Reliance on Stars - Karan Johar

He swings from one building to the next, extracting from New York City any and all threats that may captivate the fictitious city present in most Marvel comics. Oh, and he grosses over USD 2 billion at the box office worldwide for three films. You pull the face off the blue and red mask and you have Tobey Maguire, an actor previously known for obscure roles in independent films such as “The Ice Storm” and “Cider House Rules”. Somewhere, a studio executive decided to make him their brand, a brand that they control every step of the way, a brand with longevity. Who needs stars when you can create them yourself?

 

Jet 14,020 kilometers to Bombay, and you encounter a very different scenario. Producers wait months, sometimes years for a chunk of dates from their star of choice. And there are only so many to choose from. 20 days, 35 days, even 15 days with breaks in the middle will do. Concessions are made and egos inflated, because the reality has been that without the star, the film won’t ever make it out to the galaxy. Earlier, a year filled with a higher number of newcomer releases was an anomaly, and financially, still struggled to make a mark, with the exception of Hrithik Roshan’s debut film, “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” that brought in stupendous business at the box office.

Read More…………….

No comments: