Bollywood takes its family dramas seriously. So it’s a double delight when filmmakers bring together members from acting dynasties. It’s a formula that has often worked well in evoking interest in the movie. If you take that into account, it’s the battle half-won for Ranbir Kapoor starrer Besharam, releasing this Thursday in the UAE. The comedy, starring Kapoor, unites him with his parents Neetu and Rishi for the first time in his career. History has taught us that such unions work quite well. Look up Sarkar Raj (2008), India’s answer to Godfather that brought together Abhishek Bachchan and his iconic father Amitabh. Their closeness is legendary in Bollywood and to see the same chemistry being replicated on the silver screen went down well with the viewers. They played father and son who shared a close bond in the film too. The pair reunited to play fatehr and son, but swapped the roles in 2009’s Paa. The Deols, comprising father Dharmendra and his sons Sunny and Bobby, have proved over and over again that they can create magic together. Barring this year’s Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 disaster, their collective box-office power is notable. Individually, their films may not guarantee a hit but they are a force to be reckoned with when they join hands. The success of Apne and their comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana are proof.
Actor Sanjay Dutt united with his father, the late actor-politician Sunil Dutt, on the big screen with the blockbuster comedy Munnabhai MBBS. We loved the scene in which Dutt Sr breaks down when he learns that his son is a gun-toting goon masquerading as a medical student. The disappointment in his face was there for all to see, fuelling rumours that it was a scene the reflected their turbulent relationship in their personal lives. But all of these films worked because their content and method of story telling was riveting. As Kapoor puts it: “We had decided among ourselves that we would act together in a movie together only if the right scripts come along.”
