Making a movie requires several different ingredients. First is an exciting and engaging plot.  The plot requires suitable and inspiring locations to set the story in. The movie requires talented cast and crew, accurate costumes, and expert direction. All these ingredients need credible, well-crafted, strong characters that pulls audience to the cinema halls. The characters in the plot make a hit or a flop movie. 

To develop a character, the director must identify and typecast it by creating a profile; identify backstory (created for a fictional character), struggles, motivation, and goals; and use their personal traits and moral compass to determine the character’s apparent path in a movie/drama/ series etc.

For the super hit Dollars Trilogy directed by Italian director Serigo Leone who casted Clint Eastwood in all the three movies “A fistful of dollars” 1964, “For a few dollars more” 1965 and “The Good, the bad and the ugly” 1966. In all three movies Eastwood played the man with no name because his character was not given any name. In the movie “A fistful of dollars” he had only two facial expressions: with hat without hat. Leone said more than a man he needed a mask. From economic perspective, he had to shell out merely 15,000 dollars to Eastwood. The character of Eastwood had to carry a cigar in his mouth for major part of the movie. Eastwood hated cigar as he hated tobacco which gave his face the signature frown. Added to this was the scorching heat of the sunny Italian summer which made Eastwood perpetually squint, but this is how a legend was born.  In Serigo’s dollars trilogy Clint Eastwood is considered one of the most charming and memorable characters. The important point to note is that Eastwood wasn’t a hero in these movies.

While writing the plot of a movie, the writer needs to create well-rounded, relatable, and interesting characters. They grow and evolve throughout the story, being shaped by their experiences as they go along.

Nobody can forget the character of Gabbar Singh portrayed by Amjad Khan in the blockbuster movie Sholay (1975). Writers Salim-Javed modelled Gabbar Singh on a real-life dacoit Gabbar Singh Gujjar who used to frighten the villages around Gwalior in the 1950s. Any policeman captured by Gujjar had his ears, and nose cut off, and was released as a warning to other policemen. 

It seems Amjad Khan read ‘Abhishapth Chambal’, a book on Chambal dacoits written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, actress Jaya Bhaduri’s father.  Every single department of cinema – casting, characterization, screenplay, dialogue, cinematography, music, songs, sound design, art direction, editing, location, speech patterns and language, and even costumes were worked out in masterly detail. The film is so mesmerizing, made especially attractive because of Gabbar Singh, the most outstanding and memorable villain in the history of Indian cinema, that not many paid attentions to the costume design.

A lot of research had gone into costume design of Gabbar Singh. Costume design is not just about the clothes. In film, it has both a narrative and a visual requirement. Designers serve the script and the director by creating authentic characters and by using colour, texture, and outline to provide balance within the composition of the frame. The costume designer must first know the character for preparation of the costume.

So, Gabbar’s costume comprised of this olive-green safari suit, a metallic taveez(talisman) strung on a black thread across his neck, a cartridge-lined belt he sways this way and that to threaten his men, and a small cloth bag of khaini he chews from time to time and spits out randomly. His boots are smart too but covered with a layer of dust. His curly hair is unkempt, and he shaves rarely. There is a constant ugly glare in his roving eyes matched with an evil grin. The script very intelligently does not give him a back story as to why he is so destructive and ruthless. And this is what makes him mesmerise to the audience. He represented pure, undiluted evil in human form. He also wields a gun for easy gunning down of his “coward” men. The ruthless Gabbar was given dialogues which are famous even today. The best example can be “Pachaas Pachaas koso dur jab koi baccha rota hai, to uski maa usse kehti hai ki beta so ja nahi to Gabbar aa jaayega!” The legacy of Gabbar is so colossal, that people even today refer to his dialogues subconsciously. Be it a tough test, and the first thing which comes to our mind is “Tera kya hoga, Kaalia?” “Jo dar gaya, who mar gaya”.

Characters (the actors) need to work on three main areas: preparation, physicality, and Imagination. Its mind, body, and spirit. Preparation includes reading the script and doing research like watching the living characters around with shades of the character the actor is going to play. Physicality means quality and characteristics of a person. If the character is from a different time, or a different culture than the actor needs to study history, the culture, the mannerisms, and the language of that time.  The actor must get into the skin of a character to make it look” REAL.” The character’s backstory matters. The backstory is everything that has happened to a character before the novel begins. 

Directors possess a unique ability to translate a script into a captivating visual and auditory experience that resonates with audiences. They develop a distinct creative vision, encompassing the film’s mood, tone, visual style, and storytelling approach.

The world of cinema has given many unforgettable characters till date.

What is very important to make a movie successful? The script, the actors, the editing, cinematography, production, direction, music, animation……….can we really pinpoint on one of the elements? When considering the most important elements in a successful film, it is practically impossible to separate the actors from the script, to consider the screenwriter more important than the actors or to minimize the role of the director is absurd. The making of a movie is a creative process, reducing any of the processes diminishes the product and thwarts its existence. From a commercial angle, the producer and the financers are most important; because without them, the movie wouldn’t be rolled out.

India is one of the few countries in the world where Hollywood doesn’t reign supremacy. This is because India has many regional film industries besides its main industry Bollywood. Indian viewers demand movies with Indian sensibilities and cultural intricacies. The regional film industries are coming into increasing focus for a number of reasons: the Marathi and Malayalam film industries have been going through a revolution of sorts in recent years regarding the quality content and kinds of movies being made. They are gradually getting national and international recognitions. What is worth noting is regional films are known for their smaller budgets and are less frenzied about their star culture. I think this allows filmmakers to put the content and story at the center of the films and experiment with different kinds of movies.

The best example is 2016 blockbuster Marathi film ‘Sairat.’ It is the highest grossing Marathi movie ever. Based on a very sensitive matter of casteism, the story is based on innocent love affair. The movie has two new faces, no leading actors are roped in the movie, shot at simple locations. The movie emerged a strong winner in 2016, becoming the first in regional language to cross Rs 100 crore in box office collections. The revenue model was designed to link performance of the film to the remuneration of talent. Though this practice is increasingly adopted by Bollywood but was never heard of in regional cinema.

In 2015, Rajinikath-starrer Kabali, Bengali romantic film Praktan, Telugu film A Aa and Punjabi movie Sardaarji 2 are some names which have a big share in growing the share of regional films at the Indian box office from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. The movie content is credited as the main reason. It is also because regional cinema caters to the audience’s more immediate cultures, given that we are a nation rich in regional heritage with so many cultures and languages coexisting. Regional cinema has started witnessing prosperity significantly pan-India. It’s worth noting that movie like Sardar Gabbar Singh, Sairat, Kabali are given a huge release platform outside of the regional market and foreign markets.

Another interesting fact is that, while the regional film industry has been flourishing, big production houses, which have been investing in Bollywood films, seem to have taken an interest in regional films too. Eros, Viacom 18 and Zee are some names who are looking at good regional content. It is also a good sign that corporate houses are entering the film industry.

2016 saw some of the best Bollywood movies: Pink starring Amitabh Bachchan and some new faces, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the film is a slap in the face of those who question the way modern women choose to live and dress. This movie’s greatest strength is its strong stand against gender inequality and sexual violence.

Akshay Kumar-starrer Airlift was inspired by the heroic tale of an Indian businessman who helped rescue around 170,000 of his compatriots in the face of looming war crisis in the Middle East. And, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dear Zindagi is a story of a young girl who changes her perception about life after meeting a therapist. Movie Dear Zindagi takes viewers on a joyous tour of soul-searching.

Aamir Khan’s Christmas release ‘Dangal’ made a roaring profit at the box-office with collections of Rs 155.53 crore after a five-day run. It’s a biopic on Indian wrestler and Coach Mahavir Singh Phogat, ‘Dangal’ had opened with an astounding figure of over Rs 25 crore and made its way into the prestigious Rs 100-crore club within the first weekend. What’s interesting is that even if we take the film’s five-day collections into consideration, it is already the biggest hit of the year. The film again revolves around female protagonists.

After content, budgeting has been another factor in guaranteeing growth. Movies making is drastically changing. Of late, we see that both Bollywood and regional movie business is not particularly star-driven. This means the talent cost is fairly rationalized. Secondly, the newcomers give their best, they don’t throw tantrums. One doesn’t need the world’s greatest line producer; a good script, some unknown actors, no flashy location, you can make a good film in a small budget.

The business model of movie making business is technologically driven, both pre-production and post-production. The impact of technology is in new cameras that allow cinematographers to shoot in a higher definition, letting viewers take in more of the amazing work in set design. Shooting in digital is much easier because you can do more in less time. Multiple cameras can run on the same shot, so you always get the angle you want without having to waste time on retakes.

The process of distributing film also has gone digital. Distribution through YouTube has been the most common form of marketing for quite some time. Studios have released big-budget trailers. This has made the method for film to outlive its usefulness. Digital films can be stored on company servers, without taking up too much space. The costs to maintain this infrastructure are also lower than the costs to store and re-master film.

Going digital largely means foregoing the large containers of film that used to be synonymous with film making. It also means production companies complete their shoot schedules with less waste, keeping the entire project under or close to budget.  Adding visual effects to film was often a precise art, where the effect had to blend seamlessly with what was being shot. This was a painstaking process that editors no longer go through. Digital effects are created and added to the shot, this software also allows editors to work on entire sections of a film, easily piecing scenes together after the post production effects are added in. That includes audio, which now has a high definition digital file that ensures the audience will hear every word and action that they see.

The number of technology-based jobs has increased.  The post-production jobs are easier to offshore and move overseas than on-set roles. Yes technical jobs in the movie making are on rise: automated dialogue editors, aerial camera assistants, aerial photographers, lighting technicians, archivers, sound recording, art department assistants, armourers – there are few more.

One factor needs a special mention here. That is Luck. To release a movie at the right place, right time, with the right promotion requires luck factor with it.  A lot of famous actors, directors and producers believe in taking help of astrologers for seeking the right time to release their films. Success in the film industry is heavily dependent on luck.  We cannot reduce importance of actor’s, director’s talent, dedication and hard work, but it is pretty obvious that those things are not enough on their own.  There are number of extremely hard-working, talented people out there, who are yet to get the recognition they deserve.