‘Kabir Singh’ & ‘Uri – The Surgical Strike’
Top Hindi Films Of First Six Months
‘Avengers: Endgame’ Biggest Blockbuster
The first six months of 2019 have been pretty good for the film trade, thanks in no small measure to two films viz. Kabir Singh (released on 21st June) and Uri – The Surgical Strike (11th January). Both these films swept the box-office and took the public and trade by surprise. Uri, with a budget of less than Rs. 35 crore, netted around Rs. 250 crore. Kabir Singh, remake of Telugu Arjun Reddy, marched gloriously ahead despite a section of the media and public condemning its content. It has become the highest-grossing Hindi film of the first half with its net all-India total of over Rs. 265 crore and still counting. That it was an adult-rated film speaks volumes for its success. Total Dhamaal, with its Rs. 150-crore total, made the public in the cinemas laugh, and its makers and distributors laugh all the way to the bank. Kesari was another Rs. 150-crore fare, becoming hero Akshay Kumar’s highest-grossing film so far. The previous record was held by his Rowdy Rathore.
Luka Chuppi was a laugh riot which had a fairly long and meritorious run. The medium-budget film did phenomenal business but fell short of the 100-crore mark by around Rs. 12 crore.
Badla and Article 15 were the small ones which proved big at the box-office. The Tashkent Files, of course, was the surprise packet of the first six months. The ensemble cast film completed 100 days on July 20.
Gully Boy was no less a surprise packet because one never expected that a film about rap singing would appeal to audiences all over India. But Zoya Akhtar made such a fine film that it actually served to popularise the rap culture in India. De De Pyaar De asked for and got a lot of love from the public, never mind if it was an adult love story.
A point which is making Bollywood filmmakers squirm in their seats is that the record for the highest grosser of the first half is held by a Hollywood film and not a Bollywood film. Avengers: Endgame, in all its versions, almost made it to the Rs. 400-crore club in India!
Bharat may not have won praises from the general public but Salman Khan’s loyal fans (and their number is in millions) ensured that it crossed the Rs. 200-crore mark. R.A.W., Student Of The Year 2, Manikarnika – Jhansi Ki Rani, Thackeray and PM Narendra Modi generated fair box-office numbers but their business was not commensurate with their respective costs/hype/canvas/expectations.
Kalank was easily the biggest dampener of the first half of 2019. With a star cast to die for and banners like Dharma Productions, Fox Star Studios and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment backing it, the period drama was expected to shake the box-office. However, all it did was to shake the confidence of the public and its makers, of course. India’s Most Wanted and Why Cheat India could probably go down as the worst films of the first half of the year. Why Cheat India, believe it or faint, tried to justify cheating in examinations!! As for India’s Most Wanted, it never gave the actor playing the title role more than two or three minutes of screen time! The film became one of India’s least wanted – and justifiably so!
