In their first weeks, both, Sikandar and Jaat, seemed all set to net Rs. 100 crore each in India. But it is now clear that neither will join the Rs. 100-crore club. What happened?

– Both the films followed the same pattern — they did reasonably well in their first week, but collections dropped dramatically thereafter because the reports did not match the initial collections. In its first week, Salman Khan’s SIKANDAR got the benefit of Eid while Sunny Deol’s JAAT reaped the benefit of Mahavir Jayanti and Ambedkar Jayanti in its first week. It may be added here that the benefit of Eid to SIKANDAR did not accrue fully but the festival did help give its box-office collections a boost. Had it not released on Eid, nobody would’ve even initially expected the film to net Rs. 100 crore domestically. Ditto for JAAT.

When the entire industry agrees that it is the small window between a film’s theatrical and OTT release which has resulted in lower footfalls in cinemas, why does the industry not correct the situation?

– Probably because if the window is lengthened, the money which comes from the OTT platforms to the producers will reduce. There are several films, which don’t work at the box-office because they are substandard, but they still end up being profitable ventures for the producers only because such films get handsome monies from the OTT platform. If the window between a film’s theatrical release and OTT release is increased to, say, six months, the footfalls may increase, but the table profits might decrease. That is to say, the increased footfalls (and, therefore, box-office collections) may not be enough to compensate for the loss in revenue from sale of digital rights of the film.

I have a story for a film, which has all the ingredients of a box-office entertainer. I’ve knocked the doors of so many production houses, but nobody wants to entertain me as I am a new writer. What should I do? A potential hit is waiting to happen.

– Keep trying! By the way, when they start a film, every writer, producer and director feel, they are making a blockbuster. They all are convinced that their story is the best. But yet, the box-office success ratio every year is barely 20%.

What kind of an opening do you expect Raid 2 to take?

– RAID 2 should take a very good initial as the first part — RAID — had fared very well at the box-office.

Why do South stars usually not devote time to promote the Hindi dubbed versions of their films at the time of release, like they promote it in the original language?

– Lack of time, one supposes. Many of the South films are dubbed and released in Hindi just to mark the presence of the stars pan-India. The stars themselves know that the Hindi dubbed version of their film may not prove to be a hit. For every PUSHPA or RRR or K.G.F., there are many South films which don’t make any mark in Hindi.

What is your opinion on Bhool Chuk Maaf?

– The trailer looks pretty interesting. If the comedy can make the audience laugh, the film might turn out to be a surprise packet.

Any reason why Akshay Kumar’s Kesari Chapter 2 did not take a flying start today?

– In the changed scenario, it is usually spectacular films or those with hit music or very successful franchise films which open well. Other than the above kind of films, only those which generate a lot of excitement among the public — because of either the star cast or the content (as evident from the trailer) or the music — take flying starts. Films like KESARI CHAPTER 2 have to depend upon word of mouth. From the trailer, it was clear that KESARI CHAPTER 2 was targeting the classes more than the masses. Hence the question of a flying start was ruled out.

What is the full form of KDM which cinemas keep talking about at the time of release?

– KDM stands for Key Delivery Message. It is the KDM which cinemas have to receive for them to start any film. Without receipt of the KDM, a film cannot be started under the digital cinema system, which is the norm these days.

How is it that the producers of Jaat have announced its sequel even though the film has not done well at the box-office?

– Mythri Movie Makers and People Media Factory have announced JAAT 2 because a sequel was already in the offing. Perhaps, the writing team and the director will work harder on the script in the second part so that they can make up for the drawbacks in the first part.   

Why did Sunny Deol starrer Jaat not take a good start yesterday (Thursday, April 10) in spite of the Mahavir Jayanti holiday? The trade people were gung-ho about the film before it hit the screens.

– The trade people were excited about JAAT before its release largely because it is produced by the banner which made PUSHPA: THE RISE PART 1 and PUSHPA: THE RULE PART 2. Yes, they were also excited because they liked the trailer, but the public did not like it half as much. The O Rama song did not gain traction; the promotion in general was not at all up to the mark; and the “Sorry bol” dialogue of Sunny Deol did not cut much ice with the people because, according to them, “Sunny is not meant to be bothered about such niceties as saying ‘sorry’, he has his dhai kilo ka haath, so why should he request anyone to apologise?” Clearly, common people think differently from how the trade people do… at least, sometimes.

Was it the right decision for the producers of Jaat to have released the film on Thursday (April 10) instead of the usual Friday?

– Releasing JAAT on Thursday was not a wrong decision at all. At several places, the film’s producers reaped the benefit of the Mahavir Jayanti holiday yesterday (Thursday, April 10).  

After the debacle of Sikandar, what corrective steps should Salman Khan take?

– He should sign the right kind of films. What is meant by ‘the right kind’? Well, those that have the ingredients to become hits. Easier said than done, of course!

Isn’t Sunny Deol’s Jaat coming too close after Salman Khan’s Sikandar? There should’ve been a gap of at least a month between the two releases, isn’t it?

– Now that SIKANDAR has bombed, the gap of 11 days is good enough. Had SIKANDAR been a hit, it would’ve been a problem as SIKANDAR would have still been competing for shows with JAAT. But now, that scenario is ruled out as SIKANDAR would be out of many cinemas by the time JAAT makes the scene.

What did you think of the trailer of Kesari Chapter 2?

– A very engaging trailer which should definitely bring the public into the cinemas.  

How would you summarise the first quarter of 2025?

– Fairly good, thanks to the huge success of CHHAAVA. Could’ve been far better if films like SIKANDAR, SKY FORCE and DEVA had also worked, but they all bombed, prompting me to say that the first quarter wasn’t great.

Your thoughts on the Jaat trailer?

– It is a very mass-appealing trailer which has the power to draw the public to the cinemas.

What is the running time of Sikandar? 150.08 minutes or 135.47 minutes? While the applied running time is 150 minutes and 8 seconds, the film’s duration is said to be 135 minutes and 47 seconds although there are only two alterations — one in sound and the other relating to the blurring of a political party’s hoarding. Both the abovementioned alterations haven’t affected the running time of the film. Then how do you explain the anomaly?

– The running time is 135 minutes and 47 seconds. The film, which was applied for certification, had a running time of 150 minutes and 8 seconds, but the producer then opted for voluntary cuts of 14 minutes and 21 seconds.  

Is the success ratio of Gujarati films higher than that of Hindi films?

– No, the success ratio of Gujarati films (around 12-15%) is pretty much the same as the success ratio of Hindi films. 

Why was so much time lost in deciding and announcing whether Sikandar would be released on Friday (28th March) or on Sunday/Monday after the Friday because of Ramzan days?

– It isn’t an easy decision to take. The producers were trying to assess what would be the right decision for the film and its business. The main reason for the delay was also the uncertainty over the date of the Eid festival which depends on the moon sighting.

What kind of an initial do you expect Jaat to take?

– The producers of JAAT have to pump up its publicity. As of now, the publicity is below the mark and hence excitement for the action film starring Sunny Deol is not up to the mark. If the producers increase the pitch of the promotion in the next three weeks till April 10 (when the film is scheduled to hit the screens), the film might open very well. After all, it is coming after the blockbuster business of Sunny’s action film, GADAR 2. 

Why is Karan Johar getting into regional cinema? Isn’t it a comedown for one of the topmost producer-directors of the country?

– Did you actually ask whether it’s a comedown?!? You must be joking! You are probably not aware that regional cinema delivers some of the biggest blockbusters every year. Karan has not just co-produced Punjabi film AKAAL but will also foray into cinema of other languages in time to come. And yes, you, perhaps, don’t remember that his foray into South cinema (BAHUBALI) yielded him huge profits. 

Why are producers, directors and music directors not working hard on their film’s music when it has been proven time and again that the business of Hindi films gets a boost — at times, a very big boost — if the songs are hit?

– A baffling reality for which nobody seems to have an answer. But it is true that except for Karan Johar and Dinesh Vijan, producers aren’t consistent in working hard on the music of their films. And whether one likes it or not, it must be said that lack of popular songs is telling on the performance of films at the box-office.

Has a date been finalised for the release of Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par?

– Although a date has not been finalised, it will see release in June this year. 

Will reduction in admission rates of cinemas result in increased footfalls for films?

– High admission rates are not the only reason for low footfalls. Poor content, substandard music, high prices of concessionaires in cinemas, small window between theatrical and OTT release… these and other causes have also resulted in dwindling footfalls for films. But any corrective action is a step in the right direction for increasing the flow of patrons in cinemas. 

Can the changing of climax, as has been done from today (March 7; start of the second week) in the case of Crazxy, become a trend? Are there any advantages?

– The makers of CRAZXY haven’t changed the climax. They have only tweaked it. One has to wait for the effects and watch if there are advantages in terms of increased box-office collections. According to me, it is unlikely that this will become a trend. This is because more than ninety-nine percent of the producers and directors don’t really deliberate on such things after a film’s release. Forget deliberating on these things, most of them don’t even want to analyse why their film isn’t working at the ticket windows. So where’s the question of taking proactive steps to try and improve box-office collections by making changes in the content?

There was a time when star kids used be launched with a lot of fanfare, but today, it is usual to release their debut films on OTT. Why this change?

– You are right! Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, is being launched with NADAANIYAN which has released today (March 8) on Netflix. Similarly, Khushi Kapoor, daughter of producer Boney Kapoor, was launched in Netflix’s THE ARCHIES. So also Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan, who debuted in Netflix’s MAHARAJ. OTT platforms offer sackfuls of money and hence launching star kids in films premiered on such platforms has come to be accepted as normal. But it must be said that the fanfare and excitement for an OTT launch is not even 10% of that reserved for the big-screen launch. 

What kind of a start will Sikandar take?

– Since the film will be released during Ramzan and before the Eid festival, it may not take a bumper initial.

Why did this week’s Crazxy not even get a decent or average start when the producer-actor’s Tumbbad did so well in repeat-run last year?

– TUMBBAD is an old film. Its performance in the repeat-run box-office circuit last year has no bearing whatsoever on the performance of this week’s new release, CRAZXY, although the producer-actor of the two films are common.

Which is the next film which the trade is looking forward to?

– The Eid release, SIKANDAR, I suppose!

You had mentioned in your review of Chhaava that it would do extraordinary business in Maharashtra and also score in the rest of India. What gave you the confidence to say that 60-70% of the total all-India business could probably come from Maharashtra alone?

– The fact that it was the story of a Maratha hero gave me the confidence to say (in my video review) and write (in my text review) what I did.