India does not need super heroes. Superheroes were a creation of the Americans who did not have any history of their own old enough to create heroes. So they created Superman, Batman, Spiderman and many other men and women.
These superheroes had attributes that every American stood for. For Example Superman fought a never ending battle for truth, justice and American way, since 1932. The reason why the Americans had to create their superheroes is that they trampled all over the Native American culture not recognizing their myths and legends. In a piece in 2008 I had discussed some of the reasons and attributes of the American superheroes. http://doctersoccer.blogspot.com/2008/01/animated-americans.html
India on the other hand has a rich culture of myths and legends. Our heroes are Lord Ram, Krishna, Lord Hanuman, Arjun and the other characters from Mahabharata and Ramayana. Our ancient scriptures like the Puranas and the Upanishads are full of them.
Then why the sudden hoopla over RA One and other characters like Krrish as superheroes?
Well one basic reason is to cash on to the success of the original movies and to have an option to launch a sequel. After all Superman and Batman did inspire create a series of sequels. Also the merchandising that comes along with a successful franchise is very lucrative. For example the Superman merchandising franchise is valued close to $ 60 Million in 2002, according to a court ruling.
But now comes the challenge, Superman and Batman basically started out as comic books. But Krrish for example is a spin off from a sequel of ‘Koi Mil Gaya’. So the franchise is not that strong and might never have top of the mind recall in a country already having all the mythological heroes. And to make things worse most of these mythological characters already have been written about by comic book publishers like ‘Amar Chitra Katha’ and “Chandamama’.
So do Krishh and RA One come with these advantages?
The answer in my opinion is no and I see no way that a movie like RA One can spinoff a successful franchise like Superman or Batman. In my opinion it will be a one off sale, and the hype will die down along with the movie.
Lord Rama and Krishna stand for attributes that most Indians value. We hero worship for their qualities that help us refine our lives. For example Lord Hanuman is a super hero to most wrestlers in India. His qualities like Physical strength and Moral judgment guide the practioners.
But one might argue that most of these are gods and demi gods. But then we have characters from history like King Vikramaditya, who secured the Vethal. Known for his judgement and common sense, King Vikramaditya is another hero that many look upto.
Now I am not sure what attributes Krrish stands for? I am not sure what RA One stands for? Without a strong brand character, these Superheroes are sure to die a fast death in the battlefield inside the consumers mind, and by the way India does not need another superhero, we have plenty already.
A nice thoughtful post. These superheroes are made not to save lives but to make some good money; that's what I feel. As u said, there is no need for such super heroes in a heritage rich country like India.
ReplyDeleteKeep posting......ALL THE BEST
From: sriramnivas.wordpress.com
I Like!!!! :) Good one Doc.
ReplyDeleteAnd how you ripped apart Ra-One :)
ReplyDeleteI do not fancy Indian super heroes either, the only thing that comes to my mind when I think of Indian super heroes? wig clad Rajnikanth! and no, not in a good way.
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Chintan Gupta
Someone needed to point this out and you have done it superbly. Our mythologies are rippling with heroes. Where is the need for Krish and Ra.one, Oh so cheap copycat versions of American heroes? These ludicrous characters have been created with the moolah on mind rather than our culture, ethos or any variant of creativity, for that matter.
ReplyDelete@Sriramnivas
ReplyDeleteThank you. We have a culture going back at least 5000 years, surely we don't need Shah Rukh Khan inspired Robot to save us. Our Myths and Legends are more deep rooted in my opinion.
@J Thanks I am writing some more, will let you know.
ReplyDelete@thebluntblogger I had no choice but to rip this fallacy that something like RA One would be considered a superhero in a country full of heros' from the past. Rajni 'The Boss' has never tried to sell a action figure of his as a superhero franchise. Actually I don't think he endorses any product.
ReplyDelete@umashankar Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI was also appalled at the interviews given by Mr Shah Rukh Khan, where he said that every Indian needs a hero. Well we have many and we definitely don't need his RA One which looks like a close copy of the 'Enthiran'. If all he wants to do is make money then he should stop trying to play with the cultural dominance of our legends and heroes. He was actually calling on AB Jr to create a 'Drona' action figure. That would be an absolute disgrace to the greatest military strategist of our Mahabharata Dronacharya.
Ra-One as in Ravan is the anti-hero of the movie.
ReplyDelete@Purba Yeah I know and the hero is called G One and how creative is that? In any case I don't we need him either.
ReplyDeletevery good analysis. the reasoning behind america's obsession with superheros & our strong history/mythology is bang on
ReplyDeleteand vikram & bethal is my all time fav
@Sujatha Not to mention that people used to always make fun of me asking me where is my vethal in school. But the point remains that we have strong culture and any attempt to impose more heroes on us would definitely fail.
ReplyDeletevery well articulated Vikram. Perhaps that is why Chota Bheem, Shaktiman and Mr.India are much more popular super hero's despite them being not so supper ! My this post fully seconds your findings :)
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/64tlcbc
@Nitin I agree, actually now that I think of it Amitabh Bacchan in Shahenshah was one of the earlier versions of a superhero. Some of the others mentioned in your post are also good examples.
ReplyDeleteI love hero series of batman&superman annimated.india should have franchise of their own
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