FILMS TRENDS FOR 2013 [AKA NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING]

FILM TRENDS FOR 2013

[AKA NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING]

- An article I wrote for Financial Express year-ender - 

On my first day at Yash Raj Films, Yashji told me, “Bete… kissi ko nahi pataa picture kyun chalti ya nahi chalti. Just make a film that you are proud of and not embarrassed by. Baaki, all the best!” Coming from Mr. Yash Chopra, I thought that was just brilliant advice. Simple, honest and true!

He mirrored the words of Academy Award® winning screenwriter William Goldman, [Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men besides some phenomenal films], “Nobody knows anything!”

So when I was asked to write about Film Trends for 2013, I thought let me add a big disclaimer upfront. A good place to start when trying to project the future is to study the past. As often certain trends tend to be cyclical, they could be just bubbling under, or be fads that may grow into trends.

This year’s been great for Bollywood, business and otherwise. Films of a variety of genres, scales have done well. A host of new actors and technicians were launched. And never has the Indian movie-goer had so much choice or been so open to sampling new content.

A large number of films were released. With a much better success ratio than before. Of course, we had our share of turkeys which have their own set of learnings, but let’s focus on what worked…

·      12+ films joined the 100 crore club [Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Ek Tha Tiger, etc.]

·      8+ films crossed the 50 crore mark [Ishaqzaade, Student of the Year, etc.]

·      5+ films did more than 25 crore at the domestic box office alone [Vicky Donor, Ferrari ki Sawaari, English Vinglish… ]

·      10+ were tentpole, ‘project’ films [Featuring A-list actors, banners… Agneepath, Rowdy Rathore… ]

·      10+ mid range films in terms of stars, budgets [Jannat 2, Raaz 3, Kahaani, Cocktail… ]

·      6+ indie films [Gangs of Wasseypur, Vicky Donor… ]

·      12/ 13+ sequels or remakes of old Hindi or South Indian films [Rowdy Rathore, Agneepath, Housefull 2, Dabangg 2… ]

·      10+ featured newcomers [Ishaqzaade, Student of the Year… ]

·      2/ 3+ female oriented films [Kahaani, English Vinglish, Heroine… ]

·      10+ films were dramas [Agneepath, Talaash… ]

·      8+ comedies [Housefull 2, OMG, Bol Bachchan… ] – consistently performing

·      5+ action films [Rowdy Rathore, Ek Tha Tiger… ]

·      5+ sex/ ‘adult’ oriented films/ horror [Kya Super Cool Hai Hum, 1920 Evil Returns, Raaz 3, Jism 2… ] which is a genre that’s growing consistently

·      2/ 3 romances [Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Ishaqzaade, Cocktail… ]

The west has not necessarily been a great indicator for our films, unlike in fashion, to project trends, but this flashback and looking at releases for 2013 gives you a decent indication for the coming year. Now let’s dig deeper to see what else to expect besides remakes, project films, the usual OTT comedies & item songs.

THREEQUELS, THE NEW SEQUELS

Franchises consolidating, from Murder 3 and Krrish 3 to the baap of them all, Dhoom 3.

150 CRORE, THE NEW 100 CRORE CLUB

With more screens, higher ticket prices and more films hitting the 100 crore mark, the new benchmark for the biggies is going to be 150 crores.

ISKO HERO KISNE BANAAYA

The rise of the ‘unconventional’ ‘hero’. Not a Khan? Not a Kapoor? Not a ‘classic’ looker? What? Look at a Nawazuddin leading Gangs and holding his own even with Aamir in Talaash. We will see some more of what Ranveer Singh did with Band Baaja Baaraat coming in. Watch out for a couple of YRF productions including Maneesh Sharma’s next and you’ll know what I mean... Sushant Singh Rajput, Ayushmann Khurrana, Saqib Saleem - all showcase that and more.

GAANA KIDHAR GAYA

While Bollywood will always have lip-synched choreographed back up dancers kinda songs [even if the running around trees may have vanished], we’re going to see a lot more ‘real’ use of music. Lot more background score led albums [Talaash, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara].

NEW GENRES, NEW VOICES

Bhangra will never go out of fashion, but there will be a lot more experimentation – new genres, new sounds [Dubstep in Ishaqzaade, Blues in Talaash] and fresh, new voices [Suman Sridhar, Honey Singh, Saba Azad, more].

TECHNOLOGY AIDING STORY TELLING

From more 3D as we’ve seen in Hollywood, to Visual Effects that help scale up the movie experience. The advent of digital technology will also help movies get produced more efficiently – Y-Films have been among the first to be shot on the Red Cameras [used by the likes of the Pirates franchise]. Several new YRF films are being shot on the Alexa. At the end of the year, we’ll see India’s first IMAX® film, Dhoom 3.

FOREIGN HAND

With large Hollywood films having a simultaneous release in India [James Bond, Avengers, Star Trek, Spiderman, MIB, etc.] the bar will be set high, especially in action. So we’ll be tapping into international experts to deliver world-class quality stunts/ action even in Bollywood. Just like Jab Tak Hai Jaan had Richard Stutsman as the Explosives expert and Conrad Palmisano was the action consultant on Ek Tha Tiger. Expect a whole new level across films like Krrish 3, Dhoom 3 and more.

LOCAL FLAVORS

Bollywood will get more specific. Versus the generic Hindi film with the Malhotras as the protagonists… expect some very specific settings, characters, languages. Just like Bittu-Shruti in Band Baaja, giving you the Delhi flavor & ‘break pakode ki kasam’. We saw that in Vicky Donor, in Gangs, with Marathi in Aiyya to Bengali in Kahaani, Barfi. 2013 will see Haryanvi in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, Gujarati in Kai Po Chhe to even ‘Chandy’speak – Punjabi/ Hindi that’s very specific to Chandigarh or ‘Tatti English’ in Mere Dad Ki Maruti.

DISRUPTION/ PARTNERSHIPS

With more people clamoring for attention, marketing campaigns will have to get more innovative and disruptive to have an impact. BIG ideas. Not small change. E.g. Hum Tum comic strips in Times of India/ Ghajini haircuts of ushers in cinemas/ Bunty aur Babli as newsreaders…

THE CD WILL DIE

While this has pretty much already happened… a large chunk will even discontinue making Music CDs.

IMPORT EXPORT

Besides the southie remakes/ Hollywood rip-offs, Bollywood will also start exporting content, e.g. Kahaani being remade down south [just like Munnabhai earlier, Band Baaja Baaraat now] and more.

KUCH NAYAA DIKHAO

Not just new faces, but new directors, writers, technicians – with big studios backing – which is fantastic. This will also lead to new sensibilities, new concepts and new styles of story telling. Realistic characters, dialogues, stories dramatically told. Watch out for Atul Sabharwal’s Aurangzeb and Ashima Chibber’s Mere Dad Ki Maruti [starring Saqib Saleem – who debuted with Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Rhea Chakraborty, an ex-MTV VJ].

Finally, while all this crystal grazing was fun… if any of this actually comes true next year, remember you heard it here first. But however, if none of it does happen, you were warned at the start… “Nobody knows anything!”

SO CAN BOLLYWOOD BEAT THE IPL?

SO CAN BOLLYWOOD BEAT THE IPL?

[An article I wrote for Box Office India, September 2012]

Sounds almost blasphemous. But let’s lay out the facts. Bollywood fully loaded sits at about INR 10,000 crores as an industry. The IPL – a 45 day activity – sits at about INR 6,000 crores. The 30^th largest Indian company is 2.5 times bigger than our entire industry… Canara bank! Yes, the elite 100 crore club is growing, but when will things really break out. With a film crazy nation like ours, with us being the single largest movie producing nation in the world, why can’t this number be bigger?

Most growth is fueled by partners. Take the IPL… its when the sponsors, franchises, advertising, merchandising, ground extensions kick in that the number explodes. As an industry, we don’t make it easy for partners. Things are improving, but the consistency is missing, we’re still fairly disorganized. It’s very difficult to measure placements on a film. Did it have impact, did it work, was it effective because my friends and family saw it or a waste of time because my niece missed it altogether?

It’s when we as an industry are able to address some of these concerns of marketers, and demonstrate impact that we will be able to drive up the value, hell, to begin with demand a value against a placement or partnership. For now, most studios are bartering placements/ associations for media!

Being a fully integrated movie studio, the intent at Yash Raj Films is to try and offer a 360 degree solution across the entire movie value chain. No matter what your entry point, give you spin-offs, extensions across, e.g.:

·      Content embedding/ placement: Suzuki in Ek Tha Tiger or Samsung laptops, mobiles in Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge

·      Content leveraging: Thums Up as an out-film association on Ek Tha Tiger

·      Endorsements: Anushka Sharma with Canon or for that matter TVS Scooty that went back into Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl, using the cast of Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge for Samsung Champ mobile phone advertising

·      Licensing & Merchandising: Pepe Jeans on Dhoom 2 for apparel

·      Digital: Voice activation, assets for Wheel detergents, Hindustan Unilever

·      Gaming: Suzuki Hayate embedded on to the Ek Tha Tiger games – mobile, online

·      On-ground activation: Suzuki Hayate bike giveaways, meet & greet opportunities with Salman Khan on Ek Tha Tiger

·      Home entertainment: Special packs, festive offers for consumers/ trade of CDs, DVDs

These are just examples of a few recent partnerships we’ve forged. They become a smart win-win, not just because of the value and the sheer reach that some of the large tentpole films deliver, it’s also because they come in at a relatively smaller price point Vs. what a partner would land up spending to get this kind of reach through a TV plan, a celebrity endorsement or more.

For a film studio, it’s an additional source of revenue and a chance to amplify your marketing even further. The trick is to do few, but smart deals so as not to dilute the impact of the ones done by stretching the film across too many partnerships – which is often the danger.

One of the smartest examples of taking a partnership to the next level is on our forthcoming Y-Films project “Mere Dad Ki Maruti” [MDKM]. It’s an outrageous comedy set against the backdrop of a loud Punjabi wedding Chandigarh and tells the story of a teenager who sneaks out his dad’s new car to impress the college hottie and how all hell breaks loose once he loses the car! The film is one of the most seamless integrations for a brand without it screaming out “This is sponsored by” which can really put off audiences and be detrimental for both the brand as well as the film. And it’s a really powerful platform for Maruti for the launch of its new car, the Ertiga.

MDKM stars Saqib Saleem who was touted as ‘the find of the year’ by critics in his debut with Y-Films’ “Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge”. The music is composed by Sachin Gupta and features songs by Mika, Honey Singh among others. On the back of the explosive debuts made by other YRF talent – Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor – MDKM introduces a new YRF heroine, Rhea Chakraborty. A former MTV VJ, Rhea comes on the back of delivering a massive Telugu hit down south. The film also stars Ram Kapoor as the dad – in his first, full-fledged comedy role.

MDKM marks the directorial debut of Ashima Chibber, who has formerly assisted the likes of Shimit Amin, Anurag Basu, Imtiaz Ali across tentpole projects like Ab Tak Chhappan, Chak De India, Rockstar among others.

We’re most excited about MDKM as not only is it a fun story, but hopefully will be an interesting case-study and learning for all of us to help open up serious value for the industry and also show brands how the film industry can truly be leveraged to connect with audiences. And in the bargain – help us beat the IPL!

Ashish Patil

Vice President – Yash Raj Films

Y-Films, Brand Partnerships, Talent

Notes to my unborn child

This is something I'd written sometime in 2005, about 4 months into our pregnancy - one of those random numbers... 

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I still can’t believe that I’m going to be a father.

It’s the end of the fourth month and it still hasn’t sunk in.

Will it ever?

I wonder.

At times I almost forget that I’m going to be a father.

In less than 5 months.

And it’s only when I see Shital again at the end of the day that I remember.

And I wonder. I wonder…

What kind of a father will I be?

Rishaan, minutes after he was born, Oct 5, 2005

Will I be a strict dad?

The sort who’s constantly screaming at his kid.

Who’s yelling at him for playing. Or not playing.

Or breaking stuff. Or whatever?

Will I be too lenient a dad?

The one who doesn’t even know how to scream.

Who can never say no.

Will I be a fun dad?

Who’s fun to play with. [I know I’ll probably get my ass kicked in cricket even by a two year old!]

Who teaches him new games.

And new card tricks.

And how to solve puzzles.

And can be a kid too [I’ll probably fight with him over his toys.]

Will I be an over possessive, over protective dad?

Who’s constantly asking his kid what he’s doing?

Where he’s going?

How he’s doing something?

Who never lets him out of his sight?

Will I be a good dad?

Who can teach his kid the difference between right and wrong?

And good and bad?

And the right thing to do. No matter how hard it is.

I don’t know.

I wonder what kind of father I will be?

More than anything, though I hope I can be a good friend.

Because in any relationship, husband-wife, brother-sister, teacher-student, parent-child… I think the most important thing is that you can be a good friend first.

Someone you can rely on.

Someone you can turn to when you’re sad, upset, hurt, unhappy.

Someone you can share stuff with.

Someone you turn to for advice.

Someone you can express your true feelings to.

Someone who will understand you.

Someone who you can learn from.

Someone you can have fun with.

Someone who is yours.

Someone you can be yourself with.

I don’t know what kind of father I will be.

But I think I know what kind of a friend I will be.

Or at least the kind of friend I will want to be.

The best kind.

And I know if I half manage to be my kid’s best friend, I should manage to be a half decent father to him.

10 Things I Noticed in Singapore

10 Things I Noticed In Singapore

#1: Singapore is full of skinny people 

1. Everyone in Singapore is thin or fit – probably genocide or something, or they fine fat people or send them to Japan [where I found out maximum number of men have tits and they actually retail man-bras! *I’m not making this up*]
2. Singapore is really kid-friendly – small things [literally] like having a low urinal in all loos, loads more indoor gyms and more
3. Singapore is really special needs friendly – ramps with stairs, wheel-chairs on rent, etc.
4. Singapore is really organized & structured, they have “how-to” instructions for everything – including how to wash your hands [and believe me you’ll learn something new]
5. Everyone in Singapore likes to stand in line
6. Even Indians – including Gujaratis – [don’t laugh, I’m married to one!] tend to behave themselves in Singapore – my theory is the threat of fines that does that [just like the threat of lashing/ flogging in Dubai]
7. Everyone in Singapore prefers saying “Can” and “Cannot” vs. “Yes” and “No” [and most sentences end with a “Lah” like a “yaar”]
8. Singapore is really tourism friendly and when they go after tourism, they really go after tourism – like in Sentosa, there will be 5 ways to get there [walk on a travellator, cable-car, car, bus, MRT/ train]; all local transport there are free; there are just incredible amounts of activity/ things to do that have especially been created there to boost tourism, and they keep at it, adding new attractions every year, right from Universal Studios, Anti-Gravity flying zones to Surfing lessons, beaches, artificial snow, skiing, elaborate science centres that make learning fun and more
9. Everyone in Singapore is really well dressed – not just smartly dressed, but stylishly turned out with the best brands and more
10. Everyone in Singapore is really polite – like if they’re really really angry they’ll probably say, “Ah, excuse me, but if you don’t mind and don’t think that its too much of a problem and not too inconvenient, then could you please screw yourself!”

#2 Singapore goes potty over making things kid friendly

#3 Singapore is special... super-special

#6 Take a number... even gujjus stand in line in Singapore

#8 Singapore doesn't think tourism is monkey business

#10 Singapore is really polite lah...

With the Merlion