The Brand Is Not Enough

In the October of 2015, the world was witness to a movie titled 'Beast of No Nation'. An Africa set war-drama, this film had hopped across the festival circuit before finding a worldwide audience in that month and year. It was the start of something new. It was the first of its kind, a phenomenon that would become the mainstay of film buffs in pandemic times. It was the first Netflix original movie. Till a greater part of this century, Netflix was known as a shop to rent DVDs. Not many years had passed since it had started its internet streaming service, aided by the increasing ubiquitousness of high-speed internet. Netflix had already produced critically acclaimed web series like 'House of Cards', 'Orange Is the New Black', 'Daredevil', and more. But this was the first time the web platform was venturing into movie releases. Naturally, the film industry watched the development with keen interest. Some dismissed Netflix as a passing fad, others doubted its mainstream relevance, while some were really optimistic about it. As time showed, the people in the last category won the opinion war. Not just Netflix but many other OTT channels exist to bring original movies right to the device.

'Beast of No Nation' was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, a Japanese American auteur whose credentials included some relatively unknown movies like 'Sin Nombre' and 'Jane Eyre'. It is ironic that the same person who started one phenomenon also ended another. He is the director of 'No Time to Die', the latest (and perhaps the last?) movie in the series featuring the debonair spy James Bond aka 007. At the end of the film, in a scene reminiscent of Iron Man in MCU, James Bond sacrifices himself to save the world. It wasn't just this scene that MCU inspired- the lead character's story arcs and the main villain's motivations are very similar in both cases. 

The key question remains- now that James Bond is dead, what should be done with such an iconic brand? The movies have existed since 1962, and the stories have existed since the early 1950s. The name James Bond (or just Bond as he prefers to be addressed) has so many connotations- it can mean an expert, a person confident in his field. It can also mean someone morally ambiguous yet with a heart of gold. Love Bond, hate him (and the movies), or even ignore- but no one can deny that the brand James Bond carries a lot of equity. Perhaps more than all the Netflix original movies combined. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the makers 'No Time to Die' chose to wait for more than a year for a theatrical release instead of an OTT release. Now that James Bond is no more, what should be done?

The positioning of James Bond got changed over the decades. While the original stories capitalized on the cold war frenzy, they were meant to be entertainers than profound discourses on international geopolitics. That was evident by the over-the-top and many times silly situations and villains that the films offered. Spectre stands for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion! The actors changed, and the movies tried to explore contemporary themes. 'The Living Daylights' had a plot dealing with 'heroic' Afghan Mujahiddens- it looks absurd in hindsight, just like Rambo 3. With its theme of media interference in politics, 'Tomorrow Never Dies' especially stands out in this regard. Before the Craig era, no Bond film had a story arc- they could be mostly watched independently. That changed with the Daniel Crag starer 'Casino Royale' in 2006. With the subsequent movies released, the idea was to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. By the time 'No Time to Die' came out, people were interested in the fate of the characters, not just the action and the scenery- something akin to the 'Fast and Furious' series. The Craig starters were characterized by more relevant political themes and less in-your-face sexism. Even Bond had become woke like the rest of the world.

As the franchise celebrates 60 years in theatres, it has to take a call on what is next for the iconic brand. A complete reboot is an option but does that make sense in an era where the spy genre is crowded with movies in multiple languages? A likely route will be to continue with Nomi's character, played by Lashana Lynch, as 007. Taking a cue from other iconic British characters like Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter, the franchise can also go for prequels, animated series, and video games (which already exist). Bond-themed merchandise stores and a museum are also worth considering. Whatever is the plan, things need to be done fast lest the franchise gets forgotten in these fast-changing times. Not even Bond has all the time in the world.

No Stars Are Born

 

‘Koi Hero Yahaan, Koi Zero Yahaan, Koi Star Hai, Koi Bekaar Hai’ – Song Lyrics from Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani.

The word ‘Star’ has a rather metaphorical connotation. Lie stars in the sky, their earthly counterparts represent a pinnacle that people aspire to be. Be it the performing arts, sports, or the different sciences- there are people celebrated for their stellar talent and accomplishments, thus earning them the title ‘star’. From Sachin Tendulkar to C.V. Raman, and from Shah Rukh Khan to J.R.D. Tata- all of them are/were stars in their respective fields.

This blog post attempts to dig deeper into the phenomenon of stardom. Where there are stars, there are fans. The following contemplation is applicable for almost every field except politics. As someone said, the day we become a fan of a politician, we have failed in our duties as a citizen.

Take any field and name three prominent people that immediately come to mind. Very high chances that those people have been around for a long time or are even deceased with their legacy living on. That is quite natural. Becoming a prominent ‘star’ requires years, even decades of consistent effort. But what about the stars of tomorrow? That is where things get tricky.

Call it is a diffusion of opportunities or any other name, it cannot be ignored that opportunities are now restricted to a select few. The OTT era has led to the presence of actors whose names are mostly unknown. The same is true for sports- the roster in national teams and club games has increased to never before numbers. Hardly any two tournaments have the same constituent of team members. And a replacement for someone is readily available. In the Indian context, there was a time when the names of the latest Olympic medalists (and all the current members of the Cricket team) were on everyone’s tongue tips. That is not the case now. The same is true for other fields- Chetan Bhagat is not the only writer of contemporary fiction now. At one time, Bollywood had four main male singers and two main female singers. No more now.

Let us come to the sciences- be it physical, biological, or social. In many fields, the main stuff has already been discovered and whatever is being done s only incremental. Such scientists attain prominence, but it is remains restricted to others their fields. There are fields where breakthroughs happen- like Prof. Sarah Gilbert’s team inventing the Astra Zeneca Covid vaccine. But there are so many others attempting the same or something similar. Such fame is usually short-lived. How many of us can recall the names of the Nobel Prize winners of this year, forget the preceding years? In the world of business, there are superstar businessmen. But such people are usually never free from controversies. And because of the diffusion of opportunities, either direct competition, substitutes, or even a disruption of the norm is never far away.

Stardom is not going to be the same as before. The Internet has led to a democratization of human activities- things are no longer enclosed in hallowed chambers. Unlike the lyrics of the song from Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, no one is the best- at least not for long.