Multi-starrers are back in trend. A lot of the recent film announcements hint at the revival of the old box office success formula, that of packing the movie with a big cast. Filmmakers are going all out with bankable star combinations and the scale seems bigger than ever. Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the film industry hard in the last couple of years. Since March 2020, only now the opportunity seems right for the theatrical business to bounce back. With the stakes higher than ever before, are big-budget films with a huge star cast aimed at resuscitating theatrical business? Experts weigh in.
Better cinematic experience
"Filmmakers have the tendency to make bigger, better and larger-than-life movies. The business is all about telling stories on a larger canvass. Not only Bollywood, but the Indian film industry is making multi starters. Every cast or technician has their fan-following which they bring to the table. When multiple talents are working on a project, the inducement energy is multiplied. The cost is bound to increase but the box office prospect of such a film is huge," opines producer and film business expert Girish Johar.
Producer Anand Pandit adds to this, "We have had multi-starrers always, be it Yash Chopra's Waqt in the 60s or the films of Ramesh Sippy including Sholay to Manmohan Desai's cinema including Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb and counting. Big-budget films with a huge star cast have been popular always and will continue to be so."
Are multi-starrer films the new 'trend' in India?
Pandit cautions against calling multi-starrer films a 'trend'. "We should not call everything a 'trend.' Most films that have more than one star are multi-starrers. I personally feel films run only when they connect at some level with the audience. If they don't, it doesn't matter who is starring in the film," he asserts.
Johar echoes a similar sentiment when he says multi-cast projects are not a new phenomenon in any film industry and West, especially Hollywood, is banking on this success formula for years. "Multi star cast films in Hollywood are a huge draw. Avengers and most recently Spider-Man are the biggest examples. In India, upcoming movies like RRR and Vikram among others are multi-starrers. This is a worldwide trend."
Can multi-starrers help the film industry get back on its feet?
"Multi-starrers are a great way to excite audiences as such films give them a chance to see two or more of their loved actors on screen. However, just a multi-star cast does not guarantee good box office returns. There are multiple factors which play a role in the box-office success of a film driven by a good script, backed by the correct vision of the storyteller and engagement with the viewers being the most critical ones," says Shikhaa Sharma, Chief Creative Officer, Abundantia Entertainment.
Pandit further adds, "I feel, new and unique genres coupled with an interesting star cast, larger-than-life visuals are some of the elements that will bring back the audiences to theatres. Stars play a huge role in opening a film well but then it has to run on its own merit and have a strong story and an immersive element that the small screen cannot offer. I personally feel films run only when they connect at some level with the audience. If they don't, it doesn't matter who is starring in the film."
Are multi-starrers casting decisions a direct result of the pandemic?
Johar shares, "Makers want the audience to have the cinematic experience. OTT has made life convenient for all. COVID-19 is certainly a factor because we want the audience to come back to the theaters and with a huge cast, the excitement is bound to rise. Good casting is surely a draw for the cinema-going audience."
While Pandit maintains that casting is a subjective decision and dictated by the demands of the story, he relents COVID-19 has changed how storytelling is being conceptualised and executed. "It goes without saying that the business has been impacted by the pandemic. How we ideate, shoot, and exhibit cinema has changed at least for the time being and is of course driven by COVID-19 considerations. Why producers and directors cast certain stars in their films is, however, a subjective decision. As far as I am concerned, I would always like to go by the demands of a story and cast actors accordingly," the producer adds.
