What is your assessment of the trailer of Pushpa 2: The Rule?

– After watching the trailer, one can safely predict that PUSHPA 2: THE RULE (Hindi dubbed) will take the biggest opening ever for a Hindi film! The first day’s collection figure could be upward of Rs. 70 crore!!

How would you describe year 2024 for the box-office?

– Wait for the year to get over. One film — PUSHPA 2: THE RULE (dubbed) — could completely change the scene. So it would be unfair to the South dubbed film to say anything about the year, till it has released and its box-office potential is clear.     

Is Chhaava also due in the first week of December with Pushpa 2: The Rule?

– Although CHHAAVA had been announced for release on 6th December, lack of any activity around that film gives the impression that it may not come in opposition of PUSHPA 2: THE RULE. 

In spite of a few success stories, will year 2022 go down in history as a bad year for the Hindi film trade?

– Yes, it definitely will go down in history as a terrible year for the Hindi film trade because a lot of big Hindi films had to bite the dust. Of course, dubbed versions of several South and Hollywood films did well this year, besides some Hindi films. But let’s hope that the year-end, at least, is terrific. After all, we have two eagerly awaited films — Hollywood’s AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and Bollywood’s CIRKUS — hitting the screens in the last month of the year.

When will the trailer of Pathaan be out?

– Only in January 2023. It is heard that Yash Raj Films will first release two songs from PATHAAN this month while the trailer will follow only next month. Since December is the season for weddings and parties, the producer is releasing the songs in the hope that they will gain popularity by being played at weddings and parties.

What did you think of the trailer of Cirkus?

– It promises entertainment to the fullest. It is very colourful and star-studded. And it has a lot of ‘shock’ value. You will understand the ‘shock value’ part of my reply after you watch the trailer.

Why has Tiger 3 been planned for release on Sunday (12th November) instead of the usual Friday (10th November)?

– Since the producer’s/distributor’s share is 52.50% (it is assumed that the film will net more than the benchmark figure of Rs. 70.37 crore in the first week and hence the share will be 52.50% instead of 50%) for the first 8 days, the producer must be expecting to make a killing if the film hits the screens on Sunday as Diwali falls on that day. He may be fearing that since Friday and Saturday are pre-Diwali days, collections may not be as massive as on Sunday. Two out of the eight days (of 52.50% share) registering collections which aren’t optimal for a film of the kind of craze which TIGER 3 has generated could translate into a big loss. The amounts receivable from the box-office as producer’s/distributor’s share at the rates of 45% in 2nd week, 37.50% in third week and 30% in and from the fourth week onwards will also be impacted differently if the film is released on Sunday instead of Friday. In other words, it makes sense for the producer to have bumper collections in the earlier days as the percentage share is higher on those days. For a film like TIGER 3, the share could vary to the extent of Rs. 1.50-2 crore or even more depending on whether the film is released on November 10 or 12. And that, you would agree, is not a small amount.

Has business revived post-COVID, in the true sense of the word?

– You bet, it has! We’ve not seen so many blockbusters in one year, have we? JAWAN, GADAR 2, PATHAAN and THE KERALA STORY in one year! And two months still to go! You never know, there just might be two or three more blockbusters in the last two months of the year!

I’m confused. Is it content that works or marketing? I ask this question because I’ve seen several films without merits working big time at the box-office because they were well promoted.

– And who told you that they worked because of promotion? You may not have liked those films but your opinion can’t matter more than the opinions of the lakhs of people who liked the film which therefore became a blockbuster. Promotion can work its magic for one show or a day but what counts thereafter is the content. People often think, if they haven’t liked a film, it is bad. I’d say, their judgement is bad.

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.

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.

Why are the two Diwali releases — Thamma and Deewaniyat — not being released on 20th October instead of 21st?

 – Box-office collections on the day of Diwali (Laxmi Pooja) are generally adversely affected. Therefore, many producers avoid the Diwali day (20th October this year) and release their films a day later.  

Can’t something be done about the tug-of-war for shows and screens, that happens whenever two star-cast films are slated for release in the same week?

– This problem needs to be tackled at the industry level. Some broad formula of screen-sharing and show-sharing needs to be arrived at if the trade is to function in a healthy manner. Film producers and distributors seem to have forgotten two things: the philosophy of live and let live; and the philosophy of water finding its own level.        

What exactly has changed from the box-office point of view after COVID-19?

– After COVID-19, the business of hit films has grown while that of flop films has come down markedly.  

Isn’t the situation at the Bollywood box-office alarming?

– It is not as alarming as is being made out to be. The panic button would have been needed to be pressed if good films were flopping, but that isn’t happening. All the films, which are failing at the box-office, deserved to fail. Hence there is hope. It isn’t as if filmmakers have forgotten to make films, or that writers have forgotten to write well. The fact is that almost everybody was taking the easy way out — dishing out substandard fare and hoping that the public would accept it. They must’ve realised that there is no shortcut to success. They will now work harder. So the new crop of films will be far superior. Rejoice!

Is it alright for an Akshay Kumar starrer to have a running time of just 110 minutes? Raksha Bandhan has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes only.

– One can’t comment without watching the film. But let me add here that exhibitors are unhappy with its unusually small length. Such running times are alright for offbeat films with less popular actors, they feel, but an A-list actor’s film ought to be of more than two hours! Let me add here that sometimes, the audience also feels cheated when the film is unduly short.

After Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera having bombed at the box-office, will Brahmastra take a good opening?

– You bet, BRAHMASTRA will take a fantastic opening. And not just because its ‘Kesariya’ song is a super-hit number.

After the runaway success of Dhurandhar, what could the opening day’s collection figure for Dhurandhar: The Revenge be?

– It could be Rs. 65 crore. It could be Rs. 70 crore or Rs. 75 crore! This, in spite of TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS releasing the same day in Hindi too!! 

Why hasn’t O’Romeo taken a good start today?

– Yes, I agree, the opening today (Fenruary 13) should’ve been much better. I’m as clueless as you about why it hasn’t opened better.

Why is no big film scheduled for release on 13th March? There are not too many releases on 6th March and 27th February either. Any specific reason?

– The only reason why no big film will hit the screens on 13th March could be because DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE and TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS would be releasing after six days — on 19th March — and hence almost all the shows in every single-screen cinema and every multiplex would be allotted to the two Eid releases.