He swings from one building to the next, extracting from New York City any and all threats that may captivate the fictitious city present in most Marvel comics. Oh, and he grosses over USD 2 billion at the box office worldwide for three films. You pull the face off the blue and red mask and you have Tobey Maguire, an actor previously known for obscure roles in independent films such as “The Ice Storm” and “Cider House Rules”. Somewhere, a studio executive decided to make him their brand, a brand that they control every step of the way, a brand with longevity. Who needs stars when you can create them yourself?
Jet 14,020 kilometers to Bombay, and you encounter a very different scenario. Producers wait months, sometimes years for a chunk of dates from their star of choice. And there are only so many to choose from. 20 days, 35 days, even 15 days with breaks in the middle will do. Concessions are made and egos inflated, because the reality has been that without the star, the film won’t ever make it out to the galaxy. Earlier, a year filled with a higher number of newcomer releases was an anomaly, and financially, still struggled to make a mark, with the exception of Hrithik Roshan’s debut film, “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” that brought in stupendous business at the box office.
This year however a shift occurred with our audience; they got hungry for something more. Their desire to experience something fresh has resulted in “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” becoming one of the biggest hits of the year so far. A bonafide blockbuster, the film has made over Rs. 50 crores, a feat considering the budget of the film was minimal by all accounts. Despite the lack of a star on the project (Aamir Khan’s fantastic publicity can only provide so much of a boost to a newcomer’s vehicle) audiences have rushed back to the cinemas to watch a much-adored film with unknown actors and a debutant director. One could argue here that if all audiences wanted were fresh faces, other releases with new actors would have encountered a similar fate at the box office. To that I offer an explanation that can be summed up in one word; screenplay. Hype and marketing are neccessary functions to generate buzz, but eventually ineffective in determining the long term success of a film. The story has to be appealing and approachable, and the audiences will find a way to escape into that world on their own.
Today, the most successful comedies in America are films made by Judd Apatow, the 40 year old director behind the hilariously tongue in cheek “The 40 year old Virgin.” Apatow, now a brand of his own, has the power to demand millions from investors to throw into a film with a mostly unheard of (and usually extremely quirky) cast. Cinemagoers flock to theaters to watch a film because, “it’s made by the guy who made ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘Superbad’.” Trends catch on at an alarmingly fast rate in the West, and brands are immediately leveraged to their maximum ability. This is when a predominantly creative industry adapts a business prospective and succeeds.
Liberties and licenses like these are rare in our industry, where the producer is almost always held to ransom by the star who knows very well just how much moolah his (or her) name can rake in. The biggest challenge facing this situation is that now our stars only want to work for themselves. Why make someone else money when you can set up your own shop and take the largest cut? It makes perfect sense, and they shouldn’t be faulted for it. But where does that leave the producer sitting with a decent script, a fair amount of money, and the desire to create some entertainment? To truly think progressively would be to pose the question; should we be getting rid of the star system in our industry, or at least reevaluating the discipline that has previously existed? Is it now time to create a successful vehicle by creating the star, creating the franchise, and building a brand without dealing with the trappings and baggage that come with that one solo force; the actor?
Filmmaking cannot be dependent on singularity. No one element ensures a hit, and it’s time for that fact to become wider knowledge. If sequel after sequel of superhero films is the order of the day, or teenybopper flicks (like Disney’s massively successful franchise, “High School Musical”) are what sell tickets, then a scavenger hunt is in order. The solutions have definite risks, but imagine this; make the script the star, the visual effects the draw, and the director the force. Talent needs to be discovered and molded, contracted and disciplined till the project or the franchise has lived out its entire duration and the doors open for another burst of something new.
For an industry that depends almost entirely on the profitability of a handful of actors, the risks have now become too high to continue to sit, wait, and wish. The Indian film fraternity needs to veer towards a more independent approach to casting and image. It’s a truth that I have come to accept as well. My admiration and fascination with stars hasn't diminished one bit, but I realise my own reservations towards working with newcomers, a realisation that is now being rectified. Ultimately it’s not just about a new actor and all the plotting that comes along with creating that brand, but rather an influx of fresh talent, whether its your star, your screenwriter, your director, or even just your approach. The truth is that there is no such thing as a guaranteed hit. The industry has learnt that in a harsh way over the course of a few years. A new strategy is the order of the day, especially with an audience that gets more discerning by the week. The stakes are high, but none of us are here because filmmaking is perceived to be easy. We’ve always welcomed a challenge and should now welcome some change.