NEW DELHI: 99. 8x10. 611. 17. 13. 13B. Bollywood is flooded with film titles that have no words, only numericals. Those associated with thes...
NEW DELHI: 99. 8x10. 611. 17. 13. 13B. Bollywood is flooded with film titles that haveno words, only numericals. Those associated with these projects say that naming a film in numbers not only helps attract eyeballs but also ensures high audience recall.
"Whether it's the name of an apartment or a year, numbers when used as film titles are like strong characters who become the backdrop of a film," say directors of '99', Raj Nidimoru and D K Krishna.
The titles can also be a teaser trailer of what the movie stands for. Thirteen is generally regarded as an unlucky number. The protagonists of '13' and '13B' undergo horrifying ordeals. In '13', a group of people have to survive for 13 days while in supernatural thriller '13B', a spooky television takes control of the life of a family living in a residential flat numbered 13B on the 13th floor.
"So many incidents and stories revolve around this number that we felt the title was apt for attracting attention," says Shailendra Singh of Percept Picture Company which has produced '13'. Adds '13B' director Vikram K Kumar, "For me, 13 immediately evokes a feeling of the supernatural and brings superstitious things to mind. I've used that element cautiously and intelligently in '13B'."
Interestingly, actor Madhavan, who stars in '13B', has two more films on the floors where digits are important --'Three Idiots' and 'Teen Patti'. "It's quite spooky to see the number 3 figure so much in my recent films," he says.
In the past, Hindi films have often used a mix of numbers and words. 'Bengal 1883' (released in 1932), 'Mr 420' (1937), 'Post Box No 999' (1958), 'Victoria No 203' (1972) and '1942: A Love Story' (1994) are a few such films. But movies with only numbers are rare. The historical, '1857' (released in 1946), and the thriller '2001' (1998) are two such films. In the past few months though, there has been a profusion of such films, including Vikram Bhatt's successful supernatural flick, '1920'.
A majority of the films with numbers as titles belongs to thethriller-horror-supernatural genre. Apart from '13' and '13B', even the Nagesh Kukunoor-directed '8x10' walks a similar theme. In the film, protagonist Akshay Kumar has powers to predict the unforeseen looking at an 8x10 photograph. Another horror flick, '611', draws its name from the number of a hotel room that people think is haunted.
But some 'number' movies dwell on other subjects too. '99' is a fun film revolving around two men who always get stuck on the number. And '17' delves into the loves and fears of the young amidst underground racing contests, drugs and dropouts. "Numerical titles can be stylish, chic and help target a niche audience such as the young, as they are clued into the New Age lexicon," says Pritish Nandy, whose company PNC is producing '17'.
Does numerology also play a part in all this? Singh of PPC says that the number 9 is lucky for Akshay and for him. "So we wanted to attach it to the title," he says. Nandy cares little for numbers or numerology. "I would happily release a movie on Friday the 13th. Numbers don't do a thing for me," he says.
Even Pune-based numerologist Anupam V Kapil finds the trend of promoting negative numbers "unhealthy". Kapil, who practises phonetic astro-numerology, says he avoids film makers seeking numerical titles or reworking their film's spellings because he thinks it's unscientific. "By changing the spelling or adding a number to a title or a name, you cannot change one's luck or fortunes," he says.
But in an industry where the percentage of flops is alarmingly high, using numbers seems to be a handy tool in drawing initial audience interest. And that, to many producers, is good enough reason to play the numbers game.
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