Tough task of making sequels equal hit feat

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Usually it is difficult to pick up from where you left off, and these days even filmmakers who initiate a sequel think the same. It’s difficult for them to take a successful story forward in a sequel. Salman Khan, whose Dabangg was a blockbuster, recently commented that making Dabangg 2 wasn’t easy.

According to Salman, planning a sequel is difficult as one cannot do something very similar to the previous film and one can’t do something very different too. “There has to be a mix,” he said in a recent interview.
Filmmakers feel that finding a new story for a sequel and giving it a new twist is difficult. Rahul Mittra, the producer of Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster, says that it’s a daunting task to start a sequel. “With Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster, we already had a germ of the sequel in the end, keeping the audiences guessing and eager for more. But it’s difficult to take it forward, as we have to start the story from where it ended in the previous part. Hence, staying in the same world, we have aimed to cater to a loyal audience that loved the first part, by giving them more in the lives of Saheb and Biwi,” says Mittra.
Continuity has to blend with a gripping plot, something that makes a sequel worthwhile and profitable. Filmmakers agree that while planning a sequel, content and performances have to be in sync with the previous part. Umesh Shukla, whose Oh My God was a big hit, is keen to do a sequel, but he is clear that he doesn’t want to get typecast.
“I would do a sequel only when I am confident of the plot for the sequel,” he says.
Sujoy Ghosh, who is planning a sequel to his critically acclaimed suspense drama Kahaani, says that it takes a lot to make a hit sequel. “It’s just not an idea that you have to develop into a story. A lot needs to be thought about, as you have created a certain standard with the first installment,” he says
“Plus, you’ve to be careful if you want to create a franchise or a sequel. Films like Golmaal and Housefull have become franchisees now. To create sequels, you have to take into account and maintain the emotional bond that the audience have created with the characters in the film,” adds Ghosh.