If I were to ask you just one reason for the failure of War 2, what would that be?

 – The main reason for the non-success of Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR’s WAR 2 is its extremely weak script. The drama was so poor that the visuals looked like they were screaming, “Look, we are so beautiful, so much money has been spent on the film to make it a visual treat, look, it is so extravagant!” The huge budget irritated the audience even more because of the below-average content. 

How have the producers of Gujarati Vash made a sequel? Vash did not work at the box-office.

– VASH may not have done well at the Gujarati box-office, but the producers made profits on the project because they sold its remaking rights for other languages for a hefty price to Ajay Devgan. And Ajay remade the film in Hindi as SHAITAAN which did very well at the Hindi box-office. The producers of VASH also sold the OTT rights for a very good price. VASH LEVEL 2 (Gujarati) is slated for release next week — in Gujarati and Hindi (dubbed) too. The Hindi dubbed version is titled VASH VIVASH LEVEL 2.    

Since there’s no new Hindi film release today (22nd August), will War 2 reap the benefit of lack of new opposition?

– WAR 2 will not reap the benefit of lack of new opposition because collections dropped down markedly in the first week itself. The major part of the benefit will go to MAHAVATAR NARSIMHA.        

When will Akshay Kumar bounce back?

– When he delivers a successful film. That apart, it is after a long time that the trailer of a forthcoming film of his has been liked. I’m talking about the trailer of RAKSHA BANDHAN. If you recall, none of the trailers of his recent films were liked, but the trailer of RAKSHA BANDHAN seems to have worked its magic on the public and the film trade alike.

I’m an exhibitor of Bihar, and I’m in a very sad state of affairs as no film is doing well at the box-office. I’m at my wits’ end, I don’t know what I should do. Can you please advise?

– Take solace in the fact that all exhibitors are sailing in the same boat as you, if I may say so! Jokes apart, the situation is so bad that exhibitors are bleeding. The situation can improve only when a hit film arrives in cinemas.

Have the prices for digital rights of films come down from the level during the lockdown days?

– Yes, they have reduced. OTT platforms aren’t making profits and, therefore, the prices have come down.

Is it true that a big-budget film is a lost case if it doesn’t open well?

– Almost always! In the rarest of rare cases does a big-budget film score after it picks up following a poor start. The jump in collections has to be huge for the film to then go on to do big business.

Will the bad times for Bollywood get over any time soon?

– Of course, they will get over. Producers, writers and directors must’ve geared up to make better content. When films with good content hit the screens, we will see hits and super-hits more regularly.

What exactly is wrong with Bollywood today?

– The films! DRISHYAM 2 worked at the box-office because it was a good film.

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.

Is it true that Aabeer Gulaal has been released in Overseas circuit this week?

– Yes, it is true that the producers of AABEER GULAAL have released it all over today, except in India. The presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the male lead may be objected to after the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and, therefore, the producers did not want to release it in India this week. But they are definitely contemplating releasing it after two weeks in India too. Incidentally, the film could not be released in Pakistan too. It may be mentioned here that Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor have given wonderful performances in the love story which boasts of lovely music. 

Why did Mirai not take even an average start in Hindi today?

– The awareness about the film’s release was minimal. The odd title also played a part in the weak opening. 

How is the Diwali week looking this year for the box-office?

 – The usual excitement may not be seen this Diwali as there is no clash one normally expects at the box-office. After all, THAMA and EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT are both not big-budget extravaganzas. They also don’t give the vibe of festival releases. Wish, some big film would release on the occasion of the festival of lights. 

What was the reason for last week’s Srikanth not opening to good houses when the trailer came in for so much praise?

– For content-driven films like SRIKANTH, which don’t boast of A-list stars, the public waits for the first day reports to filter in. Only if the reports are very good do they go to the cinemas, otherwise, they wait for it to come on OTT. Such films generally don’t take good initials unless, of course, the music is a big hit.

I am keen to make a film but making money is not the motive. I want to make a film which the world will remember as a great film. How should I go about it?

– The world will remember your film as a great film only if it succeeds at the box-office. So whether you like it or not, you will have to make a film which makes money. In other words, making money has to be your motive, else your film may go largely unnoticed!

There are so many heroes who are very talented but whose names don’t sell — neither among distributors nor among the paying public. Does that mean that it’s the end of the road for them?

– It could mean the end of the road for them unless they start accepting character roles or work in multi-hero films rather than insisting on playing solo lead roles. It is not easy for a film hero to accept that a film no longer sells on the strength of his name. But if he doesn’t face reality and change the course of his career, he could be rendered jobless. After all, no producer would want to lose money by signing a talented but unsaleable hero.