"This film is one of its kind and I am saying this from my 20 years of experience in Indian cinema," Khan told reporters at a press conference in September. "We...in the entertainment industry...look at it as something that will take Indian films forward."
Despite having a large stake in the film, Khan's production company Red Chillies Entertainment co-produced Ra.One, it is interesting to note why the actor thinks this film is so important. Let's face facts, Ra.One is not the first Bollywood superhero film (see The good, the bad and the ugly: a short list of Bollywood superheroes below) but the way Khan is talking about it, it can be viewed as the first Bollywood tent pole film or even franchise. This is most obvious in the scrutiny surrounding its release. Khan has stated that Ra.One should be shown at a larger number of cinemas, its current scheduled run includes 3,200 screens - India's largest ever opening for a film. However, for Khan, this simply isn't enough.
"There are about 14,000 theatres in the cities, 8,000 in southern India and 7,000 in the north," Khan said to The Economic Times. "Every day we hear that more theatres are being added, however, the population is also increasing . Once the retail of cinema gets more organized, people will come to the theatres."
Comparing the boom in Indian cinema to that of China, Khan claimed that the growth in population has resulted in many filmgoers not being catered to. To this extent he is correct, although it has more to do with a growing middle-class in India who have more disposable income to spend. And yes, India should aim to target this audience if it wants to generate more revenue.
Ra.One is a franchise film in the Hollywood sense, in that it includes various official merchandising spin-offs such as toys, video games and even stationery. Like most contemporary Hollywood blockbusters, it will also be available in 3d at selected cinemas both domestically and overseas. This extent of marketing and promotion is a true first for a Bollywood film. Additionally, Khan's comments about giving the film an even wider release than was initially forecasted reflects the actor's opinion of the film as a tent pole release.
In the US, tent pole films are usually the most expensive films for the studios who produce them and therefore are given the highest promotional budgets alongside their excessive production budgets. These films are also expected to make an immediate impact on the box office and are usually deemed successes or failures based on their opening weekend revenue. These films are also given the biggest openings compared to other productions in a studio's roster, which means that they open on the maximum amount of screens.
Therefore we can deem from Khan's comments that he views this as the actual natural 'progression' for Indian cinema. The fact that an influential actor/producer such as Shah Rukh Khan is interested in emulating the American system should come as no surprise. After all the Indian cinema landscape is dominated by media conglomerates such as Reliance Entertainment and there is a lot of foreign investment, including American, currently being poured into the industry.
Therefore, although Ra.One offers little innovation in terms of its storyline and production, its success could bring about a juggernaut of change that even the Man of Steel would have a hard time stopping.
The good, the bad and the ugly: a short list of Bollywood superheroes
Shiva ka Insaaf (1985)
Guess what? Ra.One isn't even the first 3d Indian superhero film. That distinction goes to Shiva ka Insaaf, a woefully camp tale of revenge starring Jackie Shroff. Naturally, the filmgoing public saw beyond the gimmick of 3d and avoided this one in droves. Its failure didn't do much to improve the status of this ignored genre.
Mr India (1987)
Directed by Shekhar Kapur, Mr India is the definitive Indian superhero film. The film revolves around a hapless caretaker of an orphanage and his discovery of a device that can make its wearer invisible. He uses his newfound powers to fight a megalomaniac named Mogambo who is intent on taking over India. The film is a likeable mix of childlike shenanigans, romance and action all carried out by a great cast. The special effects look dated now but add to its charm and it's still the best by far in its genre.
Superman (1987)
The first nail in the coffin for the superhero genre in India came with this take on the most successful superhero film of the time. The filmmakers kept the title and the costume but forgot to add in anything resembling a decent script and good direction. The result is an awful film that had long-term damaging effects for the genre.
Krrish (2006)
Krissh was Bollywood's first serious stab at creating a superhero film that matched Hollywood, both in its size and execution. Therefore, it can be seen as a precursor to Ra.One. Directed by Rakesh Roshan and starring his son Hrithik, it bore more than a passing resemblance to Batman. And like that film was a huge success, displaying that there was an audience for this type of film.
Drona (2008)
If Krissh breathed new life into the superhero genre, then Drona nearly managed to kill it off single-handedly. A major flop, the film was heavily criticised upon its release for lack of characterisation and poor acting from its leads, Abhishek Bachan and Priyanka Chopra.
