We are more than half way through 2017 and Bollywood still hasn’t brought out it’s best in terms of films. What’s worse? Our excitement for 2017 escalated because the films looked promising, but it has been a disappointing year so far. There are quite a few movie trailers that appealed to us on the first look, but when we actually went to watch the film, we regretted the decision immediately. This happens every year, but this time around it has happened a little too many times already.
We've put together a list of five trailers that gave us false hopes and mislead us into believing that the film was epic; just like a crush does until she/he friend zones us. Hurtful, right?
Before we discuss the trailers, let’s talk about what essentially goes into making a good trailer. I deserve a chance to flaunt the research I’ve done in order to write this article.
There are six traits that make a phenomenal trailer:
- Start with a bang, end with an even louder one: Goes without saying the trailer must captivate its audience in the very first scene, maintaining the curiosity throughout, leaving the audience wanting for more by the end of it.
- Mini movies need to have a heart of their own: The 2-3 minute-long trailer has to carve out a story of its own. It should not completely let the cat out of the bag though.
- Must give you the feels, irrespective of the genre: It’s important that the trailer stays with you long after it’s over, that’s how the audience remains hooked till they walk into the theatre. It must get a myriad of emotions running through the audience's mind.
- It gotta be as fresh as a daisy: The audience doesn’t want the same content to be rotated around. They want something new and you gotta give to them.
- The characters need to hit it off with the audience instantly: The characters should be intriguing as well as relatable because that’s how you get the audience hooked.
- Music is the Key: This one doesn’t need any explanation because good music works like magic.
So, without further ado, here goes:
RANGOON
Vishal Bhardwaj has the ability to bring out the best in his star cast as well as his team. His movies have depth, are detailed and also have some magnificent performances.
Rangoon was the much-anticipated film of the year because the cast screamed "perfection"—Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, and Saif Ali Khan. The trailer lived up to its expectations in a way that it actually escalated the excitement. The plot was understood, the audience was waiting to witness yet another set of epic performances.
What happened later is known to all of us! The movie turned out to be such a disappointment and we are still getting over it.
NOOR
Noor’s Trailer came as a breath of fresh air both in terms of the story and Sonakshi’s performance. The story about a journalist who is on a journey of finding herself, just as all of us are, irrespective of the profession. The trailer had a little bit of everything—humor, drama and romance yet it didn’t look muddled up and that was the best part of the trailer. The famous stand-up comedian, Kanan Gill, who has girls swooning over him, also made his debut with this film.
Everything about this film looked and felt good until we went to the theatres and figured out that the multitude of emotions was just for the trailer and not the film.
PHILLAURI
After NH 10, Anushka Sharma came out with yet another film from her own production house, titled Phillauri. The movie had quite a star cast, from Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi fame) to Diljit Dosanjh (The current heartthrob of the generation) and of course our very own Anushka Sharma. The trailer was intriguing and hilarious. Anushka Sharma made for the most beautiful ghost, Diljit looked like a million bucks and got our hearts swooning while Suraj Sharma just slipped into the role effortlessly. The story was portrayed in two eras, the modern day and the early 20th century.
The movie lets us down in various aspects, it also got really boring by the end because it gets extremely predictable and the climax gets out of hand as it takes all of one's courage to keep sitting till the film gets over.
SARKAR 3
The Sarkar 3 trailer promised the same thrill, suspense, and drama that the Sarkar franchise had delivered in the last two films. Amitabh Bachchan was seen doing what he does best—taking Bollywood by the storm (again). The icing on the cake was the presence of Jackie Shroff, Manoj Bajpayee, and Ronit Roy. Amit Sadh and Yami Gautam, each of whom seemed to fit in their respective roles comfortably.
The trailer did exactly what it was supposed to do, enthral. Then, the movie happened and the rest is history. Ram Gopal Varma just ruined it for us. Hoping this was the last of the series.
BEHEN HOGI TERI
Rajkumar Rao, a name that’s become synonymous with good cinema, is usually enough to pull people to the theatres. This man can do anything and pull off any sort of role and has often been touted a gift to Hindi cinema. Shruti Hasan, an actress with a filmy background and decent acting chops is the leading lady in this seemingly funny romantic comedy. We were indeed excited to see the pair together after the trailer launched. It was hilarious and Rajkumar Rao seems to have fit the bill perfectly. The movie though turned out to be a disappointment because the script lacked content and the mediocre performances by the star cast didn’t help.
We are looking forward to the latter half of the year, which will hopefully come up with lesser disappointments and more cinema that resonates with the audience (keeping our fingers crossed).