Pan-Indian cinema: A plague of tiring sequels, buzzkill cliffhangers, ineffective cameos and half-films
In franchising their project for better monetisation, pan-Indian films are depriving audiences of the satisfaction of a complete product. Big-star filmmaking is now plagued by a lack of know-how in building IPs for the long run, and the trend of splitting the story of one film into two for the sake of a sequel
(Originally published in The Hindu on December 11, 2024)
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 Kanguva was 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?
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….
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