Bollywood turns to sequels to cash in on hits

New Delhi: Bollywood is betting big on sequels and franchise films in the coming months to cash in on the success of titles such as Bhool Bhulaiya, Heropanti and Ek Villain, among others.

While Kartik Aaryan will be seen in horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiya 2 in March, the second parts to period drama KGF and Tiger Shroff’s Heropanti will arrive in April. Ekta Kapoor will also build on her Ek Villain series with an instalment in July while Zee Studios is planning a sequel to Gadar with Sunny Deol.

Critics and trade experts said the formula may generate some curiosity given the success of previous films but the poor response to recent titles like Bunty Aur Babli 2 suggest forcing a story forward may not work. The other challenge is that Hindi cinema does not have the grandeur and special effects of Hollywood superhero franchises, which such sequels are inspired by.

“Sequels are actually made for two core reasons; one is creative and the other is business led. If audiences have loved a particular story, extending its story line in a recognizable yet unique manner is a great business opportunity. The sequel will always feed off the appeal of its predecessor,” Shariq Patel, chief business officer, Zee Studios said.

However, a ‘spiritual successor,’ or a film with a completely different plot or set of actors and only belonging to the same genre as the original, such as a thriller or comedy, has been tough to sell and disappointing to audiences in the past few years, say trade experts. For example, Vidya Balan’s Kahaani 2 could not build on the success of the first instalment even though it featured the same lead actor.

Film critic and documentary maker C.S. Venkiteswaran said Hollywood sequels and franchise films are usually superhero tales that create large-scale worlds to take the same story forward. The Avengers and Star Wars films are examples. “The story has to evoke a sense of continuity. In India, however, filmmakers only tend to bank upon stars. The problem is, there has been a technological and generational shift of late and such films are unlikely to appeal to the youth,” Venkiteswaran said. In a post covid world, where people are accustomed to binge viewing series on video streaming platforms, it could be a challenge for filmmakers to bring them to cinemas for such films, he added.

Film critic Bharathi Pradhan said Hindi language sequels have let audiences down badly in the past few years, with high expectations also being a reason for disappointment. Even some films that are not announced as sequels, evidently belong to the same world, she said referring to Rajkummar Rao and Jahnvi Kapoor-starrer Roohi that released earlier this year and was obviously a spin-off on the same horror comedy space as Rao’s Stree with Shraddha Kapoor. Both were backed by Maddock Films.

“A lot of films simply want to cash in on the brand and end up killing it,” said a filmmaker who did not want to be named, citing the example of Salman Khan’s Race 3, that was panned by audiences on its release in 2018.