From Vidya Balan's Manjulika to Arshad Warsi's Jolly LLB, the OGs return to their hit franchise and fans can't wait

With the leading actors like Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar making a big return to franchise, here’s decoding what it means for the film.

Movie lovers are in for a treat as their favourite OGs from different franchises are set to return to the new instalments. While actor Vidya Balan, who played Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) and wasn’t part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022), will be seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, actor Arshad Warsi, who played the lead in Jolly LLB (2013), returns to Jolly LLB 3. Actor Akshay Kumar, too, who was part of Welcome (2007), will be seen in Welcome To The Jungle.

Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan have returned to their famous franchise respectively.

The return of the original cast, adds immense value to the upcoming film, says Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 director Anees Bazmee. “Vidya did a great job in the first film, that character was so good and naturally now she will perform even better. Wo character ko wo jee chuke hai, and publicity ke hisaab se bhi excitement logo ki bohot badh jaati hai. To mujhe lagta hai ki iss tarah ke fayede hite hai.”

Nostalgia matters

A film’s sequel without the OG cast can do well, but when the original cast is reintroduced into the script, it triggers nostalgia. Trade analyst Atul Mohan explains, “After a certain period of time, when you recall the original movie, the original star cast comes to your mind, who you had seen earlier. When you think of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, you will think of Vidya Balan, when you think of Welcome, you will think of Akshay Kumar. As a franchise, you will remember Arshad and Akshay. The memes you see will be famous of Arshad Warsi. All these things keep the flavour of the franchise on. The recall value has all of that.”

No formula for success

However, the return of the original cast doesn’t really ensures the financials at the box office. Film critic and trade expert Taran Adarsh points out, “First thing’s first, having someone like Vidya Balan or Arshad Warsi, when you add the OG actor to the cast of a new instalment automatically the film comes into news and focus. If Jolly LLB 3 would have been announced with just Akshay Kumar, it would have been fine but Arshad Warsi coming back or Vidya Balan coming back automatically creates curiosity, it creates news. I guess it is a definitely a plus for the project also. These actors, or any prominent name would join the cast if there is a substantial meaty role. They wouldn’t want to be just a shadow or a sidekick to anyone. They would be a parallel lead and that’s the reason they would say yes or no.”

The film expert adds, “As far as the financials are concerned, it all depends on the content and the package in totality. Both the films have been loved by the audience which reflects their box office numbers also. We will have to wait and watch. The films which are being made are anyway being made with a big budget.”

The flip side

Girish Johar, Producer and film business expert while talking about the excitement of the audience, also highlights how a poorly made story can backfire. He says, “These are already successful franchise, so it definitely adds more excitement to the box office saleability. It helps so much in marketing, where you can write stories about the character graph. So there is a lot of meat to do that.”

He adds, “There is a flip side. It should not be repeated. There are certain elements that you don’t want to see, while going ahead and certain things which audience did not like and audience feels that it is just en-cashing on the name and there is nothing strong in it, then it backfires. The pressure is definitely more. It’s not a an easy thing.”