Multistarrers, a package deal?

Saw the promos of Ram Gopal Varma's horror flick DARNA ZAROORI HAI? The sequel of DARNA MANA HAI is loaded with almost every star of the industry. Big B, Anil Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Mallika Sherawat and Bipasha Basu all form the enormous starcast of the film. No doubt people are lured to the theaters when such a giant endeavor is in the offing and the initial opening of the film just magnifies. Multistarrers is not a new concept for Bollywood. Films like SHOLAY, SHAAN, KABHI KABHI, NASEEB, HUM PAANCH and KARMA to name a few were all bug-budget multistarrers and were milestones as far as box-office success goes. The practice has been lurking for many years now but has achieved a stronghold in the last few years. Movies stuffed with leading stars and renowned actors have been streaming down for a little while now. In the recent past, movies like KABHI KHUSHI KABHIE GHAM, KHAKEE, MOHABBATEIN, DUS and also LAGAAN were pitched up as multistarrers and enjoyed sound box-office jubilation.

So, is multistarrer a sure-shot box office exultation? As stated above, most of the m'starrers in the past have witnessed great aplomb. But when it comes to guarantee, there are movies like LoC - KARGIL, which inspite of having a whole gang of Bollywood actors failed to simmer. Even the last year's much-hyped EK AJNABEE fizzled away and another Amitabh starrer this year FAMILY - TIES OF BLOOD have opened to a poor show, despite its team of well-known actors. So that makes it more or less clear that cramming your movie with a multitude of stars don't necessarily make a clean sweep at the box-office. The strategy will only help if the film is supported by a strong script and decent execution along with impressive performances. So that's again like getting back to the basics: have your script intact and then carry on with the intended ploys. Secondly, in this multiplex era the audience is hungry for more innovative topics rather than some age old, tried and tested formulas. The resounding success of IQBAL and BLACK is enough to prove the point. Therefore, it's high time that the Producers and Distributors get over with their fixation for making a saleable product with the sloppy marketing gimmicks. Instead, that should take the initiative to make good films with durable quality as far as the content is concerned.

There is no objection as such for making multistarrers, the filmmaker should go ahead with it only with the right perspective. Otherwise they might just end up in making a mess out of it if they don't have the things in place. The film is about telling a story and if the story requires the use of multiple stars then fine, take up the charge. Otherwise concentrating on making sound movies with fresh concepts and a bit of experiments will definitely help. Audience of today has become more intelligent and also more receptive. So the movies must be made keeping the changing times in mind. And still the filmmakers think that multistarrers are a safe commodity, then it will be a package deal, polished item but what about durability? Any guesses?