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.

When Chhaava is doing well at the box-office, what was the need to do block bookings in advance booking?

– There are more than one reason why the producers may have block-booked tickets in advance booking. For one, nobody can be sure about the fate of a film before the film’s release. Secondly, there may have been the urge to project the film as a bigger success than what it would turn out to be. Thirdly, there may have been the desire to show a certain figure as the film’s opening day’s collection.

When I started to read your review of Chhaava last Friday, I had the nagging feeling that you would criticise the film. Although I’ve known you to be an unbiased trade analyst, who believes in impartial reviews, your exposé video about block bookings, which seems to have not gone down too well with producer Dinesh Vijan, and your subsequent tweet about Dinesh Vijan not inviting you for the press show of his Chhaava because of the exposé video, gave me a feeling that even an honest person like you would this one time give in to the emotion of revenge and give the film a negative review. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that you had praised the film and predicted that it would succeed at the box-office. Had Vijan made peace with you before your review was out?

– No, Dinesh Vijan has not made peace with me — neither before nor after my review. But, to put things in perspective, my honesty and integrity don’t change by the minute as they are not defined by the actions of a handful of people. Besides, I review films, not people or their character.

When will Atlee’s film with Salman Khan roll?

– Maybe, never!

Why did Hollywood film Captain America: Brave New World not record good advance booking numbers? It has also not opened too well today.

– It could be because the title role is being played by Anthony Mackie who is not in the top league of actors. He is not as popular among the Indian public as many other Hollywood stars.

How did the trade react to your YouTube video exposing the system of block bookings and reporting of inflated collections by some producers to paint a rosy picture of their films?

– Most of the trade people are repulsed by this practice. Therefore, they appreciated the video. Not just that, they also condemned the retaliatory move by producer Dinesh Vijan to intentionally not invite me for the press show of CHHAAVA on 13th February as SKY FORCE, which I spoke about at length in the said video, is produced by Vijan.

Is it true that the advance booking of Chhaava was good in Maharashtra?

– CHHAAVA is a Maharashtra-centric historical and hence recorded very good advance booking. At Chaphalkars’ City Pride multiplex in Kothrud, Pune, the first show of the film started today (14th February) at 5.45 a.m. And it was housefull in advance!!

How does it help to inflate box-office collections by doing block bookings of tickets of a film, as is being done these days?

– Block booking serves to massage the egos of the persons associated with the film because it gives the impression to the trade that the film has done well — at least, that’s what the persons associated with the film would like to believe. Of course, in reality, the trade people are not easy to fool or mislead because they know the facts on ground level. There’s another angle too. Since most of the film media people are generally irresponsible in disseminating information about film business figures and hence happily report the fake collections (sometimes for favours in return, and sometimes because they don’t have the wherewithal to verify the collections before reporting them), the public is also misled into believing that the film has performed the way the producers want people to feel. Occasionally, this misconception among people might prompt them to watch the ‘hit’ or ‘successful’ film, leading to more footfalls.

Producers used to ‘buy’ tickets of their own films in the 1980s and 1990s too. Then why is such a hue and cry being made about block bookings now?

– In the good old days, producers used to resort to ‘feeding’ in a couple of cinemas only. Block bookings today are on an altogether different level. For a recent film, the producers block-booked tickets worth Rs. 40 crore (net collections). In those days, producers used to ‘tear tickets’ worth, say, a few thousand rupees only.

What kind of opening will next week’s Chhaava take?

– Bumper!

Business has become so unpredictable. The teaser of Deva was liked by the public or so it seemed, but the film has not even opened to decent houses, leave alone excellent?

– Yes, that’s strange. The only reason one can think of for the lacklustre opening today (January 31) is that the momentum for the film could not be maintained by the producers after the initial hype following the teaser launch.

Aamir Khan was to have released his Sitaare Zameen Par last Christmas. But the film has now been shifted to Christmas 2025. That would mean a delay of exactly a year! Is such a long delay justified?

– Justified as in what? It is Aamir’s film and he doesn’t need to justify why he is delaying the film by a year. Perhaps, what you mean to ask is whether such a long delay is appropriate. To that, all one can say is that the producer knows best what is good for his film — and that includes deciding on the release date too.

What, according to you, are the main reasons for so many films not opening well enough?

– The reasons are several: filmmakers usually not working on their film’s music; producers and distributors often neglecting paper, street and electronic publicity and instead concentrating too much on social media publicity; high admission rates; the small window of only a few weeks between a film’s theatrical and OTT release. And, of course, poor content!

Why hasn’t Sky Force taken a good start today?

– It was clear that SKY FORCE would not open too well because the heat expected to be generated after its teaser and trailer — which is so necessary for a film to open well — was simply missing.

Do you think, the delay in the release of Emergency came in the way of its performance at the box-office?

– The delay could’ve affected the initial to an extent. Besides, the biggest plus point of the film was the extraordinary performance of Kangana Ranaut as Indira Gandhi, not its content. However, for a film to perform well at the ticket windows, it needs to impress the audience in totality, which can happen only if its has an arresting or entertaining script. That was missing.

After the debacle of Azaad, what do you think is the future of Rasha Thadani?

– Since she is beautiful and a good dancer, she will get more offers for sure.