Is it true that like Hollywood started the advance booking of its film, Avatar: The Way Of Water, a month in advance, Yash Raj Films is also planning to open the plans for its Pathaan this month itself although it is slated for release on 25th January, 2023?

– Yash Raj Films was contemplating opening the plans for its PATHAAN a month in advance but decided against it. So there’s no truth in the news circulating on social media that the advance booking of PATHAAN will open a month before its theatrical release.

When Indian technicians work on the visual effects of Hollywood films, and do such a phenomenal job of the same, why is it that Indian films don’t have the kind of visual effects seen in Hollywood films?

– Only because of budget constraints. Believe it or not but the budget just for the visual effects of AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is over $200 million!

Will the outstanding public reports of Avatar: The Way Of Water affect the showcasing and initial of Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus next week?

– Two good/great films can run simultaneously. We’ve seen that happen in the past.

Why did the collections of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar drop markedly on the second day?

– The fall in collections of TU JHOOTHI MAIN MAKKAAR on the second day was not unexpected. Since the film was released on Wednesday (8th March), the second day (Thursday) was an odd day without being a holiday. An odd day, that too, a non-holiday invariably sees box-office collections decline. Even otherwise, collections drop after a major holiday (like Holi was). And please don’t overlook the fact that it is a romcom-cum-family drama, not an action film. Just to put things in perspective, let me tell you about the collections of two films, both action fares and both of which were released on Wednesdays: EK THA TIGER: day 1 – Rs. 32.93 crore, day 2 – Rs. 14.92 crore (drop of more than 50%), day 3 – Rs. 12.90 crore (less than 2nd day). WAR: day 1 – Rs. 53.35 crore, day 2 – Rs. 24.35 crore (drop of more than 50%), day 3 – Rs. 22.45 crore (less than 2nd day).

How true is it that only spectacular and big-budget extravaganzas will now work in cinemas while others will have to depend upon OTT platforms to do the magic?

– Not true at all! Films work depending upon whether they touch the heart or not, not on the basis of the platform (cinema or OTT). If a small film is appreciated a lot but it has had a theatrical release, it will work in the cinemas. People tend to postpone viewing to when the film will stream on an OTT platform, if and only if reports are not great. But when the reports are positive, they often do not wait for it to come on OTT. Instead, they make a beeline for the cinemas to catch the film there, even if that film is not too spectacular.  

What kind of an opening do you expect Bholaa to take on 30th March?

– Given the abundance of action, as evidenced in the film’s trailer, BHOLAA should take a very good initial. 

You seemed to be quite angry while reviewing last week’s Shehzada. Why so?

– Not angry, but I was definitely agitated because of the glaring flaws and gaping holes in the screenplay and the presentation of the film. Nobody should make such mistakes after having all the resources at his command. The film’s writers and director had a Telugu blockbuster to remake, top actors, a fantastic budget. In other words, they had everything anyone could want. The only thing they had to work on was on the creative side — that too, they had a proven film for reference. If they made such an apology of a film after all this, there is reason to feel agitated, right?

What kind of a start will Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar take on Holi day? Is it advisable to release a film on the day of Holi, that too, if it is not a Friday?

– The buzz around TU JHOOTHI MAIN MAKKAAR is very good. It will take a fantastic start because the youth have taken a liking for its trailers and songs. It makes sense to release a film like this on Holi day in spite of it not being a Friday because of the festive holiday. Yes, the shows till 1 p.m. may not report great collections because many people would be playing the festival of colours and many might want to wait for the excitement of the festival to abate before they venture out of their homes, but collections thereafter would be excellent.

How is it that so many struggling actors can’t get a single role to play when so many films, TV serials and web series are being made?

– Simply because there are more strugglers than roles available in the films, TV serials and web series being made. There are several new actors who don’t accept roles which are offered to them as they dream of bigger breaks than those that are offered to them.

Every filmmaker sets out to make a hit film, but hardly 4-5% succeed. Why is it so?

– Your question itself has the answer. Most filmmakers set out to make a hit, but only those filmmakers succeed who set out to make a film, not a hit. One has to try and make a good film in which he believes, not a commercially hit film in which he may not believe but in which he can see tons of money.

What about the South remake which Sunny Deol was acting in and was being produced by Kamal Mukut?

– After the stupendous success of his GADAR 2, Sunny Deol reportedly wants his character in the remake of Malayalam film JOSEPH to have some great action scenes. However, the original film does not have any action for that character. The film is, therefore, stuck midway because of the disagreement between the producer and the director (M. Padmakumar) on the one hand and the hero on the other.

What kind of opening do you expect Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video to take next week?

– It should open around Rs. 7-8 crore on Friday, and there will be a big jump the following day because of Dassera holiday. In fact, the increase could be almost 100% on the second day.

Why is the pre-release promotion of some films not up to the mark? After all, when producers spend so much to make their films, why can’t they market them well?

– Like making films is a gamble, marketing them is also a gamble. Whether the marketing strategy will work with the public or not, is not easy to predict. So, sometimes, a film’s promotion budget may be big but the quality of promotion and, therefore, its impact may be below the mark. Oftentimes, producers lose steam by the time their film is complete, and they have no money or little money left to promote and market their film.

Will there be a clash between Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan on Eid or will it be averted?

– There will very likely be a big clash this Eid because the producers of both the films seem inclined to release their film on Eid. The shootings of both, BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN and MAIDAAN, are complete, and their post-production work is on in full swing. There is very little chance, therefore, of the release plans of any of the two films changing.

I have a fabulous story but I am unable to put together a film project. Where am I going wrong?

– Who has said that your story is fabulous? Is it your belief or has someone who understands scripts and is independent, said so? If it is only you who believes in the script but not any actor or producer or financier, chances are that you are going wrong in the assessment of the story. 

Will Selfiee take a decent initial on 24th February?

– The negative is that the last few films of Akshay Kumar have been such major debacles that people have lost faith in the actor — for the time being, at least. The good point is that the promotion of SELFIEE is very good.

How does a new radio station acquire the right to play songs? Does it have to negotiate individually with every producer?

– There is no need to deal with individual producers. The radio station has to acquire the rights from the PPL and the IPRS. Most of the music companies are affiliated to the two bodies which negotiate on behalf of them in a composite deal. However, rights to play the songs of T-Series, Yash Raj Music and Zee Music have to be acquired separately from the three companies.

Is it more sensible to make small star cast films or star-studded fares?

– There’s no general rule for producing films. Both, small star cast and big star cast films, have their advantages and disadvantages. In producing small star cast films, budgets are limited and, therefore, the risk is limited. However, the entire investment in small star cast films could be wiped out if the film faces rejection. Also, small star cast films could go completely unnoticed if they are not intelligently promoted. A lot of producers of small star cast films lose steam at the time of completion of shooting and post-production, and don’t spend even the bare minimum on marketing and promotion!

How do you expect 2023 to pan out for the Hindi film industry?

– Very good. Year 2022 has taught the Hindi film industry people a lot of lessons, one of them being that there is no shortcut to success. The industry people are very smart, they must’ve already taken corrective steps, and the results will show in 2023.

Why did Cirkus not take an impressive opening?

– Because the first trailer did not have any scene which could evoke loud laughter or guffaws! Since the film is designed as a comedy, there ought to have been a couple of scenes which would’ve prompted people to laugh out loud.

After such a raging controversy around Pathaan, will it open well?

– You bet, it will take a bumper opening. Shah Rukh Khan will be coming to the big screen after such a long gap that there are all the chances of PATHAAN opening huge. Although those talking negative about the film and asking for a ban on its release would hate this, the fact is that they are all adding to the craze for the film and only building more and more curiosity around it.

Now that two weeks are complete, do you think that Stree 2 will join the Rs. 500-crore club?

– Yes, it will. It has already almost touched Rs. 450 crore in domestic theatrical box-office takings, so another Rs. 60 crore in the following weeks is a given!

What is the difference between a sequel, franchise film and a film as part of a universe?

– Although the terms are used interchangeably, there is a difference between a sequel and a franchise film. Technically, a sequel must start where the first part ended. It is continuation of the same story with the same or almost the same characters. On the other hand, a franchise film is one which may or may not belong to the same world/era but would have at least one, two or more characters from the earlier part/s. However, the story is not necessarily in continuation of the earlier film/s in the franchise. A series film is also the same as a franchise film. A universe film is where characters of different films in the universe cross paths. To substantiate with examples, GADAR 2 was a sequel of GADAR EK PREM KATHA, RACE 2 was a sequel of RACE, and BAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION was a sequel of BAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING. On the other hand, DHOOM, HOUSEFULL and GOLMAAL films were franchise films whereas SINGHAM, SINGHAM 2, SIMBBA and SOORYAVANSHI were all films in Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe as they had characters of one film crossing paths with characters of other films in that universe. Likewise, STREE 2 was a Horror Comedy Universe film as characters from horror comedy BHEDIYA crossed paths with characters from STREE and STREE 2. Actually, STREE 2 is also a sequel and a franchise film, besides being a film in Jio and Dinesh Vijan’s Horror Comedy Universe. Similarly, TIGER, WAR, PATHAAN and now ALPHA are part of Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe.      

Is there a difference between casting for films and casting for web series?

– Yes, there is a marked difference between the two. For a web series’ casting, talent of the actors is of paramount importance whereas in the case of casting for films, both, talent and marketability (popularity/fan following) of the actors, are important.