Will any film this year take a great opening?

– Perhaps, Rohit Shetty’s CIRKUS will, besides a couple of Hollywood films. Today’s Hollywood release, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, has opened quite well. The trade has pinned a lot of hopes on CIRKUS, as far as Bollywood films are concerned.

Have people stopped coming to the theatres? If so, why?

– There are several reasons why many people have stopped frequenting cinemas. For one, they feel, it is not worth their while to go to the cinemas because they can watch the films in the comfort of their homes after three months. Secondly, having been exposed to world cinema and web series on OTT platforms during the lockdowns, their tastes have changed, they have started realising the worth of good content over good face value. In other words, star names don’t attract them as much as arresting content. Thirdly, the bad name which Bollywood got in the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise, thanks to a handful of industry people who openly criticised Bollywood as a whole when actually, they had an axe to grind with only some persons in Bollywood, is also taking its toll on the box-office collections. Why would the general public analyse whether it was personal vendetta of those handful of industry people or Bollywood was actually full of bad people? It suited the public to think of Bollywood as a place full of sinners, which is not true. Every industry has its share of good and bad people. But because they were industry insiders badmouthing Bollywood, their word was taken seriously by the gullible public. As it is, there is a tendency among laymen to believe negative stories more than positive ones about the rich and famous. It will take some time for the public to return to the cinemas. Our content has to improve too!

Has corporatisation helped the industry more or harmed it more?

– Let’s put it this way: corporatisation has helped the industry grow manifold but it has had to pay a price for the growth.

Why is the quality of films made nowadays so poor?

– It is mainly because the prices being offered by OTT platforms and TV channels for the digital and satellite rights of films are so high that producers aren’t too bothered about quality. Since even low-quality films are making profits because of the revenues generated from the aforementioned two sources, producers, directors, writers and music directors are in a hurry to churn out more number of films. Working hard on quality entails more time. They don’t want to waste time because irrespective of quality, they are able to make money. So they are concentrating on quantity rather than on quality. Time lost is money lost.

On what basis do OTT platforms fix the price for the digital rights of a film?

– They usually pay around 55-60% of the cost, for acquiring its digital rights. This is generally true in the case of big-budget, star cast films.

What did you think of the teaser of Pathaan?

– The teaser is fantastic. It has served the purpose of getting the public interested in the film as well as waiting with bated breath for the trailer now.

What kind of release should the Barjatyas plan for their upcoming film, Uunchai?

– The Barjatyas should think in terms of a very limited release. Rather than flooding the market with the film, they should release it in very few cinemas initially, and gradually increase the screen count from the second week onwards. The film’s trailer is winning rave reviews. The ‘Keti ko’ song from the film is also gaining in popularity.

Is it true that the producers of Drishyam 2 had to pay dubbing producer Manish Shah a few crores to dissuade him from releasing the Hindi dubbed version of the Malayalam original, Drushyam 2, on his channel?

– Since the Hindi DRISHYAM 2 is a remake of Malayalam DRUSHYAM 2, it made sense for the Hindi version’s producers to stall the release of the Malayalam version’s Hindi dubbed version on any channel. Hence the payment of a few crore rupees is a step in the right direction.

Why did Bhushan Kumar not promote Thank God on the front foot?

– You are right. Bhushan Kumar did cut corners while promoting THANK GOD. He himself would be the best person to answer the query about why he did so. Probably, he was not confident about its acceptance by the paying public. These days, producers have started cutting down on promotion and marketing budgets of films if they are not sure about the success of the films. This has been observed in the last few months, ever since films are flopping with alarming regularity.

Wouldn’t it have made more sense if a couple of films of last week had been released this week as there are almost no Bollywood releases this week? It would’ve avoided the huge crowd of releases last Friday.

– It would’ve made sense because the films would’ve gotten better shows. But if you are hinting about this ensuring better box-office collections, you are wrong. The films would’ve fared the same had they been released this week too. Reason: it isn’t as if any of the films drew full houses or nearly full houses, because of which the collections of other films were adversely affected. It is also not the case that any of last week’s film could’ve fared better had it got better showcasing.

What exactly is going wrong with Akshay Kumar’s career?

– It’s not as if Akshay Kumar has forgotten acting. The main reason why his films are flopping is that he is signing the wrong films. He needs to concentrate on content, box-office success will follow. Having said that, it must be added that it is not easy to decide which content will work and which won’t, that too at the script stage, before the film is made.

Why are web series doing well on the one hand and films flopping at the box-office on the other?

– It is not as if all web series are doing well. For every successful web series, there are at least 20 or more which don’t go down well with the audience. The successful ones are spoken and written about, giving the impression that all is hunky dory on the digital platforms front, but that’s not true at all.

Why did Hindutva not do well at the box-office in spite of the Hindutva wave sweeping the country?

– A particular wave or mood in the country can add to the business of a film, but a film cannot be expected to become a hit or a success merely because of that.

What is the logic in releasing seven and eight films every week?

– It is not as if one person is releasing so many films in one week. Every producer thinks, his film stands the best chance among all the new releases. Since there is so much production happening, there is bound to be overcrowding.

When will the situation at the box-office improve in Bollywood?

– As soon as better content is delivered by our writers, directors, producers and stars.

What does a producer do when a controversy erupts three to four months prior to his film’s release, as has happened in the case of Saif Ali Khan’s get-up in Adipurush?

– Unfortunately, there’s precious little a producer in such a situation can do officailly. He can use unofficial sources to put an end to the controversy. In the alternative, he can just wait for the hungama to die down on its own.

Vikas Bahl has made films like Queen and Super 30. Yet, his latest release, Goodbye, did not even open decently. Can you explain this anomaly?

– This is not really an anomaly because initials of films are determined more by their trailers, music, star cast, and the heat generated because of the above factors.

Between the two Diwali releases, Ram Setu and Thank God, which film has generated more excitement among the public?

– The excitement among the public for both the Diwali releases is almost the same. Frankly, the producers of both the films need to up their promotions.

What purpose does the annual FRAMES event, organised by FICCI, serve?

– There aren’t too many events held in the film industry, where people can meet one another. FRAMES is a good place for the industry people to do some networking. This is one of the biggest takeaways of the annual event.

Why was the advance booking for Vikram Vedha not up to the mark in spite of the rave reviews its trailer was getting?

– Since it appears to be an action-oriented mass-appealing film, its advance was not very good. Masses usually prefer buying tickets from current booking windows. Of course, this is not a golden rule but it’s often the case.

Is there any movement in the film industry to streamline admission rates in cinemas, after the stupendous success of the National Cinema Day on 23rd September in terms of footfalls at low ticket rates?

– Things don’t move so fast in the film industry. The very fact that the industry people have started to think in terms of rationalisation of the admission rates structure is in itself a big thing!

Of all the films released today, which film has got the maximum advantage of the National Cinema Day being celebrated today?

– The National Cinema Day is being celebrated by selling cinema tickets at a flat low price of Rs. 75 today. The maximum advantage of this has gone to BRAHMASTRA: PART ONE – SHIVA (which is in its third week) rather than to any new film which has opened today. In fact, the number of tickets sold for all the new films put together is not even half the number of tickets sold for BRAHMASTRA alone.

Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to celebrate the National Cinema day on 30th September when a big film like Vikram Vedha would be releasing?

– Why would the producers of the big film allow its first day’s tickets to be sold at Rs. 75 only? They are assured of a great opening at the usual high rates.

Is it true that UTV Software Communications Ltd., distributors of Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, got the National Cinema Day postponed by a week — from 16th September to 23rd September — as its Brahmastra was to enter just the second week on 16th?

– Yes, it’s true. And rightly so! The Multiplex Association of India finalised the date for celebrating the National Cinema Day without taking the production sector or even the producers whose films would be affected by the decision (of selling tickets at a concessional price of Rs. 75 only) into confidence. Disney had every right to object to the date which was finalised, especially because BRAHMASTRA is a very big-budget fare.

Why did Brahmastra get mixed reviews last week?

– Probably because it is a completely new kind of film for the Hindi film-going audiences. That’s why most of the reviewers went wrong. They failed to appreciate the power of the absolutely outstanding VFX in the film. But the case of a couple of reviewers was pitiable: they gave the film bad reviews to ‘atone’ for their ‘sin’ of giving Karan Johar’s JUGJUGG JEEYO glowing reviews and even praising it for a couple of weeks after its release, to fool the people into believing that the film was a blockbuster. Of course, collections did not match their reviews and their positive comments for JUGJUGG JEEYO at all. To make up for their fake reviews for Karan’s JUGJUGG JEEYO, they decided to be ‘straightforward’ this time. But in their quest to give the impression that even they can be honest, they gave Karan’s new film, BRAHMASTRA, bad reviews. They made the second mistake by reviewing a hit film as a flop/disappointing film, only and only because they wanted to ‘correct’ their first mistake. Isn’t it sickening?

What is the minimum you expect Brahmastra to do in India?

– Refer to our review of BRAHMASTRA. We had predicted, and we quote from our review: “It has the potential to touch or almost touch the Rs. 100-crore mark in the first weekend, and touch or almost touch the Rs. 200-crore mark by the end of the second weekend.” To that, we now add that it has the potential to touch the Rs. 250-crore mark in its lifetime.

After Brahmastra, which film would you bet on?

– VIKRAM VEDHA. The film’s trailers have been loved by the public. The film should net at least Rs. 20-25 crore on the opening day (30th September).

I’ve heard that collections of Brahmastra today (opening day) are very good for the 3D version but not up to the mark for the 2D version. Why is there so much disparity?

– The disparity is because the initial audience wants to experience the film in 3D as they knew from its trailers that the film would have visual effects of the kind never seen before in a Hindi film.

What kind of an opening do you expect Vikram Vedha to take on 30th September?

– Earth-shattering. The film’s teaser and trailer have created such a phenomenal impact on the public that the audience is literally waiting to watch the Saif-Hrithik. You can expect the first day’s collections to be upward of Rs. 30 crore!

Has the opening of Brahmastra changed anything in Bollywood?

– It definitely has! The fantastic collections of the first day’s shows have come like a morale booster for the industry people. Films had been flopping with such alarming regularity that the trade people had forgotten what it was like to experience a bumper opening.