Has Bollywood found the secret sauce for sequels?
India TodayVicky Kaushal’s fierce turn as Maratha king Sambhaji Maharaj in Chhaava has ensured that, like Pathaan in 2023, Hindi cinema is off to a soaring start in 2025. A sequel, notes Mehta, has to offer something fresh, “whether it’s a new perspective, deeper character exploration, or a unique setting”, otherwise “it won’t resonate, no matter how strong the brand”. “Originality means you have to think, take a chance and you don’t know.” Sequels, he notes, also come at a time when remakes themselves are dwindling as linguistic boundaries vanish and watching dubbed/ subtitled versions of southern films grows. However, “they have to be superior to the previous one”, says Prabhat Choudhary, founder of Spice, India’s leading entertainment PR and marketing firm. “If not, the franchise value goes down.” Even actor-producer Aamir Khan is giving it a shot with his next, Sitaare Zameen Par, whose title harks back to his beloved directorial debut, Taare Zameen Par.
History of this topic
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