Jaane Tu... ya Genre New?

Last week I saw a new release by Aamir Khan Productions, i.e. Jaane Tu... ya jaane na. By now everyone knows what the film is and it is still running to packed houses. I was lucky enough to get the ticket for the first day prime time. It is definitely a hit as I do not recall any other film having sold out all its tickets for a Tuesday morning show. Amazing!

We also know that after a big film releases it is punched left, right and centre by all sorts of critics. Different critics have real contrasting views. Some said: "the characters were believable. For the first time we saw college kids that looked their part. We could relate to them." while others said: "The characters were fake. We could not relate to them at all."
Though the second review falls flat once you have seen the film, the critic still defends his whim.

So... what worked? If we just analyse the film, we get the following points:

• The story is entirely predictable
• The characters are as simple as they could be
• There is nothing remarkable about the film.
• Abbas Tyrewala gives us the gist of the story in the first few scenes itself. So, no surprises!
  

I ask again - what worked?
I'll answer my own question now. (Sad?)

JTYJN belongs to a new genre of films. These films do not rely on a strong, original storyline but are basically meant for grabbing eyeballs for 2-3 hrs. This belongs to a genre which I would like to call "Remix". Such films aim solely at entertaining you for the time that you are in the cinema hall. You need not analyze it. Rather, you shouldn't.

This new genre may also have the two films by Farah Khan: Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. (Abbas Tyrewala who wrote and directed JTYJN has also written the dialogues and co-written the screenplay for Main Hoon Na)
What we see common in these films is that the storyline is simple and predictable. Nothing new there. Yet, we seem to enjoy watching these films. Why? Well, because these films provide a fresh and unique experience. The bits and pieces of these films is what makes them a good watch and hence super hits. These films take a simple story, add salt, sugar and spice and make the story more presentable. We find that it is not the story that matters, it is how it is executed that determines the success of a film. This is done by screenplay, dialogues and performances. JTYJN was brilliant in all these departments. Hence, it worked. Hence, Main Hoon Na worked and Om Shanti Om worked (It is the largest grossing Bollywood film).

So, what do we need for such a big hit? The formula for a Remix film is here:

1. Get a smart but simple story
2. Build interesting characters about this story
3. Build a strong screenplay
4. Give the characters smart dialogues
5. Add good music (just in case)
6. Get good actors (need not be experienced, just have to be good)

That's it. You have a hit film on your hands. Now, isn't it simple? Well, it isn't. That is because most people flaw at points 3,4 and 6. These form the base for any good film. However, over-analysis kills them. So, such films are better left by themselves. The audience will do all the judging.