Bombay, March 2021: Over the past decade, most successful (quantified by revenue) Hollywood movies have belonged to one or the other superhero franchises. Picking up on that trend, Bollywood might be on the cusp of getting such a franchise of its own. With Singham (2011), Simmba (2018), and Sooryavanshi (2021) establishing three separate S-heavy^ heroes in Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe, an ensemble movie is slated to be released next year to bring the shared cop universe together.
Film pundits suggest that this might be Reliance Entertainment’s attempt to become Disney. After acquiring DreamWorks Pictures and other big production companies over the years, it is set to establish its own shared universe. “We wouldn’t be surprised if they set up a Cop Universe theme park next. It will be a riot,” said Ms. Swadeshi Kaur, a purveyor of Indian films.
Rohit Shetty, director of all the movies in the Cop Universe, is known to be looking for indigenous inspiration for the upcoming ensemble movie. At the top of the inspirational list is the Life OK hit television show, SuperCops vs Supervillains. “There are over 500 episodes in the show. I have spent most of the lockdown watching, analysing, and taking down notes,” said a very sleep deprived Rohit Shetty. “But the science fiction is so fictional and the horror is so horrifying. It’s all worth it.”
Mr. Shetty believes that Indian producers and directors are just not ambitious enough. Big budget superhero movies with explicitly and exquisitely placed humour is today’s zeitgeist, and we are falling behind. “If people want flying cars, exploding power plants, falling buildings, piercing head shots, spandex-wearing know-it-all rogues, and of course earth-levelling megalomaniac green aliens, we should give it to them,” he added.
The RS’s CU currently has 3 blockbuster movies, 1 more in the making, 2 currently running spin-off animated television shows, and 2 video games. The ensemble movie, rumoured to be titled Sammelan, is expected to be the capstone of Phase One and lead to a bunch of more work in Phase Two.
In a recent interview, actor Akshay Kumar said he was ready to be an indigenous superhero. “My manager is in talks with Rohit to add superpowers to my character,” he said. Upon being asked about the powers he already has in the movie, he said, “Yeah, yeah, we have the power of patriotism and incorruptibility and super-strength and flight and all, but I want real superpowers like heat-vision and time bending.”
^ S for hope.
PS: We also like how RSCU is an EE away from RESCUE.