollywood universe but if YPD garners the box-office success that it deserves,a few things may change.

Lets face it,show business,like a career in politics is fickle and unpredictable. Fame and fortune that a career in the movies can bring on,has the possibility to disappear almost as miraculously as it appears. And so it is with families in the business. Fading careers have caused several illustrious families from the past lose their way down the years. Even yesteryears superstars such as Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Khanna have been unable to sustain their stardom. Of late though families have had cause for cheer,with different kinds of cinema making its way into Bollywood,actors young and old have been hauled into activity. After a few cameos,the remarkable Do Dooni Char has put both Rishi and Neetu Kapoor centrestage. And while Saif Ali Khan dimples his way through romantic capers and thrillers,mom Sharmila is not doing too badly either in Marathi,Bangla and Hindi films.

Among those that count as prominent are the Bachchans with Aishwarya,Abhishek and Big B as the active members and occasional participation by Jaya Bachchan,the Akhtar family with Javed Akhtar,Shabana Azmi,Farhan,Honey Irani and Zoya,there are the Kapoors Rishi,Neetu and Ranbir on the rise,Anil Kapoor and daughter Sonam,Shahid and Pankaj Kapur,Aamir Khan and family,Salman Khan and family,Yash and Aditya Chopra,Karan and Hiroo Johar and now the Deols among others.

Its interesting that over time a filmi lineage has come to be considered some kind of a talent. And with the trend on an upward swing,it is likely that more family films will be running at a theatre near you.

After all,a family that works together,stays together.