What kind of an initial do you expect War 2 to take on Thursday, August 14?

 – Bumper! The trade is not quite confident about an earth-shattering start to the film but that’s because most of them are unable to understand and assess the magic of the Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR jodi. The thrill of watching them together on screen is something they cannot fathom today but will realise when the film hits the screens.         

With YRF’s Saiyaara still running in the cinemas, won’t the same production house’s War 2 eat into its collections from 14th August onwards? Couldn’t YRF have postponed the release of War 2?

– What you say is not easy, practically speaking. Yash Raj Films kept a gap of four weeks between the release of the two films, and that must’ve seemed good enough by any stretch of imagination at the time when SAIYAARA had not been released. To change the release plan of WAR 2 now or even one or two weeks earlier would’ve been an almost impossible task.    

Why did Dhadak 2 fare so poorly at the box-office?

– DHADAK 2 may have done far better if it had been made as a love story set against the backdrop of a casteist society. But what it turned out to be was a film about casteism set against the backdrop of a love story.        

How did Mahavatar Narsimha do so well in its first week when Saiyaara was still going strong in the second week?

 – One film ruling the box-office doesn’t mean that another film cannot do well. MAHAVATAR NARSIMHA released a week after SAIYAARA. But we have had two films releasing on the same day and both scoring at the ticket counters. Remember GADAR EK PREM KATHA and LAGAAN? They hit the screens on the same day, and both were box-office winners.         

Is it true that Son Of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 did not get adequate number of shows in cinemas because of Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha?

– Yes, very true. The showcasing for the two new releases of this week, viz. SON OF SARDAAR 2 and DHADAK 2 was adversely affected because of the running films viz. SAIYAARA and MAHAVATAR NARSIMHA.    

Why did one of the two films of this week — Son Of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 — not release next week? They could’ve avoided the clash.

– The producers of both the films did not want to get their films next week because WAR 2 will be hitting the screens on 14th August (Thursday). That means, the film which would have opted to release next Friday, would have only six days (not even a full week) of ‘no competition’. After six days, there would be a huge film like WAR 2 to contend with. On the other hand, in the current scenario, SON OF SARDAAR 2 and DHADAK 2 have 13 days before WAR 2 hits the screens.        

What is the business potential of Saiyaara?

 – As of today (July 25, after the completion of its first week), the lower limit is Rs. 450 crore. But that doesn’t mean that the final all-India business will be around this figure only. It could actually go up to Rs. 500 crore too, maybe more! What I mean to say is that the film is doing such tremendous business that it is difficult to predict a figure.         

Saiyaara managed a flying start without much promotion in the form of interviews and city tours and the like. Will this become a trend? Should this become a trend?

– It shouldn’t become a trend because every film is different. A producer can probably do without promotion in the form of interviews and city tours but for that, he has to have songs and song picturisations like SAIYAARA, a lead pair like Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, which becomes a rage no sooner than the first teaser is released, and the tempo to keep the excitement alive, like the producers of SAIYAARA had. Unfortunatley, several producers will emulate the strategy of SAIYAARA due to the herd mentality prevalent in the industry, and, perhaps, fall flat on their face as the aforementioned conditions would not have been fulfilled.   

Why did Tanvi The Great not work at the box-office in spite of the subject being so heart-touching and the film having been made with noble intentions?

– Simply because a film does not work due to the intentions behind making it. It works if it offers entertainment to the paying public. The entertainment can be of various kinds but it must offer entertainment. In the case of TANVI THE GREAT, the story idea may have been heart-touching but the film wasn’t. It didn’t touch the hearts of too many people and it didn’t offer them entertainment of the kind they were looking for in a film of this kind.       

What could have made Metro… In Dino take a better start?

 – More saleable names in the cast. Neither Aditya Roy Kapur nor Sara Ali Khan nor Fatima Sana Shaikh nor Pankaj Tripathi can lure the first-day audience to the cinemas. Besides them, the other four actors in the lead cast, viz. Ali Fazal, Anupam Kher, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neena Gupta are character actors. So, in the present form, it couldn’t have taken a flying start, if that’s what you mean.       

Why are films opening slow nowadays and then picking up on Saturday?

– Perhaps, because people want to venture to the cinemas only after hearing the public reports. If the reports are good, collections pick up in the evening and night shows on Friday itself. 

One had never heard of shows of new films being cancelled on the opening day, but we get to hear of this quite often now. Any reason why?

– Because of films being released in too many cinemas and too many shows. Since it is the age of initial business mainly, producers and distributors want to encash on the initial craze for their films rather than wait for the collections to grow because of positive word of mouth. The fear is, what if the reports are not good? That is why, producers adopt over-saturated release strategies for their films. Obviously then, show cancellations on the opening day are common.     

Is the craze for War 2 building up?

 – Yes, the craze for Yash Raj Films’ WAR 2 is definitely building up. WAR is a big brand. And so is the excitement for YRF’s SAIYAARA. Talking about WAR 2, you must understand that besides the presence of Hrithik Roshan in the film (from the first part), there is the casting of NTR Jr. in the sequel to raise the public expectations.    

Which has taken a better start today — Metro… In Dino or Jurassic World: Rebirth?

– JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH has taken a better start because of various reasons: for one, it is a much older and more popular (mass-appealing) franchise than the METRO franchise. Secondly, METRO… IN DINO doesn’t have any great star names to talk about. 

Why can’t the art-house award-winning films from Hollywood be released theatrically in India?

– There is not much of a market for such films in India. Their slow pace is the biggest problem in many cases. Therefore, nobody has tried to experiment on a regular basis.  

With Sitaare Zameen Par having clicked, the trade must be euphoric, isn’t it? Will this start off a trend of such films?

 – I don’t know whether the trade is euphoric or not. As far as I understand, there are a lot of negative people in the trade, who are actually unhappy with the success of the film. Why? General frustration about anybody else’s success, I suppose. As for SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR starting off a trend of such films, well, that may happen because the herd mentality is prevalent in the industry.   

What kind of an initial do you expect Metro… In Dino to take on 4th July?

– METRO… IN DINO should take a very good start because of the METRO brand value and also due to the popularity of its music. Not to forget the exciting ensemble cast. 

Although Gujarati film Vash did not do well at the box-office, its sequel, Vash Level 2, is being made. Is there a logic to this?

– Sometimes, a film may not have done well at the ticket windows, but it may have had inherent merits which may have gotten overshadowed at the box-office. Such films sometimes do very well on satellite and/or OTT. So it is not wrong or illogical to make a sequel to such a film. Incidentally, VASH LEVEL 2 is carrying good under-production reports. It is slated for release on 27th August. 

Why has Sitaare Zameen Par had a limited release today?

– That’s the strategy which the producers have adopted. Since SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR is not the usual masala entertainer, they want the film to first generate positive talk on social media and otherwise too. That can happen if it is released in a controlled manner in the major centres and when the city audience give the film the thumbs up. The release in the next round will be in cinemas in ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres.  

When will Sitaare Zameen Par release on an OTT platform — after how many weeks of its theatrical release, if not after eight weeks?

– The plan is to never release SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR on a digital platform. 

Will Housefull 5 turn out to be a profitable venture?

– It would’ve broken even if its total net collections would’ve been Rs. 200 crore. That seems an unachievable target. 

Why are you so against the new practice of producers doing block (corporate) bookings of their own films in a bid to show that their films are doing well at the box-office?

– I’m so against it because the practice is based on falsehood and amounts to fooling people. The practice is becoming so rampant that the sanctity of box-office collections is fast being lost. The common man is talking very derogatorily about the film industry because the housefull scenario on BookMyShow (the online cinema ticket booking app) does not match with empty auditoria. Anything that rests on fakeness or is deceptive ought to be condemned. If some other journalists are propagating the inflated box-office collections, they are guilty of two ‘crimes’: not reporting facts, and disseminating false information.  

Why are producers in a hurry to declare that their film is a hit?

– Only those producers, who know that collections of their film will come crashing down after the first weekend, are in a hurry to declare that it is a hit. 

What is your opinion on the music of Saiyaara?

– The music of SAIYAARA is very melodious and has the potential to become a hit. 

Will the double endings in Housefull 5 prove beneficial for its box-office or not? Will it start a trend of multiple endings in films?

– It may actually not make a difference to the film’s box-office. It is very unlikely that it starts a trend of two or more endings in films. For, this has been tried earlier in Hollywood but did not become popular. Incidentally, while 70% of the screens are playing the film’s first version, only the balance 30% are showing the second version. That is how the producer has planned it. 

Will the sequel to Jaat be made or was the announcement just a publicity gimmick?

– The producers of JAAT had announced its sequel after seeing the first week’s box-office collections. But the collections dropped quite markedly in the second week and went on falling in the subsequent weeks too. Ultimately, the film could not recover its cost, leave alone making a profit. It did not net even Rs. 100 crore. But the public perception, probably because of the impressive collections in the first week, is that JAAT did well at the box-office. The producers would rely on the public perception to promote their sequel at the time of its release. 

Will Sitaare Zameen Par be available on YouTube from the day the film is released in the cinemas?

– No, it will be available on YouTube after several weeks of its theatrical release. Instead of an OTT platform, it can be viewed in the comfort of your home but only for a price. 

What is the buzz around Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par?

– Don’t go by the nonsense you may get to read on social media. The film is eagerly awaited by the people because they are loving the trailer. The public seems to be particularly liking the Aamir Khan they can see in the film’s trailer.

Will Housefull 5 take a good start next week?

– The trailer of HOUSEFULL 5 has done the trick. A comedy film’s trailer ought to make the viewers laugh and smile. And that’s exactly what happens when people watch the trailer of HOUSEFULL 5 — they laugh out loud at several places; and when they are not laughing, there’s a smile plastered on their faces. Going by the positive response to the teaser first and the trailer then, HOUSEFULL 5 should open big on 6th June.  

Which is the oldest cinema in India, which hasn’t changed hands since inception?

– Perhaps, Shree Mahalaxmi Talkies in Surendranagar (Gujarat), owned by the Kapasi family. It is 87 years old and is probably the only cinema in India which started with a government licence issued by the Britishers in 1938 and which hasn’t changed hands. The cinema was started on May 17, 1938.