Sequels are safe option: Mahesh Bhatt

Mahesh Bhatt advocates why Vishesh Films have turned into a sequel making machine.

Mumbai: With films like `Jannat 2`, `Murder 2` and now `Raaz 3`, Vishesh Films seems to have turned into a sequel making machine and Mahesh Bhatt advocates its policy, saying with sequels you are secure.

"A sequel guarantees a safety net with at least 40 percent collection at the box office in comparison to the original film. This happens because the brand has a recall value," he told IANS. "Films like `Jannat 2`, `Murder 2`, `Raaz 2` amongst other have all been successful for us. Today, the only yardstick to measure the response of a film is the box office collection and the opening weekend collection," he added. Bhatt agrees sequels provide a "safety net for his investors", but there is also a flip side to it. Elaborating, he said: "We will keep making sequels as I want to create a sense of safety for my investors, a safety for the opening weekend. But there is also a flip side of making sequel that it might not meet the people`s expectations," he said. After "Jism 2" their next release is "Raaz 3". Directed by Vikram Bhatt, it stars Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta and focuses on rise and fall of a superstar and the dark side of the film industry. Bhatt, who wrote "Jism 2", is happy with the kind of response the erotic thriller has received at the box office. " `Jism 2` collected Rs 21.25 crore over the weekend and I am predicting that the lifetime business will be around Rs.30 crore irrespective of the negative buzz," he said and added that a section of people didn`t like the film, but the box office numbers tell a different story. The film cost Rs.7 crore. "There is a segment of the audience found it very sluggish. People have also said that the content is too mature and doesn`t meet the requirement of fast paced thriller. But if we go by the numbers, I believe no one should not raise finger against us," he said. IANS