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.

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.

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.