YOU ASKED IT | 25 November, 2022

In this column last week, you mentioned that the producers of Laal Singh Chaddha made huge profits in the film. Then why is the film dubbed a flop?

– Whether a film is a hit, flop or average is determined by its performance at the box-office. For its budget, scale, canvas, banner and star cast, LAAL SINGH CHADDHA ought to have netted a minimum of Rs. 200 crore at the India box-office to be termed a success. That it lost steam at Rs. 50 crore only, proves that it was a resounding flop. Almost all big films made by top production houses and top stars (like Aamir Khan) fetch such huge prices for their digital and satellite rights that their producers rarely end up losing money. For them, therefore, every film turns out to be a hit. But for a film to be a box-office hit, it has to show performance at the ticket windows.

Why has Bhediya not taken a good opening today?

– The poor response to its advance booking had suggested that the film would not open well. It could be because of the stupendous success of DRISHYAM 2 last week that people are reluctant to try any new film till its reports emerge.

What did you think of the motion poster of Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus?

– It’s going to be one hell of a star-studded fare.