Dhamaal 4: Javed Jaffrey says the film was first mismarketed, later it became a cult cult
As Dhamaal 4 nears release, actor Javed Jaffrey said that the first film was wrongly marketed despite its uniqueness. In an exclusive interview he said that the franchise found its audience later.
As dhamaal 4 Gearing up for release, actor Javed Jaffrey reveals the unexpected journey of why he never gets nervous before a release blast From an average box-office performer to an iconic franchise, and he believes the first film was unfairly marketed. The 62-year-old has played the lovable human in every installment of the comedy franchise.
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Speaking exclusively to India Today, Jaffrey said that he has full confidence in the film and believes that the audience is looking for exactly the kind of light entertainment that it promises.
Interestingly, Jaffrey revealed that no one associated with the first film had ever imagined this blast A franchise will be formed. “When we started, no one thought of it as a franchise. It was just a fun movie. The first movie didn’t do well at the box office. It was OK, but later it became a cult. Then they said, ‘Let’s make another movie.’ That also did well—not very big, but it covered his money and made a little profit.”
He recalls how the franchise gradually evolved with the addition of new cast members.
“Then they decided to make the third. Sanjay Dutt was no more, so they added Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgan. It doesn’t have Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, but Ajay is back. Riteish, Arshad and I are stable, and to some extent so is Sanjay Mishra, though he too has changed characters.”
How the franchise’s thinking changed
Jaffrey also believes that the idea of consciously creating franchises became common in India only after 2010. “At that time no one thought of films as franchises. Nowadays, projects are made keeping in mind that they can become franchises, be it films or multi-season web series. I think the whole thinking and business model came after 2010, even before Covid.”
He adds, “With web series, writers start planning character trajectories and story arcs over multiple seasons. It’s basically the same format as the films, just longer.”
He points towards Hollywood star wars As the gold standard.
“In the West, you had Rocky, Star Wars, The Godfather. But if you focus on extracting maximum juice from an asset, star wars He did the best. it expanded The Mandalorian And many more stories. then came Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and this Miracle The universe.”
As far as India is concerned, Jafri believes blast He is credited with pioneering the franchise model.
“In India, if I am not mistaken, blast The first film was a franchise. I could be wrong, but that’s how I feel. Welcome came later, chaos Came later. Even action franchises love it tiger, war And Drishyam It’s much later. As a film franchise, I think blast Started that trend.”
Why did the first film disappoint the team?
Despite the popularity of the franchise today, the actor admits that the team was disappointed when the original film did not perform as expected after its release.
“Yes, we were disappointed because I personally felt it was mispublicized.”
Illustrating his point with an analogy, he says, “You can’t say I want to sell a Nike shoe, but I want to market it like Nirma. It’s a completely different target audience and a completely different way of presenting it.”
He believes that the unconventional nature of the film was not communicated properly.
“I thought there was some miscommunication in the marketing because the film was very unique for its time. There was no heroine in the film. There was only one song, and that came at the end as part of the celebration after the climax. It was not a promotional song.”
Looking back, he says the artists always knew they had created something special.
“We were disappointed because I thought it was brilliant. We loved it when we were making it. We knew it was something unique. But like I said, I think it was mismarketed.”
no nervousness before release
talking about dhamaal 4He said, “I never panic. I don’t panic about these things. We did our best. We got it done. It’s up to the guys.”
The actor believes that the pressure of a film’s success is different when an actor is solely responsible for playing it. “I think the people who get nervous are the same people who put in the money. And to some extent, when you are the solo hero of a film, there is a weight on your shoulders because your career depends a lot on whether it’s a hit or a flop. But it’s an ensemble cast; it’s not just one person carrying it. Ajay Devgan is technically the biggest name we have, but it’s still an ensemble cast.”
For Jaffrey, the biggest attraction of dhamaal 4 Does it have the ability to make people forget their worries for a few hours?
“It’s something we’ve really enjoyed creating, and it’s a world we enjoy. I think it’s a laugh riot, a fun comedy that leaves your brain behind. It’s stress-free. Especially today, when there’s so much violence not just in cinema but in the real world, movies or comic shows like this become stress-free in some ways. So we’re comfortable. Hopefully, people will like it. I haven’t seen the movie, but I think it’ll do. It’s a good, clean, family comedy.”
Constants in the franchise
with blast Now among Bollywood’s longest-running comedy franchises, one can assume that the actors feel the pressure of living up to the legacy of the series. However, Jafri sees it differently.
The actor said, “Technically speaking, Arshad and I have been the only stable characters in the entire series. Riteish has been in all four films, but he changed characters from the third. In the first and second film, he was an aspiring detective. In the third, he became a Bihari con man. So Arshad and I are the only stable characters in all the four films.”
He compared the franchise to a classic film series, where familiar characters were simply thrown into new adventures. “I just feel like, in the ’60s and ’70s, there used to be these formats that put the same characters in different situations. There was carry on series – Doctors go ahead, nurses go ahead, go ahead till the jungle.. Those formats have always existed.”
Javed further said, “blastIn a very unique way, it has always been about the search and pursuit of money or treasure. This time it’s buried treasure that’s 100 years old or whatever. So basically, it’s a journey from point A to point B, and all the punches, jokes and sketches that happen along the way. It’s like a mix of a movie and a sketch show where sketches take you from point A to point B. Of course, there are emotional moments, but always within the parameters of a family-friendly comedy.”
dhamaal 4 Scheduled to release on 10th April.