Franchises in Bollywood and Hollywood have now become a given with sequel after sequel being churned out, be it the Superman, Iron Man or Hangover series or then Dhoom, Dabangg, Murder or Housefull films. Lately, the Marathi film industry too is resorting to this strategy to connect with the audience in a better way. Last year, sequels to films like Yedyanchi Jatra, Mumbai Pune Mumbai, among others, were announced. Now, soon after the release of Zapatlela 2, the makers have announced the third part and already started the pre-production. Director of the film Mahesh Kothare said, "In the first part, we explored the horror element with the character Tatya Vinchu; in the second, Tatya Vinchu added the fun element and now we are working on a new concept for the third part." Adinath Kothare, actor and producer of the film added, "The Marathi audience is now ready to accept the concept of a franchise.

We received about 300 letters in one day with a suggestion that the third part of the film should be made." What will work in favour of sequels of Marathi films is that it is a tried and tested formula in Bollywood and Hollywood, say filmmakers. Milind Kavade, director of Yedyanchi Jatra, said, "There is a brand value attached to every franchise which works in its favour. This gives us confidence that the Marathi audience is accepting the new trend." Amit Bhanushali, producer of Mumbai Pune Mumbai also added, "With a franchise, the audience connects with a certain element from the first film and that should be retained in the sequels."