Ramu ki film factory mein Aag lagi re
Film
announce nahin hoti ki ban ke taiyaar ho jaati hai.
RGV's Film Factory is not just a name for Ramu's corporate outfit. It underlines his film making philosophy. He is trying to turn film making into an assembly line industrial operation. He is doing nothing new. That is how films are being made the world over these days, under the supervision of corporate honchos and marketing whiz kids armed with loads of research and information about various film genres and what works with what kind of audiences and what is it that can be successfully hyped and promoted to garner bumper weekend initials.
The problem is 'Ramu ne apna naam pehale hi dhool mein mila diya hai. Jab darshak Ramu ka naam sunte hain to khud se kehtein hain, 'iski film maar hi daalegi'.
The result is a pathetic weekend opening for 'Aag' and all RGV films in spite of their hype and star cast. The audiences refuse to take the bait, be it the name of Big B, or thundering thighs and vicious pouts of Urmila M, or semi nude 'chaddhi' scenes of his nubile actresses like Nisha Kothari. The Brand RGV puts people off.
In fact, 'Aag' is an interesting film from Ramu's perspective. It shows that he is becoming adept at copying Hollywood shot compositions as well. He overdoes it though because of his poor understanding of the aesthetics of cinema. He has been killing his audiences with his copycat background scores of 'bang, bang' variety, now he kills them with his overdone Dutch camera angles, low key lighting, and dark tones. He has no sense of balance, a telltale characteristic of a bad director.
But he has delivered a star-spangled film. That is what producers like Adlabs asked for. They should not have any reasons to complain now since they did not care for the script or commitment of a filmmaker to his art and craft. That would not pre sell their film. And it is money that matters the most. That is what everyone believes in. From stars to producers and the rest.
These new cohorts of Marketing philosophy should read some case studies taught in business schools to understand how great brands were built and sustained. Market share can rise and dip. What sustains a brand is the value it delivers to the consumer, all the time. If a big name that hawks spurious stuff as a premium product with its stamp of authenticity affixed to it, its brand value takes a beating. A hustler can make money but cannot build a business empire.
RGV and Yashraj are two important case studies of brand hara-kiri i.e. brands that killed themselves. The decline of RGV started soon after 'Satya'. 'Bhoot' confirmed the trend. It was a downhill journey after that. I remember the 'house full' sign on a Friday, in an opening matinee show of 'Darna Mana Hai', a film that had no big stars to boast of. The film bombed finally. It was the name of RGV that would do the magic in those days. Today, RGV, Big B, Devgan, Urmila M, and Jr. B, all combined, cannot ensure more than twenty percent opening for their films.
Yashraj Films have faltered too. They have squandered away their brand value. 'Chak De' is the only saving grace in a period of decline that started with 'Mohabatein' and 'Veer Zara'. They delivered huge hits with very little value in this phase without realising that they were killing their brand. 'Dhoom 2', 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', and 'Zhoom Barabar Zhoom' came one after another. Cinema audiences had already lost faith in the banner by the time 'Chak De' was released. They stayed home in spite of SRK and Yashraj. Two great brands could not even get a descent opening for the film. It picked up after people started talking about Kaur and Chautala and the rest of the Chak De girls.
Money does not materialize in thin air by some 'teen patti' trick. Have you heard of a 'teen-patti' crook making it big in life? Who fucking knows, there may be a few rare cases. Good people value the importance of good money and strive hard to deliver on their promises to earn it fair and square. They win the trust of people and keep it. And thus they build brands, and make more money by writing inspiring success stories.
RKS
RGV's Film Factory is not just a name for Ramu's corporate outfit. It underlines his film making philosophy. He is trying to turn film making into an assembly line industrial operation. He is doing nothing new. That is how films are being made the world over these days, under the supervision of corporate honchos and marketing whiz kids armed with loads of research and information about various film genres and what works with what kind of audiences and what is it that can be successfully hyped and promoted to garner bumper weekend initials.
The problem is 'Ramu ne apna naam pehale hi dhool mein mila diya hai. Jab darshak Ramu ka naam sunte hain to khud se kehtein hain, 'iski film maar hi daalegi'.
The result is a pathetic weekend opening for 'Aag' and all RGV films in spite of their hype and star cast. The audiences refuse to take the bait, be it the name of Big B, or thundering thighs and vicious pouts of Urmila M, or semi nude 'chaddhi' scenes of his nubile actresses like Nisha Kothari. The Brand RGV puts people off.
In fact, 'Aag' is an interesting film from Ramu's perspective. It shows that he is becoming adept at copying Hollywood shot compositions as well. He overdoes it though because of his poor understanding of the aesthetics of cinema. He has been killing his audiences with his copycat background scores of 'bang, bang' variety, now he kills them with his overdone Dutch camera angles, low key lighting, and dark tones. He has no sense of balance, a telltale characteristic of a bad director.
But he has delivered a star-spangled film. That is what producers like Adlabs asked for. They should not have any reasons to complain now since they did not care for the script or commitment of a filmmaker to his art and craft. That would not pre sell their film. And it is money that matters the most. That is what everyone believes in. From stars to producers and the rest.
These new cohorts of Marketing philosophy should read some case studies taught in business schools to understand how great brands were built and sustained. Market share can rise and dip. What sustains a brand is the value it delivers to the consumer, all the time. If a big name that hawks spurious stuff as a premium product with its stamp of authenticity affixed to it, its brand value takes a beating. A hustler can make money but cannot build a business empire.
RGV and Yashraj are two important case studies of brand hara-kiri i.e. brands that killed themselves. The decline of RGV started soon after 'Satya'. 'Bhoot' confirmed the trend. It was a downhill journey after that. I remember the 'house full' sign on a Friday, in an opening matinee show of 'Darna Mana Hai', a film that had no big stars to boast of. The film bombed finally. It was the name of RGV that would do the magic in those days. Today, RGV, Big B, Devgan, Urmila M, and Jr. B, all combined, cannot ensure more than twenty percent opening for their films.
Yashraj Films have faltered too. They have squandered away their brand value. 'Chak De' is the only saving grace in a period of decline that started with 'Mohabatein' and 'Veer Zara'. They delivered huge hits with very little value in this phase without realising that they were killing their brand. 'Dhoom 2', 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', and 'Zhoom Barabar Zhoom' came one after another. Cinema audiences had already lost faith in the banner by the time 'Chak De' was released. They stayed home in spite of SRK and Yashraj. Two great brands could not even get a descent opening for the film. It picked up after people started talking about Kaur and Chautala and the rest of the Chak De girls.
Money does not materialize in thin air by some 'teen patti' trick. Have you heard of a 'teen-patti' crook making it big in life? Who fucking knows, there may be a few rare cases. Good people value the importance of good money and strive hard to deliver on their promises to earn it fair and square. They win the trust of people and keep it. And thus they build brands, and make more money by writing inspiring success stories.
RKS
