‘Marketed like Nirma instead of Nike’: ‘Dhamaal 4’ star Jaaved Jafferi explains why the original ‘Dhamaal’ underperformed at the box office before becoming a cult hit | Hindi Movie News
With ‘Dhamaal 4’ nearing release, Jaaved Jafferi discussed why pre-release nerves were never part of his experience, how ‘Dhamaal’ went from a mediocre box office to a cult franchise, and why, in his opinion, the original film was let down by poor marketing rather than its content. In every installment of the drama, the actor portrayed the beloved character Manav.
Javed Jaffery : No one thought ‘Dhamaal’ was a franchise
Speaking to India Today, Jafferi expressed full confidence in the film, saying that he believes the audience is craving exactly the kind of light entertainment he offers. More importantly, he revealed that no one agreed with the first film they had seen that Dhamaal was turning into a franchise. He said, “When we started, no one thought of it as a franchise.” It was just a fun movie. The first one did not do well at the box office. It was good, but then it became a cult. Then he said, ‘Let’s make a second one.’ This did well, not great, but it paid back his investment and made a small profit. “
Jaaved Jafferi on the ever-changing game
He talks about how the actors change with each new film. “Then they decided to make a third one.” Sanjay Dutt there was no more, so they added Madhuri DixitAnil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn. In this one, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit are absent, but Ajay is back. Ritesh, Arshad and I are regulars, and to some extent Sanjay Mishra Also, even they changed the characters.”
Jaaved Jafferi when franchise building started in India
He also feels that the deliberate way of building franchises only caught on in India sometime after 2010. He also said, “No one thought of movies as franchises back then. Today, projects are remembered that they can be movies, whether they are movies or web series with several seasons. arcs in many games. “It’s like the movies, only longer.”
Jaaved Jafferi compares ‘Dhamaal’ to Star Wars and Hollywood franchises
Moving to Hollywood, he represents Star Wars as the ultimate example of franchise creation. “In the West, you had Rocky, Star Wars, The Godfather. But if you look to extract a lot of water from the property, Star Wars did very well. It expanded into The Mandalorian and many other stories. Then came Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Marvel Universe”. Back home in India, Jafferi credits Dhamaal with being the person who started the custom. “In India, if I’m not mistaken, Dhamaal was the first film franchise. I may be wrong, but I think so. Welcome later, Golmaal came later. Even action franchises like Tiger, War and Drishyam are later. As a movie franchise, I think Dhamaal started that trend.”
Jaaved Jafferi on disappointment over the sales of the first film
Despite the popularity of the franchise now, the actor admits that the team was disappointed when the first film underperformed upon release. “Yes, we were disappointed because I personally felt it was mis-sold.” Using an analogy to make his point, he explains: “You can’t say I want to sell a Nike shoe but I’m selling it as a Nirma.” It’s a completely different set of audience and a completely different way of setting it up.“They feel that the film was not properly presented.” I felt that there was some kind of misunderstanding in the marketing because the film was very unique for its time. There was no hero in this film. There was only one song, which came at the end as part of the celebration. it wasn’t a commercial.” Looking back on it now, he says the cast had no doubt they had created something special. “We were disappointed because I thought it was great. We loved it when we were making it. We knew it was something special. But like I said, I think it was just mis-sold. “
Jaaved Jafferi: “I’m not scared” of ‘Dhamaal 4’
On ‘Dhamaal 4’, he said, “I’m not scared. I’m not scared of these things. We’ve done everything we can. We’ll put it on. It’s up to the people.” According to the actor, the pressure of a film’s success feels different when only one actor has the responsibility to carry it. “I think the people who are nervous are the ones who put in the money. And to some extent, when you’re the director of a movie yourself, there’s a lot of weight on your shoulders because a lot of your work depends on being a hit or a flop. But this is an ensemble; It’s not just one person who carries it. Ajay Devgn is technically the biggest name we have, but he’s still an artist.” Jafferi believes Dhamaal 4’s biggest strength lies in its ability to help people forget their worries for a few hours. “It’s something we really enjoyed making, and it’s a world we enjoy. I think it’s a laugh-out-loud, leave-your-brain-behind comedy. It’s de-stressing. Especially these days, when there is so much violence happening not only in movies, but even in the real world, movies like these or cartoons are a great way to relieve stress. So we are free. Hopefully, people will like it. I haven’t seen the movie, but I have a feeling it will work. “Good, clean, family fun.”
Jaaved Jafferi being one of the only licensed settlers
Considering that ‘Dhamaal’ is now one of the longest-running blockbusters in Bollywood, it would seem that the actors would be under pressure to live up to their feat. Jafferi, however, sees it differently. He said, “Technically speaking, Arshad and I have been constant characters throughout the series. Ritesh has been in all the four films, but changed characters from the third onwards. In the first and second film, he was a wannabe detective. Third, he became a Bihari conman-ish. So Arshad and I are the only two regulars in all the four films. “
Jaaved Jafferi compares Dhamaal genre to a very old drama
He drew comparisons between franchises and video games that simply put characters in new situations each time. “I just feel, like in the ’60s and ’70s, there used to be these scenes where the same characters were put in different situations. There was the Carry On series – Carry On Doctor, Carry On Nurse, Carry On Up the Jungle. Those scenes have been around forever. ‘Dhamaal’, in a very special way, has been about chasing or chasing money. This time buried treasure that has been around for 100 years or whatever. So basically, it’s a journey from Point A to Point B, and all the punches, gags and cartoons happen along the way. “It’s like a mix of a movie and an exercise where the scenes take you from Point A to Point B. Of course, there are also emotional moments, but always within the parameters of a fun family comedy.”
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