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As I watched Sooryavanshi in my theater, I could hear thunderous applause as Ranveer Singh entered the film. Was it applause for Simbba or Ranveer? Then the mighty Singham entered and the theater erupted in incredible cheer. Was it for Ajay Devgn or Singham? Since Sooryavanshi was the character’s first cinematic outing, I’m pretty damn sure Veer Sooryavanshi will become a powerful brand over the years, if it hasn’t already. It’s a tricky situation that Bollywood finds itself in these days. Bollywood has primarily viewed itself as a star-driven industry. He relied on his stars to bring the big event movies and the big moolah. Now he finds himself creating a very strong ecosystem of Franchises/Universes/IPs etc.
Not too long ago, Hollywood was a star-driven industry. Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Cruise and Willis dominated the box office in their heyday and they were followed by Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Leonardo DiCaprio. Even the female superstars (Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock) enjoyed great influence at the box office. Then IP addresses took over and to attract the masses, Hollywood relied on them rather than its stars. The box office clout of these stars is gone, but when they’ve been part of the Franchises/IPs/Universe, the results have been jaw-dropping.
In the south, it’s still a star-driven industry. They rely on their stars to attract audiences and those stars are the movie’s biggest draw. The Telugu industry alone has more than a dozen stars that can open up hugely. The story is the same in other southern industries. These stars are hugely beloved and every time they release a movie, they make sure their fans aren’t disappointed. The films are written with the image of the stars in mind and adapted accordingly. For example, Pink became Vakeel Saab to cater to Pawan Kalyan fans and the result was electrifying.
Bollywood finds itself in both boats these days. Our stars aren’t shy about breaking their image and adopting characters that might disappoint fans. The problem with young stars is that they start experimenting before a solid fan base is built. This leads to brand dilution and the erosion of a nascent fan base. Even the producers don’t try to create stars as was the norm at one time.
Then you have those franchise/IP/universe driven movies that work really well. Golmaal, Dhamaal, Dhoom, Don, Krrish, Dabaang, Race, Cop Universe, Spy Universe (Tiger Franchise) etc are the big Bollywood IPs.
Bollywood still relies on its 90s superstars to do the heavy lifting and the younger ones are more inclined towards performance-oriented characters. The burden of the heavy box office load will eventually shift to IP addresses like it did in Hollywood.
The problem with Bollywood is that there aren’t too many big franchises and most 90s superstars headline those IPs. It needs a lot of franchises that can sustain theaters year-round, and it needs young actors to headline those franchises as well.
It is clear that Bollywood is changing from a star driven industry to an intellectual property driven industry. YRF and Rohit Shetty have already shown the way. Others need to jump in and jump in quickly. As leaving blank is not a good idea as Hollywood and South are already breathing Bollywood’s neck.
Also Read: Trade Tutor: Heroes Saving Box Office After Pandemic in Style
