What did you think of the trailer of Aamir Khan’s forthcoming film, Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos?

– Very different and entertaining. Before the trailer, the curtain-raiser to the film was simply kick-ass. It got the audience prepared for something different. And the trailer thereafter kept that ‘different’ angle intact. But sadly, the film was nothing close to what the trailer and curtain-raiser suggested.

If I were to ask you what the one main reason for the failure of The Rajasaab (dubbed) is, what would your answer be? What was its budget?

– Its weak script! The producers spent a huge amount of money on visual effects and computer graphics but neither that nor the presence of popular star Prabhas could camouflage the absence of a solid script. The film’s non-success once again underlines the fact that script is a film’s backbone. If the very backbone is not strong, even the biggest hero cannot make the film stand erect (at the box-office) for too long. The budget of THE RAJASAAB was more than Rs. 400 crore!  

Any predictions for this year’s box-office?

– Let’s hope that year 2026 turns out to be bigger and better for the film trade in every which way! 

How much loss will the producers of Jana Nayagan (Tamil) make because of the film’s release being postponed due to censor problems?

– Effectively, the producers will stand to gain because the public will now be keener to watch the film. They would want to know why the film was stuck at the CBFC, and for that, they will rush to the cinemas whenever it hits the screens. Loss of interest on money due to the release delay will, of course, be the monetary loss.

What did you think of Yash Raj Films’ public compliment paid to Aditya Dhar on the grand success of Dhurandhar?

– It was well-meaning, of course. But it was too late in the day. Almost five weeks to pay a compliment publicly for a film which has been writing history from the first day itself is a bit too much of a delay. 

Will Dhurandhar be in the cinemas till Dhurandhar 2 releases on 19th March?

– DHURANDHAR will very likely be running in cinemas till mid-March. 

How justified is Akshaye Khanna in walking out of Drishyam 3?

– One has not heard of Akshaye Khanna’s reason for walking out of DRISHYAM 3 and, therefore, one presumes that he doesn’t have a solid one. To walk out of a film for no solid reason — that too, just days before it is to mount the sets — reeks of unprofessionalism.

Did the fact that Ikkis is the last film of Dharmendra help boost its opening on 1st January?

– Dharmendra is a character actor in IKKIS, not the hero. Character actors don’t ensure opening to a film. Besides, IKKIS stars a newcomer as a hero and hence the question of a handsome initial was ruled out. Still, it took a fair start because of the partial holiday on 1st January for New Year.

Where is Dhurandhar headed in terms of box-office collections? Does it deserve the success it is getting?

– It will easily become the biggest blockbuster of Hindi screen ever! It could do an all-India net total of over Rs. 750 crore!! Deserve?!?! What kind of a question is that? If people are thronging to the cinemas to watch the film even in its third and fourth weeks, the question becomes redundant. It is after ages that one has seen a film with such tremendous repeat value. A lot of people have seen the film twice and even thrice! 

What kind of an initial do you expect Dhurandhar 2 to take in March next year?

– Earth-shattering! In all likelihood, it will be the biggest opening the trade has ever seen! The best thing about DHURANDHAR 2 is that it will release after just three-and-a-half months of the first part’s release. In other words, the excitement will not abate when the second part releases because the first part will be in cinemas for several weeks more.

How is it that Avatar: Fire And Ash did well in the first week despite unencouraging reports?

– Whose reports were unencouraging? Only many among the media and the trade were speaking badly about the film. And that is because the first half was slow and a bit boring. But those who were sceptical about the film forgot to appreciate the fact that the second half was rivetting. And that’s the reason their judgement proved incorrect.

Why did Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri not take a good start on December 25?

– Obviously, because of the opposition of the hurricane called DHURANDHAR. Besides, this blockbuster of a film coupled with Hollywood’s AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH ensured that TMMTMTTM did not get the best showcasing in multiplexes and single-screen cinemas.

Why has this week’s Avatar: Fire And Ash not had a saturated release?

– It is because of DHURANDHAR which did phenomenally well in its second week (December 12 to 18). Looking at the extraordinary collections of DHURANDHAR, its distributors did not permit multiplexes to reduce their shows beyond a certain point. The multiplexes, elated by the collections, happily obliged. The distributors of DHURANDHAR also did not allow single-screen cinemas to share shows with AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Rather than discontinue DHURANDHAR, the single-screen cinemas decided to forgo AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. After all, DHURANDHAR is the first film in cinematic history to collect more in its second week than its first week, after an earth-shattering first week!

Why has the release of Ikkis been shifted once again — from 25th December to 1st January, 2026? Generally speaking, don’t multiple postponements adversely affect the film in question?

– IKKIS has been postponed by a week so as to not clash with the star-cast TU MERI MAIN TERA MAIN TERA TU MERI. Multiple postponements adversely affect a film if it is a big star-cast film. Since IKKIS stars an almost new hero (Agastya Nanda), the second postponement will not adversely affect it. Rather, lack of opposition in its week of release will benefit it.

How would you describe year 2025 from the box-office point of view?

– Since DHURANDHAR is such a massive blockbuster, the box-office earnings in year 2025 will be noteworthy. This one film has tilted the scales positively.

How much business will Dhurandhar do in India?

 – It is too early to predict its business. The film seems to have gained so much momentum that it is poised to become a huge blockbuster. One should not be surprised if the second week’s collections are the same as the first week’s — or maybe, even more! This may be unprecedented for a film which netted outstanding collections in the first week itself. One has seen films starting slow and then going on to do better business in the second week, but for a film, which performed like a blockbuster in the first week, to continue in its second week in the same way is unbelievable!

Was the business of Tere Ishk Mein in its second week affected due to the opening of Dhurandhar?

 – Yes, the second week’s performance of TERE ISHK MEIN was adversely affected because of the strong opposition of DHURANDHAR. A little-known fact is that the shows of TERE ISHK MEIN were reduced from Saturday/Sunday in the multiplexes because DHURANDHAR was doing outstanding business in its first week. Even the producers and distributors of TERE ISHK MEIN may not be aware that the shows of their film were reduced to maximise returns on DHURANDHAR. And this, in spite of TERE ISHK MEIN doing quite well in the second week. The multiplexes realised that the revenues from DHURANDHAR would be four or five times those of TERE ISHK MEIN per day. Frankly, that’s the way multiplexes operate. When a storm like DHURANDHAR comes, no multiplex wants to adhere to principles. Make hay while the sun shines seems to be the underlying philosophy of the multiplexes.     

Does Dhurandhar have to fear Hollywood’s Avatar: Fire And Ash next week?

– This time, it could be Hollywood’s blockbuster franchise film, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, which has to fear a Bollywood film even though it (the Bollywood film) would be in its third week.     

Why were the KDMs of Dhurandhar to cinemas delivered so late? Couldn’t this have been avoided?

 – The delays happened because the maker (Aditya Dhar) took more time than expected to edit the first part. The confusion and time-consuming process happened as the film is in two parts. Of course, this should have been avoided, especially because the release date had been finalised many months ago.        

What do you think of Ranveer Singh’s imitation (at IFFI in Goa) of Rishab Shetty in Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1? Why did he apologise thereafter?

 – Ranveer Singh did not imitate Rishab Shetty in a derogatory manner at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. It was done in praise of the actor more than anything else. Realising that his act had not gone down well with the South actor’s fans and some others on social media, Ranveer thought it best to apologise. The apology came a day after the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) submitted a complaint to the Panaji police in Goa against Ranveer Singh, alleging that he had insulted Goddess Chamunda Devi by imitating Rishab Shetty’s KANTARA act on stage.   

What will happen to the shows in multiplexes and single-screen cinemas, which had been allotted to Akhanda 2 today?

– As the release of AKHANDA 2 (Telugu and all the dubbed versions) stands postponed, the cinemas will have to allocate those shows to either DHURANDHAR (releasing today) or a running film like TERE ISHK MEIN. This would involve unnecessary tension for the exhibitors.     

Why was the opening for Tere Ishk Mein this week so good? After all, it is a solo Dhanush starrer!

– Given its cast, TERE ISHK MEIN was never meant to open big. But the love for its trailer translated into box-office collections in the shows after the initial shows (till 12 noon) because the public reports were positive.        

What are the inside reports of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar?

 – The film is said to be extremely engaging. The general opinion is that the gruesome violence in the film does not hurt the sensibilities of the viewers when viewed as part of the entire film.

Why did Dharmendra’s family not reveal the news of his demise before they took the body to the cremation ground?

– Simply because the family wanted the last rites to be performed without the public glare. Announcing the news of his demise would’ve resulted in the media persons reaching the cremation ground with cameras. This was avoided because the family had refrained from making the news public before going to the cremation ground. Even after that, the news spread on its own.      

What did you think of the trailer of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar?

 – Very impressive but also very gruesome. DHURANDHAR is based on real-life incidents and is said to be very authentic. Aditya Dhar, who is known for keeping it as close to reality as possible, should seriously consider reducing the scenes of torture so as to not alienate the potential ladies audience who are likely to find such scenes extremely difficult to watch on screen. Of course, the film has yet to be seen by the Central Board of Film Certification.

Why was 120 Bahadur released in very select cinemas just for a day on 18th November and then released widely today (21st)? Did it help boost the film’s initial today?

– 120 BAHADUR is the story of 120 brave Indian soldiers who saved the Rezang La mountain pass in India from Chinese invasion. Since 18th November is considered as the Rezang La Day, the film’s producers did a token release in about 30 cinemas across India on 18th (which was a Tuesday). This was their way of honouring the war heroes. The release on 18th was just a token one, and hence did not help boost its start today, at least as evident from the advance booking.

When will the sequel to Nishaanchi be released?

– The producers have already released it online, bypassing the theatrical release. Since the first part bombed at the box-office, the sequel has been released directly on OTT (Amazon Prime Video).            

Why is a film like Ikkis, with a relatively new hero, hitting the screens in the Christmas week with a biggie like Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri?

– Not only are the producers of IKKIS taking a risk by releasing the film in opposition of TU MERI MAIN TERA MAIN TERA TU MERI, but they are also playing with fire by bringing it just a week after the third film in the hit AVATAR franchise of Hollywood, viz. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH.

What could the reason for the ordinary opening of De De Pyaar De 2 today be?

 – Some sequels have what is called brand value while some others don’t have it. Clearly, DE DE PYAAR DE did not have much of a recall/brand value. If you remember, the first part did not even net Rs. 100 crore although it had fallen short of the figure by a few lakhs only. Also, the bomb blast earlier this week in Delhi has, to an extent, reduced the public’s enthusiasm to go to the cinemas. The excitement of an outing has been replaced by fear.     

What would you say to the media announcing earlier this week that Dharmendra was dead when he was actually not?

– The announcement was in bad taste. Television news channels do it for TRPs while online portals/websites do it for increasing traffic. In a quest to be the first to report, the television channels and online portals committed blunders which could be construed as unpardonable by purists.