This week saw the release of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan which was the second film in the Shubh Mangal Saavdhan franchise but why make a second film when the first film has hardly found appreciation. This is not the first time this has happened there have been films like Rock On 2, Kahaani 2, Namastey England and others which had no brand value on release.

Some of these films may have done well at the box office but that does not make a brand when you can make a second film. Box Office success can come due to low costs but a brand is formed when a film reaches a huge audience and they like it and this is where all these films have failed badly so do not become brands. 

Another important factor is some life after theatrical as theatrical hardly lasts 4-5 weeks and if a film cant live after that then it cannot become a franchise and as far as life after theatrical in concerned all these films were dead ducks with hardly any audience. The story is totally different with the likes of Golmaal, Housefull, Dhamaal or Dhoom as they have a long shelf life enabling the films to becomes brands. The last Dabangg may not have done well but the film is still a brand though maybe not as big as before Dabangg 3.

The industry should be able to judge better which films have been genuinely liked and have some franchise value as against the film which may have done well at tha box office but as not really recahed much of an audience. There is Angrezi Medium coming soon which also belong to the same category because Hindi Medium was not watched by many film so its unlikley that its a franchise film. the film was liked in Delhi NCR due to the authenticity the director gave to life in NCR in that film but that is missing in Angrezi Medium.

There is the media and industry thinking at play here also as they probably think Hindi Medium is a loved film which is far from the truth. There is a huge tendency for films to get overrated which also makes people think a franchis is possible. Just this week there was some controversy with Mr India but its the same scenario again as Mr India is hardly a loved film which did well in Mumbai and South but was actually a dud in UP, East Punjab, Bihar and Rajasthan and sadly this is how Hindi fantasy films were treated and probably will be treated in India. The new venture if it gets made has nothing to do with the old Mr India barring the name but if they think the name will help they will be badly mistaken.

There are other films also which industry people think are franchises like Andaz Apna Apna and Dil Chahta Hai but its asking for trouble as the films had poor story telling and screenplay with fake emotions for more most of the country and that it be the same case today. Emotions are supposed to be universal and they are but as far as cinema goes in India then the same emotions can be real or fake depending on story telling and relatabilty of the characters. The emotions in a film like Dil Chahta Hai may work for the youth in Bandra but do not appeal to the youth or middle class family in Bareilly and Bareilly is a far better representation of India as more of the population is like that.