Hindi
Dabangg2: A crisp 1st half gives way to a lax 2nd half
MUMBAI: Sequels are a new trend in the Hindi film industry. The thesaurus defines the word as a follow-up or follow-on, among other meanings. On that count, Dabangg2 is a sequel alright. However, since a sequel results out of a successful first when it comes to films, the same is supposed to better the trendsetter; in this case Dabangg. Achieving that is tough.
Following his franchise, Chulbul Pandey aka Salman Khan is now a married man. He has also opted for a posting at Kanpur where, he thinks, the crimes are bigger and his presence is needed. Ergo he migrates lock, stock and barrel, which means he takes his constables as well as family. Once there, he is soon introduced to the reign of local bahubali, Prakash Raj and his two brothers. One, Nikitan Dheer, is the restrained kind, over six feet tall and all brawn. The other one is Deepak Dobriyal, full of bravado much beyond his four-and-half-foot stature. Raj, the eldest, is a goon-turned-politician in true Indian tradition while his brothers are his muscle power.
Predictably, the film opens with montage of the earlier version through its title cards. Khan and family are settling down in the new city. It is all lovey-dovey family as Khan and his stepfather, Vinod Khanna, have no bad blood any more, Rajjo aka Sonakshi Sinha is now his wife while half brother Arbaaz Khan is still dim as before. The family bonds are established and so is the hero‘s entry in Kanpur when he takes on two killers to establish his reputation.
It is time for the confrontation between the bahubali and Khan to start, and it does so in the commissioner‘s office where the bahubali has come to complain against Khan for having killed his two goons! It then continues in the form of cold stares and some dialogues of one-upmanship on both sides. That having been done, next stage is to start eliminations. That happens when bahubali‘s brother, Dobriyal, is kidnapping a girl he has the hots for. Unfortunately, the girl has been promised security by Khan, who kills Dobriyal signalling the interval point and setting the tone for an exciting second half.
Contrary to expectations created, the film loses its momentum as it goes into its second half. Just about everything is predictable and seen before. Khan and bahubali have a couple of confrontations till the final one which is a bit damp because after a shirtless fight between Khan and Dheer, the latter is suddenly misses from the scene, probably preserved for Dabangg3. Meanwhile Raj, the main villain, puts up a token fight. It is totally one-sided in Khan‘s favour defeating the age-old belief that in a story, your hero is only as big as your villain; Prakash Raj‘s character is too meek for the final showdown.
The problem with Dabangg2 starts with inevitable comparison viewers will make with Dabangg and expect this one to be a notch above. On that count, Dabangg2 is nowhere near the original. The two main factors of Dabangg having been taken away as there is no scope for romance: courting a beau and romancing a wife is not the same thing. The other factor the earlier version had was the mother emotion which this one has no scope for. The one-liners and punches as well as gags are scarce in comparison and some scenes, if you enjoy them, are because of Salman Khan is doing them in his inimitable style.
The script seems to have been hurried through to launch the sequel before the original fades from public memory. This flaw affects first time director Arbaaz Khan‘s performance as he also hurries through the sequences. For instance, what was the volleyball sequence all about since it conveys nothing except Khan asserting that playing volleyball makes a policeman‘s hands strong; this when none of the policemen raise a hand throughout? Sinha losing her child could have been used to generate some emotional depth as could Khanna being threatened by Dobriyal, but it is not to be. The film has good music with songs like Saason mei….along with mass numbers, Dagaabazzre…..,Pandeyjee…..and Fevicol…. Having been shot mainly indoors on gaudy sets, the film gives the look of a 1970s film with no gloss or finesse.
Performance wise, it would not be wrong to say that this is Salman Khan‘s usual self. This time he does not do justice to the character of Chulbul Pandey. Sinha is alright. Khanna and Arbaaz Khan don‘t get much scope. Raj does not make an effective adversary. Dheer impresses while Dobriyal is good.
Dabangg2, all said, is half of Dabangg in living up to expectations. Commercially, too, its prime time is the weekend and the Christmas holiday on Tuesday to make the most of.
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
