Stree 2 has become the biggest Hindi blockbuster of all time. Having surpassed the business of the original Hindi version of Jawan (which was also dubbed in Tamil and Telugu; and both the versions scored pretty well) this week, it now occupies the topmost position among Hindi films. Of course, it may not be able to surpass the total business of all the three versions of Jawan put together, but that’s not the point here.
If one were to just do the cost-revenue or return-on-investment analysis, the Stree sequel is far ahead of Jawan if only because the former was made at probably a fifth of the cost of the blockbuster it has just displaced to take the top chair.
Flashback to 2021 and 2022, when the industry was desperately trying to get back on its feet after the crippling lockdowns prompted by COVID-19. Footfalls in cinemas were so low that a dejected trade came up with new theories every day of the testing times. Among those countless theories was the one which propounded that only spectacular films or event films would henceforth run in cinemas as for all other kinds of films, the public had the OTT platforms to view them on. Really? But Stree 2 is neither spectacular nor an event film. Then how is it doing the numbers it is doing? If the theory was right, wasn’t this supposed to be fit only for the digital platforms? Quite simply stated, the modestly-budgeted film has proved to be a blockbuster because it is one with content that is super-engaging and with a story that holds the audience’s attention. It is part 2 of a successful franchise and it is a wonderfully well-mounted and well made film made with complete conviction.
Another theory that has been disproved is that actors like Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkumar Rao were going to be history in the post-COVID era as people would not waste their money on films starring these heroes whose films could easily be enjoyed on the small screen and, therefore, were meant for OTT release. If the theory was to be believed, the very actors who had entertained us with their starrers before the Corona virus struck, were supposed to not be touched with a barge pole after the industry and the world opened up. I myself had been told umpteen number of times by know-alls in the industry that through my editorials, I must warn producers, filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors that investment in films starring “lesser heroes” was going to be dead if the producers would plan films with them for theatrical release. I vividly remember a couple of trade people accusing me of being partial towards the same “lesser heroes” by not writing the “truth” about their future. Of course, not once did I agree with the theory propounded by the over-enthusiastic and overly concerned trade people because… well, because it just did not appeal to the common sense. Of course, box-office is not always ruled by logic and common sense, I was reminded, but I held my ground. The murmurs against such heroes grew louder and louder till they threatened to drown my sense of logic and sixth sense. And look at what has happened today? The name of one such “lesser hero”, Rajkumar Rao, adorns the titles of India’s biggest blockbuster ever, Stree 2. Many journalists alluded to the aforementioned belief — about the dim chances of films starring several heroes in the post-COVID era — in their writings, but as there is nothing as accountability in this industry and in the field of film journalism, they also report that Stree 2 is the biggest blockbuster.
With the pre-release buzz of Rajkumar Rao’s Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video being excellent, Rajkumar Rao just might be on his way to delivering another hit.
Moral of the story: In the film industry, never say never!