'Tis the season of sequels in Bollywood. But while the heroes are gearing up to don the same avatar the second time around, the orginal actresses seem to be missing from cast line-ups. So, Krissh 2 will have Hrithik Roshan, but no Priyanka Chopra. Chopra will also be missed in Dostana 2 that will see a repeat of the heroes Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham. Housefull too will have Akshay Kumar, but no Deepika Padukone. Dhoom's third installment sees Abhishek and Uday Chopra, but Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be missing. Even the sequels of Dabangg and Wanted may not see the original actresses take up their roles.
Industrywallahs point to the fact that the film sells on the hero's name, so the actor is often irreplaceable. Whereas, replacing the actress doesn't seem to make too much of a difference to a film.
"It, in fact, allows the film-maker to bring some novelty in an otherwise similar character flow," says trade analyst Amod Mehra. "It's the hero who is often the anchor for the film and the protagonist, so it's hard to replace the actor. The actress, on the other hand, mostly only helps take the story forward and can be replaced," he explains.
Trade analyst Komal Nahta agrees: "Unless it's a heroine-driven film, film-makers often do not choose to repeat the actress so as to offer something new to look forward to in terms of the star cast."
Film-makers insist that a lot also has to do with the storyline and that the audiences might not be able to disassociate with the prequel if the pair is repeated.
But trade analysts point out that sometimes the star power of the actresses matter and cite instances where Kareena Kapoor has been repeated in Golmaal 3 and there's buzz of her being there in Golmaal 4 too. Similarly, Priyanka will be seen again in Don 2.
"Kareena in Golmaal was as strong a character as any of the heroes, and Priyanka's role was equally vital in Don. Besides, both the star's have a very strong BO standing," says a prominent film-maker.
Sports
Jodha Akbar
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