What’s in a name? We have all been told that names don’t mean anything. A Louis Vuitton bag sold under a different logo would look just as chic.
Not really. I do not understand why some people still try and deny the fact that their choices are driven by names and the implications that these names have. How else do you explain the success of movies like Kambakht Ishq, Golmaal 3, the American and the like?
All of the aforementioned movies lacked a story line, the scripts were badly written and the acting was less than average. However, each one has proven to be a box office hit. If Kambakht Ishq starred Esha Deol instead of Kareena Kapoor and Asmit Patel instead of Akshay Kumar would people still book a matinee ticket? Moreover, if it lacked the sprinkle of Hollywood names coupled with the gorgeous designer wardrobe donned by the leading lady would you still rush to the halls to check out what all the fuss was about? This obsession with names is not limited to Bollywood cinema; everyone who saw the American had two things in common post the movie- first they had wasted two and a half hours of their lives and second they now knew how to make a gun (since the entire movie shows a guy making a gun in painstaking detail). Yet, almost everyone I knew felt the movie was at least a onetime watch thanks to Mr. Clooney.
Does anyone remember the last time that a Yash Chopra movie was worth watching? In fact does anyone remember the last time a Yash Chopra movie made conceptual sense? Why do big stars continue working with the banner and why do we continue listing him as one the best film production houses in the country? It’s the Chopra banner of course.
Names of brands, movies and even people have a lot of psychological , social and economic baggage attached to them. That is just the way it is and there is no point trying to deny it. And each and every one of us makes the majority of our decisions based on the preconceived meanings and symbols we attach to these names.Whether you like it or not you are almost certainly a part if that majority. I feel it is time for us – whether as a movie audience or a handbag consumer to look beyond the name and search for talent and quality. Or artistic excellence will be replaced by mindless popular culture.
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