Will Prithviraj also be postponed?

– Your guess is as good as ours. No producer will release his film till there’s a semblance of normalcy.

To what do you explain the phenomenal collections of Pushpa: The Rise Part 1 (dubbed)?

– To its phenomenal content and to the phenomenal word of mouth.

What does Spider-Man: No Way Home surpassing the business of Sooryavanshi and emerging as the highest grosser of 2021 indicate?

– That satellite channels and digital platforms have blurred the lines between the film industries of the world.

When is Jersey likely to release now? Will it be premiered on OTT?

– The new date of release hasn’t been finalised as nobody knows when the situation will improve and when cinemas in Delhi will reopen. Besides, there’s also the additional point that cinemas in other states should not be ordered to shut down! As for an OTT premiere, it doesn’t seem like the producers of JERSEY are thinking in those terms.

Which has been the most successful feature film premiered on OTT during the lockdown?

– Undoubtedly, SHERSHAAH.

With the release of Jersey this week cancelled, which films will stand to gain the most?

– The two reigning super-hits will stand to gain from the cancellation of JERSEY release. They are PUSHPA (dubbed) and SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. 83 will benefit in the big cities and the national multiplex chains because it is doing very well there.

Isn’t it surprising that the dubbed Hindi version of Pushpa is doing so well?

– You would not ask this question if you had seen the film. It deserves to do hit business because it is a wonderful film. If what you mean is that Allu Arjun is not a known face among the Hindi film-going audience, there are two points: one, content is of primary importance, and secondly, Allu Arjun is already popular among a large chunk of the Hindi film-going audience because his starrers (Telugu and Hindi dubbed), beamed on satellite channels, have wide viewership.

What is more important in a film, from the box-office point of view — romance, hit music, comedy or drama?

– You cannot grade these ingredients of a commercial hit, based on their importance. Every ingredient is important, and which ingredient is more important than the other/s depends on the kind of script. You have forgotten to mention actors’ performances, background music, camerawork, emotions, etc.

Like the acceptability of stars of South Indian language films is growing in states other than the Southern states, will the acceptability of Hindi film stars also grow in the South circuits?

– Yes, it will. Satellite TV channels and digital platforms will go a long way in blurring the dividing lines between stars on the basis of the language in which their films are made.

How did you predict, in your article, ‘New Spidey Film All Set For Phenomenal Start’ on 12th December, that the opening day’s collections of Hollywood film Spider-Man: No Way Home could be better than the first day’s collections of Sooryavanshi?

– It wasn’t difficult to see the craze for the film all around. The SPIDER-MAN franchise is huge, very huge.

What explains the wonderful opening of Pushpa: The Rise Part 1 (dubbed) today?

– The public had loved the film’s trailers and the songs. Besides, Allu Arjun is a hot favourite of the Hindi cinema-going audience too, thanks to his films on various satellite channels.

After the phenomenal start of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Pushpa: The Rise Part 1 this week, will 83 open well next week?

– You bet. Not well, 83 will open to extraordinary houses next week!

Is it a sensible move to release Jersey just a week after 83? After all, both are cricket films.

– You are probably asking this question because both hold a lot of promise. While it is a fact that both are cricket films, JERSEY can be described more as a family drama set against the backdrop of cricket. Yet, it is not the wisest move to release JERSEY a week after 83, also because it may become difficult for JERSEY to get good single-screen cinemas at many places. This is because the best single-screen cinemas will be booked by 83 for a minimum of two weeks.

What’s your opinion on the trailer of S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR?

– In one word, it is mind-blowing!

Why would Ajay Devgan have made a film like Velle?

– Perhaps, to oblige friend Sunny Deol. The film stars Sunny’s son, Karan Deol.

What did you think of the trailer of Kabir Khan’s 83?

– The trailer of 83 is outstanding and gives the impression that the film will be a blockbuster of epic proportions. It could be one of the biggest hits of Hindi cinema, if not the biggest! Going by the trailer, the film would have thrills, the patriotic flavour, drama, melodrama, and all this, in the game of cricket which is religion for Indians.

Why do you not review films before they are released whenever you watch them in advance?

– There are several reasons for not posting the reviews before the film is released. For one, if the film is good, it is alright, but if the film is below the mark, a reviewer cannot be insensitive enough to spoil the film’s chances BEFORE it is available to the public. For, the final judge is the paying public, not any reviewer. Secondly, many reviewers shamelessly write negative reviews of films which they are not shown in advance if they get to know that one or more trade analysts like me have been shown the same film in advance. It would shock you to know that there are reviewers who openly issue threats to producers and warn them that they would ruin the chances of their films by writing negative reviews or giving one star if they are not invited in the first screening or if a special screening is not kept for them. Such reviewers aren’t even scared of their conversation with the producer concerned being recorded and posted on social media because they feel, the conversation would serve as publicity for themselves (even if it is negative publicity) and would, therefore, increase their standing on social media!! Thirdly, if a producer invites me for a film screening as a friend, I cannot ‘misuse’ my friendship and post the review in advance. Once the film is open for the public to watch, I cease to be the producer’s friend (for the limited purpose of expressing my viewpoints on the film) and am entitled to post the review.

Would you term Antim a successful film?

– Not just I, anybody who understands film business would have no hesitation in calling ANTIM a success. Only those who consider the film as a Salman Khan starrer would call it a flop. The fact is that this is an Aayush Sharma starrer and hence it is a success. The trade knows that Salman Khan is not the main hero of the film, that Aayush Sharma plays the negative hero in it, that the budget of the film is not what the budgets of Salman starrers are, that Salman Khan’s price has not been paid and, therefore, the film’s cost is less than the recoveries. Even if one considers just the box-office collections, they are good for the film’s cost. It would not be out of place to compare this film with SECRET SUPERSTAR. In that film, Aamir Khan played a lengthy guest appearance but nobody called it an Aamir starrer. Had they done so, that would not have been termed a hit!

In business terms, what would you term Bunty Aur Babli 2? Why did it underperform? Is it because people are not coming to the cinemas in full force?

– A box-office flop is what BUNTY AUR BABLI 2 is. Never mind if the producers have recovered their entire cost from non-theatrical sources, but it has performed badly at the ticket windows. And no, the reason for it underperforming is not that the public is not coming in full force to the cinemas. Had that been the case, SOORYAVANSHI would not have fared so well in cinemas. The reason for the failure of BUNTY AUR BABLI 2 is simplythat it was not liked by the paying public.

What are the implications of Reliance Entertainment pulling out Sooryavanshi from all the Carnival properties for a day (on 21st November) due to default in payment of distributor’s share by the latter to the former?

– It is a signal that after the lockdown, financial matters are very serious business. They always were a serious matter but more so now. Prior to the lockdown, the industry used to function on the principle of give-and-take, but the position after the reopening of the exhibition sector is so bad that the old style of doing business often does not hold good. It’s because every sector was shaken very badly during the lockdown.

Is Aamir Khan’s decision to bring his Laal Singh Chaddha to the cinemas during Ramzan a wise one?

– Times are not normal. Therefore, the rules which the industry people followed all these years may not be needed to be followed in these extraordinary times. Besides, since Aamir Khan plays a Sikh in the film, its release on Baisakhi day makes a lot of sense even if Baisakhi will fall in the Ramzan days.

Will the producers of Sooryavanshi make profits in the final tally? Or have they paid so much interest for the 20 months of delay that all their profits have been wiped off?

– They will comfortably make a good amount of profit. Of course, had there been no lockdown, their profit figure would have been far more but considering the delay, the profit figure expected now is also substantial.

Why did Sanjay Leela Bhansali shift the release date of his Gangubai Kathiawadi? Is there much logic in coming just a week after Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha which is slated for release on 11th February?

– Sanjay Leela Bhansali must’ve realised the futility of clashing with another giant, RRR. As for coming a week after another big film, LAAL SINGH CHADDHA, there are rumours that it may be postponed and hence Bhansali has chosen 18th February as the date of release for his film.

G?

– Y.

Given the first week’s business of Sooryavanshi, would you say that Reliance Entertainment and Rohit Shetty’s wait for more than 19 months to release the film in cinemas was worthwhile?

– Yes, it was. Had the film released in normal times, it would have been one of the highest-grossing films of Akshay Kumar, if not the highest-grossing film.

When will the promotion of 83 start? What kind of an initial do you expect the film to take?

– The promotions of 83 should start in a fortnight’s time. According to me, the cricket film will take an extraordinary initial.

Will Dharma Productions’ new film, directed by Shakun Batra and starring Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi, release in cinemas or straight on OTT? What is its title?

– Modalities about its release are being worked out. The plans have not yet been revealed. As for the title, the film is still without one.

Given that the release date of Sooryavanshi had been announced many days back, couldn’t the issues of sharing and showcasing terms have been settled between the producers/distributors and national multiplex chains earlier to prevent the undue delay in opening of advance booking due to the uncertainty?

– Of course, the issues could have been settled earlier, but the question was about who was going to blink first. Both the sides to the dispute had to show to the other that it was the stronger side. Hence the issue defied a solution till the last moment.

What kind of an initial do you expect Sooryavanshi to take today (Friday, November 5)? Wouldn’t it have been better to release the film yesterday (Thursday) to take advantage of Diwali (Laxmi Pooja)?

– Collections on the day of Laxmi Pooja are adversely affected because ladies of Hindu households and, oftentimes, entire families avoid going to the cinemas on that day as they are busy with the festivities and preparations for the Laxmi Pooja. As for the initial of SOORYAVANSHI, the first day’s collections will leave everyone dumbstruck. Bollywood is back — and how!

Who has found it more difficult to restart operations after the lockdown — producers, distributors or exhibitors?

– Who hasn’t found it difficult to restart after a gap of so many months?