Hollywood has had a long tradition of making sequels of successful films, and remaking old films to suit modern tastes and preferences.
Hindi cinema seems to be following a similar pattern.
This trend became more popular after director Raju Hirani produced a sequel (‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’) to his enormously successful original, ‘Munnabhai MBBS.’
Brand value
I guess it is the brand value that the originals carry with them that makes sequels and remakes successful. The risks associated with sequels as opposed to making a completely original film are less.
In a highly competitive market in which producers operate, any advantage, which they can leverage, would encourage them to persist on sequels and remakes.
With weekend business now determining the fate of most films, sequels have a higher probability of attracting footfalls due to the curiosity value attached with them.
The striking feature of this trend is that most filmmakers are not making sequels but carrying the brand name forward of the originals.
Therefore, we have films of similar genre being released under the brand names.
‘Franchise’ series
The ‘Murder’ franchise will be films in the romantic thriller zone, the ‘Raaz’ series will focus on the horror element, while the ‘Golmaal’ series looks at comedy.
Farhan Akhtar has also become a source of inspiration with his remake of ‘Don,’ a 1978 blockbuster, which his father Javed Akhtar wrote with his then business partner Salim (father of Salman Khan).
The original Amitabh Bachchan starrer was remade (with the same name) in 2006 with Shahrukh Khan in the lead role. Its runaway success encouraged Farhan to produce ‘Don 2: The Chase continues’ in 2011.
The South scene
In South India, the success of the 1980 Tamil film ‘Billa,’ which featured ‘Super Star’ Rajnikanth has spun two sequels ‘Billa 1’ and ‘Billa 2’ in Tamil and Telugu, with a third film being considered.
Interestingly, the original Billa was inspired by the success of Don.
What also seems to have caught the eye of Hindi filmmakers is remaking South Indian films in Hindi. The trend was prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s, with Jeetendra acting in several Southern remakes.
The idea regained popularity after Salman Khan struck gold with ‘Wanted,’ which was a remake of the Telugu film ‘Pokiri.’
With a strong story, stunts, fights and dances there is high demand for acquisition of remaking rights of South Indian films in Hindi.
Critics say that this trend is leading to loss of creativity; though box office results tell a different story.
