MUMBAI: With the trend of sequels getting popular in Bollywood, producer Bhushan Kumar has expressed his desire to turn Aashiqui and Bhootnath into franchise.
Kumar wants to take ahead three projects as a franchise, including Aashiqui, a romantic saga which recently had a hit sequel Aashiqui 2, ghost comedy Bhootnath and the yet to be released 3D horror movie Creature.
Provided the audience is ready to accept it, Kumar plans to turn these three films into a brand and make their third and fourth installment. This pattern is followed in Hollywood.
Kumar further reasons that he does not want to make sequel after sequel just for the sake of it, but if Bhootnath 2 and Creature receives good responses from the audiences, then he definitely has no plans to look behind.
In 2008 Ravi Chopra produced film Bhootnath, where megastar Amitabh Bachchan played a friendly ghost. The sequel will be produced by BR Films and Bhushan Kumar of T-Series.
The basic premise of the film will remain same, the ups and downs and the hilarious moments between Bachchan and the kid. The original film starred Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan, Aman Siddiqui as Banku, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Rajpal Yadav.
The second installment, to be directed by Chillar Party (2011) co-director Nitesh Tiwari, will again have Bachchan reprising his role. The addition will be Boman Irani and a new child, who is yet to be cast.
The film will go on floors in October and will release in April next year. It is learnt that this time, the budget is going to be over Rs 30 crore. The first part was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 20 crore.
Meanwhile, Aashiqui 2, directed by Mohit Suri and co-produced by Bhatts' Vishesh Films and Bhushan Kumar, has reportedly earned over Rs 100 crore at the box office since its release on April 26.
With the hit of Aashiqui 2, Kumar plans to take the brand ahead and make Aashiqui 3 after two-three years.
Kumar also wants to take ahead Vikram Bhatt horror thriller Creature, starring Bipasha Basu in the lead. The film is said to be on the lines of Jurassic Park, the landmark Hollywood film on dinosaurs.
Creature is set in a menacing forest that will house certain humongous and dangerous creatures. However, Kumar refused to divulge any further details about the project.
