The year was 1986. Chanakya Cinema in Delhi was jam packed with the university students from Delhi University and JNU and there was a mad scramble for tickets for TOP GUN. Those were the days when tickets were issued manually from the counter and Chankya Cinema hall was one of the few theatres where ticket windows had an open exterior. Those days, the ticket for the front stall was Rs. 2.00 or something like that.
The craze for Ray Ban lookalike glasses that Tom Cruise had sported, and the black leather jackets became a fashion statement. Remember it was peak of summers in May in 1986, but to impress the opposite sex leather jacket had become a requiem. At that point of time Yashwant Palace, the adjoining market to Chanakya cinema hall was emerging as the place for leather attires. Those who were dealing in it must have made a killing. In the same manner, fake Ray Ban makers made moolah. It was perhaps for the first time that a Hollywood movie had inspired fans to adopt the attire as a fashion statement.
Cut to 2022. After 36 years Tom Cruise is going to recreate the same magic through TOP GUN: MAVERICK. Would he be able to recreate the magic of TOPGUN? Well, one thing is for sure, all the fans who were there for Tom Cruise in 1986 would throng the cinema halls again for sure to see what kind of magic Tom Cruise has recreated, as Tom Cruise is known for his high-octane action through MI or MISSION IMPOSSIBLE series. Besides, now the original fans of TOP GUN need not bother about fake Ray Ban and a faux leather jacket. Now most of them can afford the original ones and what better way would it be, than to adorn them to watch TOP GUN MAVERICK.
Over the years, Tom Cruise has been associated with the franchise of MI only and has now stepped out again to associate with the film that gave him the cult status across the globe. His reference template has been friendship and sacrifice that dominates his film making oeuvre. TOP GUN MAVERICK is going to underline the same and, in a way, could create a goodwill feeling between the friends who may have moved away from each other after 1986, and TOP GUN madness could be an occasion to recreate the magic of friendship of 1986 among the friends. Imagine if a marketing company could build TOP GUN MAVERICK around this theme by calling all the original fans of TOP GUN to come to the cinema halls and be the part of magic of yore and take memories from the present product for all times to come!
The twinkle of the eye, the smile and the ability to charm even his teacher, which Tom Cruise has patented as his template of performance has mellowed with age, but it has become like that old wine whose intoxication makes you go on a trip to the moon and come back. TOP GUN MAVERICK would surely ensure that.
In all probability, TOP GUN started the era of harmless flirting with the teacher/coach and it would be interesting to find whether this has been included in TOP GUN MAVERICK also? Original fans would wish it to be there. For sure, TOP GUN MAVERICK is going to recreate the charm of cinema and blockbuster hits after Covid as the cities and the countries are opening and could be the trigger to bring back fans to cinema halls in droves again.
