Cinematic universes are all the craze right now in Hollywood. Marvel comics has one, DC comics has one, Harry Potter has one and even King Kong has one. However, the only industry to parallel it in terms of scale and popularity has zero cinematic universes. Yes, I’m talking about our very own Bollywood.
The only kinds of movies that we get are gritty, personal dramas or boisterous action flicks or cliched romantic stories. The closest thing that we get to fantasy are the Bhatts’ attempts at horror. And superheroes are like a curse around here. So isn’t there any hope of getting our own cinematic universe? I think there is.
Building cinematic universes look scary if one looks at the final product. However, as the tricks are in the basics, Bollywood needs to focus on the following ingredients and stick to it.
1. Make a blue-print of your cinematic universe.
The first mistake that Bollywood makes is it always tries to go big. You don’t have to make a ‘Drona’ or ‘Veer’ every time and then avoid upping your scale for the rest of your career. That comes later. So, make a plan of how big you’re going to go 4-5 years down the line. But then make multiple films that have the budget of Akshay Kumar’s movies. And once you’ve got your audience invested, hit them with the baap of all blockbusters. That’ll allow the creators to rely on the script rather than losing their sleep over the special effects.
2. Create characters to fit the scale of your cinematic universe.
Once you’ve an idea of how far you’re gonna go, start putting in the pieces accordingly. And again, not a gigantic battle on the Moon with a message on world peace (I’m looking at you ‘A Flying Jatt’). Bring in Krrish and let him fight a sympathetic villain who simply has a grudge on him. Follow it up with G.One tackling a group of hackers planning to take down the society that has wronged them. Let them grow and evolve before teaming up against someone who wants to destroy or conquer the world.
3. Build the base before going ridiculously large.
Although ‘Baahubali’ is a massive hit, it’s a one-off. If you’ve to do it for years, create genuine characters first. If you’re making a movie on Shaktimaan, let him show his journalistic side and give him the costume at the very end. That way you’re saving on the budget, building on nostalgia and making the audience care for this guy. Then again, you can’t play safe forever. Sometimes you’ve to up your budget and write a ridiculous story to test the audience. Or maybe you’ve to spend a lot to buy the rights of a popular character.
4. Surrender to the story and the cinematic universe.
Everyone knows about Raj Comics and characters like Doga, Nagraj, Inspector Steel, Bheriya, Shakti and Parmanu. I also know how ridiculous they sound but so does Thanos, Drax, Gamora etc. So, instead of making a joke out of them, submit to the content and use their best qualities to tell a bigger story. You can have a cheesy song or two but only if it fits the character’s tone. If you’re telling a spy’s story, then don’t make him dance to Pritam’s songs, please. Spend that time to develop the character or the universe itself.
5. Hire artists who care for the product and let them speak through it.
There’s a lot of talent in the Hindi Film Industry raring to see their names on a poster. Take your time to find these people who’ll write genuinely intriguing stories. Bring in directors who know how to direct a film and not a fluff product. Scout for cosplayers in Mumbai Comic-Con or Delhi Comic-Con, because they make much better costumes than for example the one in Kaal in ‘Krrish 3’. Finally, and most importantly, don’t gag them. Let their voice be heard instead of copping out in the last minute because it doesn’t have the requisite amount of masala.
6. Promote it like you mean it.
‘Black Panther’ is a Hollywood movie. However, since the creators knew about its cultural significance, they went all the way to South Africa to attend its premiere. In India, Bollywood celebrities don’t even visit every single major town to promote their movies. So, instead of hitting the metro cities, go to the smaller towns which have multiplexes and draw in the crowds. Let them see that someone like Shah Rukh or Hrithik are calling them personally. Respect the audience through the script and in person as well.
I understand that we Indians want more dhin-chak and less of that mellow stuff. But trust me, cinematic universes have the potential for giving people all that and more. All Bollywood has to do is respect its audience’s intelligence and the material they’re working with. Additionally, if they can stick to my recipe, which FYI I’ve given for free, we can enjoy our very own desi cinematic universe for years.