A series of fortunate events
Are you itching to know what happens when Munna Bhai and Circuit land in the US? Or what transpires when superhero Krishna gets entangled in a plot by another baddie? You can keep your fingers crossed for the third installments of Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Krrish, Phir Hera Pheri, and Dhoom 2.
Proving cynics wrong and silencing critics, the much-anticipated sequels have set new records this year. The art of making successful sequels is also a trend that Bollywood has never seen before. Riding the wave, filmmakers have announced follow-ups that promise to be more stylish and lavish than the first two.
Get ready to laugh till your sides split in Hera Pheri 3, the Feroz Nadiadwala production to be directed by Anees Bazmee, and be tickled once again in Munna Bhai 3. While Rakesh Roshan has contemplated a sleeker and more adventurous follow-up to Krrish, Aditya Chopra (this time also as the director) promises you more bikes, edge-of-the-seat action and a stylish King Khan as the villain in Dhoom 3. “The most astounding part is that the sequels have surpassed the success of the originals. it’s natural that now we’ll have a series on the same subject,” says trade analyst Komal Nahata.
in the good old days, producers and directors may not have considered follow-ups to a record-breaking Sholay or Don, but now with bigger budgets and a larger audience, the equations have changed in Bollywood. The affable goon Munna Bhai and his loveable assistant Circuit or the hilarious Shyam, Raju and Baburao of the Hera Pheri team are not just memorable characters, but lucrative brands.
“We also plan to extend the Hera Pheri characters as merchandise brands,” says producer Feroz Nadiadwala, who has also announced animated versions of the hugely popular Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri. Nadiadwala has gone as far as to express interest in making “seven Hera Pheris.” Sanjay Gadhvi, director of Dhoom and Dhoom 2, adds, “Dhoom is a cleverly-created brand. We plan to create a series similar to the James Bond franchise. The success of Dhoom made us realise the potential of the subject and that of Dhoom 2 has confirmed it. The style statement and the youth mantra-trendy and cool-are the USP of the Dhoom brand. But we haven’t yet thought of anything for Dhoom 3.”
Directors of the third parts are sweating it out to enhance the entertainment value of their films. “it’s a challenging task to make Hera Pheri 3. it has to be a great story and we’re thinking of interesting situations. The film is likely to be set in an overseas location. The grandeur and lavishness will complement the story,” says Bazmee, director of Hera Pheri 3, who has been roped in after Priyadarshan and Neeraj Vohra moved on.
No matter how good the brand is, the story is king, say others in the industry. “Lage Raho… was not directed just because Munnabhai…was a great hit. i believe the film was made because of its great story,” says Boman irani, who has played memorable roles in both the Munnabhai films.
A word of caution from Hollywood, while the memories of series like The Godfather, Terminator and Star War are still fresh in our minds, there are many others that have faded into oblivion. “The third parts have fabulous chances, given the success of the first two in the series. But they have to grow beyond the second parts. That’s the challenge,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. With rumours of a Don 2 floating around, let’s hope SRK has better luck with sequels than remakes.
Last 5 posts in News
- 'Don 2' is a Go! - September 6th, 2008
- Don 2 release met Divali 2009 - August 23rd, 2008
- Chandra Barot planning 'Don 2'? - July 24th, 2008
- SRK to miss his Don sequel? - July 5th, 2008
- DON will ROCK ON !!! - June 13th, 2008
