Pan-Indian cinema: A plague of tiring sequels, buzzkill cliffhangers, ineffective cameos and half-films
A two-film-strong, 340-minute-long cat-and-mouse game comes to an end in director Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule. A climactic scene ambiguously ends the arc, urging audiences to ready themselves to leave, only to be compelled back to their seats for 40 more minutes. The extended climax of the Allu Arjun-starrer, meant as a segue to a third Pushpa film, is an excruciatingly tedious episode that leaves you with a poor aftertaste — it’s a cold shower moment in this otherwise ‘wildfire’ of a film.
This is a new fad picked up by commercial filmmakers of the pan-India movement — franchising, for better monetisation or to secure a working formula for the future. Most big-ticket films these days either end with a cliffhanger, depriving audiences of the satisfaction of a complete product, or add a surprise climactic cameo to end on a high note and make way for a sequel. Suriya’s Kanguvawas undoubtedly an untested attempt in Tamil, but the makers were quick to jump on this bandwagon, with a surprise cameo by Karthi and a hook to keep us waiting for the second part. With the disastrous reception at the box office, would a Kanguva sequel materialise?
A still from ‘Kanguva’
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video
One story, two films
Amidst an avalanche of sequels, a deeper issue plaguing big-star filmmaking in India — ironically popularised by Pushpa: The Rise — is the trend of splitting the story of one film into two, to justify a sequel. Remember when we used to insert a DVD for each half of a film? Now, each of those halves is extended, with song and action sequences, to become a film on its own.
In Upendra’s KGF-mimic Kabzaa, writer-director R Chandru’s interconnected narrative arcs tell the story of how an Air Force pilot gets into the crosshairs of a gangster as well as a powerful maharaja. The writer takes ample time to set up the world and its characters, introduces a conflict late, and just as they culminate into a nail-biting moment, ends with a surprise cameo by Shivarajkumar and Sudeep Kichcha.
One might blame SS Rajamouli’s ‘Why Kattappa killed Baahubali’ shtick for this trend but there’s a distinction between endeavours written and conceived as two-film projects — likeSapta Saagaradaache Elloor Ponniyin Selvan or Salaar — and films originally planned as one, split unnecessarily for purely commercial reasons. In Ponniyin Selvan, the concerns were whether the length of two films was enough to fit in Kalki’s story. With Devara, however, it has become apparent that the formula isn’t working; Koratala Siva uses a climax similar to Kattappa-Baahubali, but if you are wondering why it didn’t stick, the answer lies in how overstretched the film’s narrative feels. Given Pushpa’s USP lies in its exaggerated staging and larger-than-life language, one can argue that Sukumar had to give more space to his sandalwood kingpin hero. Even if so, a few other cases allow no space for any reasoning.
Shankar’s Indian 2 feels like a blatant attempt at monetising half a story. The film follows Senapathy’s return, triggered by four YouTubers who expose their corrupt parents under his guidance. We get four scenes each to establish the families, four to mark their fallout, a killing spree with little explanation and a bizarre #GoBackIndian scene. The climax features a prolonged 30-minute chase sequence, ending with a cliffhanger promising more in a third instalment. Added for garnish are unnecessary songs and action set pieces. At 160 minutes, the film could have easily been trimmed to 90 minutes, raising the question: why must we pay full price for an incomplete narrative?
Kamal Haasan in ‘Indian 2’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix
A plague of cliffhangers and cameos
Audiences now hold their breath towards the end of a big-ticket film, wishing for it to be a contentful standalone feature. If cliffhangers have become a buzzkill, surprise cameos in the climax are no longer surprising. One wonders if such an endeavour is worth taking the risk, should the first film flop at the box office. Like in the case of Kabzaa or Kanguva, the cameos might have garnered some applause in theatres or some momentary propulsion at the box office, but what happens to these new characters when the sequels are dropped? A film that needs a star cameo or a cliffhanger to get audiences back to its world exposes itself as an inferior product.
Securing an idea for the future drives a filmmaker like Venkat Prabhu to end The Greatest of All Timewith a contrived, genre-bending twist and a sequel announcement, knowing fully that it may never pan out given Vijay’s decision to retire from movies. For securing a sequel, take cues from Prashanth Neel. KGF 2ends with Rocky sinking into the depths of the ocean, but not without hinting at KGF 3. There are no gimmicks — and Rocky is gone for good — and the KGF films boast enough lore to justify bandwidth. Neel, refraining from hacking a story for the sake of it, takes a leaf out of the story we thought we knew everything about and makes it a prequel.
In the case of star cameos, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, deserves all praise. The hold Suriya’s spectacular cameo as Rolex had on the audiences led to many other creators emulating the same. Through Santhanam’s fear of this mysterious figure, one could feel the shadow of Rolex throughout Vikram, naturally setting up his entry. However, one cannot say the same for how Lokesh handled Haasan’s cameo in the climax of Vijay’s Leo. Despite peppering the second half with moments from Vikram’s world, the cameo seemed contrived and forgettable.
The climatic segues to a sequel, like the one in Pushpa 2: The Rule, also point at a lack of confidence from the filmmakers. Wouldn’t the audiences throng the screens if they knew Pushpa Raj was returning with his beard-swiping swag? A surprise announcement adds mystery to how the film would take the story forward. Remember the frenzy when Ridley Scott announced Gladiator 2? Or when you knew Sunny Deol was returning in Gadar?
A still from ‘Pushpa 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
How to cash in on past glory?
Scott’s sequel is also a great showcase of how you can cash in on past glory, a knack many modern greats lack. Eyebrows were raised when Scott announced Gladiator 2. It wasn’t that the filmmaker had lost his game; the question was on the story a Gladiator sequel would take. The film might have fallen short, but the attempt to birth a fresh story on Maximus Decimus Meridius’ son was genuine and well-received.
Could one, however, say the same about Indian 2? Interestingly, one doesn’t have to look beyond Tamil cinema to take inspiration. Just last year, Karthik Subbaraj silenced naysayers with his compelling Jigarthanda Double X, which stood out from 2014’s Jigarthanda in tone and treatment while also ensuring it stays true to the theme.
Paul Mescal in a scene from “Gladiator II.”
| Photo Credit:
Aidan Monaghan
It’s time to build IPs for the long run
The issues with this trend also point to a lack of know-how among commercial southern Indian filmmakers in building their Intellectual Properties into long-term assets — a major reason for insincere attempts at cashing in on established IPs. Hollywood’s mantra of IP building can be loosely credited to two well-known strategies: a) tapping into other formats and mediums, and b) quality merchandising of movie IPs.
Hollywood studios like Marvel and Warner Bros. have long tapped into longer and shorter formats to produce spin-offs and mediums like comic books, novels and animation to immortalise their characters in the minds of the audiences. This is why a fan will buy an Iron Man mask or a Stranger Things-themed t-shirt even after decades; collectables have always been a potent market for takers. In recent years, every film has come up with a fandom-targeted website that allows users to spend more hours pondering the world of the film. The value of iconography and merchandising only increases in a world of transient intangible media. Just last year, the Barbenheimer phenomenon led to an ocean of merchandise, underscoring the importance of tangible memorabilia. Popcorn buckets are still trending in the US. How many of these pan-Indian films managed to sell quality memorabilia? For all the flashy clothes and accessories Pushpa Raj wears, the makers could have focused on making some noteworthy memorabilia.
Pan-Indian films particularly focus on transient results in this amnesic world, creating an impact that only another sequel film could reignite. Strengthening IPs secures ideas for the future, lets the creator tap into the nostalgia of the audiences, and brings in additional business.
Making a successful sequel is nothing unheard of in India. Bollywood has its fair share of Bhool Bhulaiyaas, Gadars, Golmaals and Housefulls. Malayalam cinema has tasted success with the CBI series, the Aadu franchise, the Drishyam films, and the Harihar Nagar films. While the Dandupalya films and sequels to Gaalipata, Mufti, and Love Mocktail worked well in Kannada, audiences are glued to catch the Kantara sequel. Despite their flaws, DJ Tillu and Yatra 2 were received well in Telugu, while HIT seems to be a fan-favourite. Tamil creators can learn enough from many debacles (Saamy Square, Maari 2, Sandakozhi 2, Pichaikkaran 2, Velaiilla Pattadhari 2, and so on) and success stories (Chennai 28 II, the Singam series, Aranmanai 4).
Perhaps now is the time to outgrow sequels, half-films and climactic cameos. The big picture needs strategy, not gimmicks. Forced franchising is neither flower nor fire.
Published – December 10, 2024 04:33 pm IST
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