The Hindu Business Line : Success secrets of a high-risk game

Who doesn't aspire for a hit, be it a song or stock? Derek Bose recognises that need in the title of his new book, "Everybody Wants a Hit," from Jaico (www.jaicobooks.com).

And he goes about `unravelling the riddle of success' through 10 mantras. Sit back and relax because the book is not about hardcore investing but about the Bollywood cinema. Usefully, however, there are tips you can adapt from reel to real life, as if from movie screen to a trading one.

First, `look beyond the box-office' advises Bose, after listing the big grosser such as Sholay (1975) that leads the pack with Rs 191 crore (inflation-adjusted as on 2004, citing data from www.ibosnetwork.com).

"Collection figures can always be fudged," cautions Bose. Rather than popularity as the sole criterion for success, look at what were important or landmark films, he says.

"Each of their stories holds the romance of a revolutionary thinking, an original vision, missionary zeal, gnawing insecurities and the will to succeed."

One can perhaps say that of companies too, which "stand out as signposts, marking the turning points." Catch up with a 36-page study by Amir Ullah Khan and Bibek Debroy, titled `Indian Economic Transition through Bollywood Eyes'. It is about how Hindi films have reflected changes in India's political economy (www.bazaarchintan.net).

Second mantra reads simply, `Honesty is the best policy'. And that works in business and investing too, as everybody has realised after a spate of scandals. Bose estimates that a feature film is launched in India every four hours, but half the films are never completed. "Another 300 or so remain stillborn... their negatives do not get to leave the labs. And of the 800-odd that annually make it to the theatres, barely four or five are declared hits."

Rule 3 is, `Content is king'. Indians love to be told stories, reminds Bose. "The more fantastic and outlandish, the better." The cinematic equivalent of a word is the shot, explains the author, in a discussion of the mechanics and economics of moviemaking. "The scriptwriter has to realise that it is not he who tells the story, but the story, which tells itself."

Next, as in races and scrips, "Back the winning horse." Bose highlights the importance of teamwork in the consistent successes, such as what Raj Kapoor achieved with writer K.A. Abbas, Jainendra Jain for dialogues, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri for the lyrics, Shankar-Jaikishan for music, Radhu Karmakar handling camera, and Alauddin taking care of sound. Bose laments that a large part of Bollywood's ills can be attributed to "inconsistent production values, insincerity and distrust, lack of accountability, a dog-eat-dog attitude and the concentration of wealth in a counted few hands," which are all "manifestations of the insecurity that comes with every person being on his or her own."

Chapter 5 asks, "What's in a name?" Regardless of the Bard's view, name does matter, avers Bose, citing scores of name-changes among actors and actresses. There are beliefs such as that the letter `K' is `spiritually most potent', while `V' can spell doom! "The screen name that contributes towards the building of a brand identity can always come later," advises the author, because it is not as though anybody has a control over such things. "A name from a film character could simply latch on to an actor midway through his career and there is scarce little he can do about it, except perhaps turn it to his advantage."

Rule 6 says, `Nothing sells like sex', but Bose warns that pandering purely to male vanity is not really a good business idea. Subtlety does count; so, his counsel is "simply to reveal just enough to generate curiosity and let the collective imagination of the audience take over," because you need to seduce your viewers into fantasising. Beware the trick may be tried with accounting disclosures!

Next rule, `Break the rules!' It is not the story but the embellishments, the outer décor that the audience responds to, notes Bose. "Creativity can come into play only when the ground is set for the viewer and not the other way around."

Eighth diktat, `Hedge your bets,' because calamities can occur. Therefore, have a Plan B, cut costs, stick to deadlines, and don't overshoot the budget. Craze for foreign locations became so rampant that many players lost sight of the big picture, rues Bose. "You can create curiosity with glitter and gloss, but if your content lacks substance, you cannot conquer minds."

Don't treat films as a tyre or toothpaste, says Bose, while commenting on the failed movie ventures of corporate houses. "Elements like professional pride, mood swings, emotions, relationships, ego clashes and eccentric behaviour often assume greater importance in filmmaking than the man-hours and vouchers that a company auditor wants to keep track of." The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being successful, concludes Bose.

Insightful read about entertainment.

BookValue@TheHindu.co.in