Will Luv Ranjan’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar be released on 7th March instead of 8th as Holi festival will be celebrated on 7th, instead of 8th, in some parts of India?

– The producers are still contemplating on the right date to release the Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer. Their problem is not simple because the festival of colours will be celebrated on 7th in some states and on 8th in other states. If some of the big states in North, Central and Western India celebrate on 7th, there may not be much of a point in releasing the film on 8th (as scheduled) because the benefit of the holiday on 7th will not be reaped by the film. Secondly, no benefit would accrue on 8th as the festival would’ve been celebrated on 7th in such states. In fact, the odd-day release (8th, Wednesday) could backfire in such states.

What did you think of the Billi Billi song from Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan?

– The song seems to be a potential hit. Not only is the song a musical delight but its picturisation is also eye-filling. The dance steps will soon become very popular.

What does the proposed performance on the Naatu Naatu song from RRR at the Oscar ceremony mean for India?

– It’s a major feather in the cap of Indian cinema in general and South Indian cinema in particular. The Naatu Naatu song will be performed by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava in their Oscar debut. The song is competing for the Best Song Oscar against This is a life (which will be performed by David Byrne, Stephanie Hsu and Son Lux) from EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, Applause (to be performed by Sofia Carson and Diane Warren) from TELL IT LIKE A WOMAN, Hold my hand from TOP GUN: MAVERICK and Lift me up (to be performed by Rihanna) from BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. 

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.

Will Selfiee take a decent initial next week?

– The opening of SELFIEE might surprise the trade. In spite of his string of flops in the last two-and-a-half years, Akshay Kumar’s new film just might take a fairly nice start because the trailer has been well-received by the public. Also, the social media promotion of the remixed version of the Main khiladi tu anari song, with Akshay Kumar dancing to the song’s beats with stars like Salman Khan and Tiger Shroff, has had a terrific impact on the public.

Why are Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor not promoting their Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar together? Is there some problem between the two?

– There’s no problem between Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. It’s a well-planned strategy to not let the two be seen together for any promotion of the film, given the shades of their characters in the film. The two characters are at loggerheads in the romantic comedy.

Why is the logo of Goldmines seen in the opening titles of this week’s Shehzada? I believe, the producers of Shehzada paid Goldmines many crores of rupees to refrain it from releasing the dubbed Hindi version of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo on satellite television because Shehzada is its remake.

– Yes, you are right about the settlement between the producers of SHEHZADA and Goldmines as far as the satellite rights of the Hindi dubbed version of ALA VAIKUNTHAPURRAMULOO are concerned. But the logo of Goldmines in the opening titles of SHEHZADA is included because Goldmines holds the satellite rights of the remake, SHEHZADA.

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!

Was it a wise decision on the part of the producers of Shehzada to postpone the release by a week?

– Yes, it was a sensible move to postpone SHEHZADA by a week. PATHAAN will be in its fourth week on 17th February, the day SHEHZADA hits the screens. Its third weekend is going to be impressive, going by the first week’s (9-day) collections and also going by the box-office collections of the second weekend’s Friday (today). Therefore, had SHEHZADA come on its original date of 10th February, it may have had to face tough competition in the entire first week from PATHAAN in its third week. Besides, SHEHZADA may not have got several single-screen cinemas and the biggest auditoria in several multiplexes had it come on 10th. But it can hope to get many of them on 17th because it may be time for PATHAAN to shift to the smaller-capacity screens in its fourth week.

Will Kartik Aaryan’s Shehzada open as big as his Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2?

– It is very unlikely that we might get to see the figures of the first day of BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2 on the opening day of SHEHZADA. It may open slower because the trailer and songs of BB2 had become a craze prior to its release last year.

Has the stupendous success of Pathaan restored the public’s faith in Bollywood?

– You bet, it has! For one, the film opened to historic houses. Secondly, collections sustained all through the nine-day week.

What’s your assessment of the lifetime business of Pathaan?

– It could well become the biggest Hindi blockbuster of all time. The current record holder is Aamir Khan’s DANGAL (which netted Rs. 385 crore). The first five-day weekend of PATHAAN will close at around Rs. 225-plus crore!! The first nine-day week will cross Rs. 300 crore by a big margin. It is likely to outdo the business of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (Hindi dubbed).

Will the stupendous success of Pathaan help the forthcoming films?

– There’s something called psychology. Every success helps the forthcoming films because people are in the mood to frequent cinemas when movies do well. So, yes, the runaway success of PATHAAN should help the forthcoming films. Besides, PATHAAN has restored the confidence of the public in Bollywood films by its sheer opening which was phenomenal.

On which forthcoming film would you lay your bets?

– On SHEHZADA, SELFIEE and TU JHOOTHI MAIN MAKKAAR in the next few weeks.

Some people on social media were claiming that like they had ensured that Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha would flop, they would also make sure that Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan would fail at the box-office. Will they succeed?

– Succeed? Do you really think that the failure of LAAL SINGH CHADDHA was because of the call to boycott the film at the time of its release? The phenomenal response at the advance booking counters of PATHAAN is enough proof that the boycott gang is nothing but a lot of gas.

Why is Shah Rukh Khan not promoting Pathaan? Don’t you think, it’s wrong on his part, especially because he is coming after such a long time and also because his past few films have not worked at the box-office?

– Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t need to promote PATHAAN because the film has already got free publicity worth crores of rupees, thanks to the unnecessary controversy around the saffron-coloured swimming costume of Deepika Padukone in the Besharam rang song, as shown in the trailer. The boycott gang should hate itself for giving the film so much free publicity. In fact, there are thousands of people who may not have been keen to see the film because they aren’t fans of Shah Rukh, but who will now watch the film in solidarity with the star because he has got people’s sympathy after the ridiculous controversy.

What kind of a figure do you now predict for the opening day’s collection of Pathaan?

– It could be Rs. 40 crore on the first day. And mind you, it is an odd day (Wednesday) release BUT not a holiday.

With some fringe outfits threatening that they won’t allow Pathaan to release, what action can Yash Raj Films take?

– Your guess is as good as ours! The industry people are like orphans for whom nobody cares. But looking to the craze for PATHAAN, everything seems to be loaded in its favour. So, something good will happen. There are still 11 days to go before the film hits the screens.

For which actor was year 2022 the best?

– Among actors, year 2022 was undoubtedly the best for Ajay Devgan. He delivered quantity as well as quality. His DRISHYAM 2 crossed Rs. 235 crore at the Indian box-office. The box-office performance of RRR, a film in which he made an important special appearance, was phenomenal. GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI, in which also he appeared in a key role but in special appearance, was a success story. THANK GOD, the third film last year, in which he made a special appearance (lengthy), and his RUNWAY 34 didn’t do well at the ticket windows. Overall, it proved to be an extremely satisfying year for the star. This year may also turn out to be memorable for Ajay. He has his own BHOLAA and Amit Sharma’s MAIDAAN for release in 2023. He will soon be starting SINGHAM AGAIN with Rohit Shetty, a romantic thriller with Neeraj Pandey, and a film with Abhishek Kapoor, in which he will play a role he has never been cast in earlier.

What does Ranveer Singh need to do to revive his career?

– He needs to go easy with his clothes. His attire off screen is now coming in for heavy criticism because the uniqueness of his loud clothes has given way to monotony. Also, he can’t be seen doing absolutely bizarre things as posing nude for magazine covers. In other words, he needs a change of image. Above all, he needs to sign the right kind of films.

Why are governments usually anti-film industry?

– Because the film industry people are not a huge vote bank. It’s as simple as that!

What are the principles to judge whether a potential web series would work after it is made?

– Not very different from the principles to judge a film. Entertainment is the catchword in the case of web series too.

Has Maidaan been postponed?

– Yes, MAIDAAN has been postponed once again. Ajay Devgan’s first release this year will now be BHOLAA (30th March) instead of MAIDAAN.

What kind of an initial do you expect Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan to take?

– Bumper. The film’s trailer has been loved. Also, the Besharam rang song from the film has caught people’s fancy notwithstanding the outcry against it and the controversy surrounding it. Two such big plus points are enough to attract the crowds to the cinemas.

I saw a video showing the police resorting to lathi charge to disperse the huge crowds that had gathered outside Salman Khan’s building for a glimpse of the actor on his birthday earlier this week. If that is what the police had to do, why are some people so anti-Salman on social media?

– So now you know whom to believe — the fans or the frustrated social media naysayers.

Is Aamir Khan right in taking a sabbatical for over a year after Laal Singh Chaddha?

– He is definitely not wrong because it’s his career and he knows the best.