Why do you think, the trailer of Major, made in Hindi and Telugu, has been liked so much by the public? Is it because the current public sentiments are in favour of South films? After all, it stars a Telugu film star and what’s more, the story of the film (about army officer Sandeep Unnikrishnan) is well-known in view of the media coverage he got after he was martyred in the November 2008 terror attacks in Bombay.

– If the fondness for a trailer had anything to do with the public sentiments being in favour of South films, the trailer of RAW (dubbed version of Tamil BEAST) would also have been loved by the audience, but we know, that’s not true. The trailer is receiving the love of the paying public because it’s a good trailer, period. After that, it doesn’t even make a difference that the story of the film’s subject is in the public domain.

Will Jayeshbhai Jordaar take a flying start today, befitting the stardom of its hero, Ranveer Singh?

– Definitely not, because the trailers of the film, after the first trailer, have not been liked too much by the public. Generally, each trailer adds to the film’s likeability. That didn’t happen in the case of JAYESHBHAI JORDAAR. The initial euphoria for the film was not maintained by the latter promotion of the film.

Will Liger be the next big South blockbuster in the Hindi-speaking belt?

– You never know! Incidentally, like MAJOR, LIGER is also not dubbed in Hindi. It has been shot in Telugu and Hindi, just like MAJOR.

Will the debacle of Heropanti 2 put an end to the franchise?

– Probably so. The film has not found favour with the audience and, therefore, attempting a third part in the series would require nerves of steel.

What went wrong with Runway 34?

– The audience found the second half an exercise in futility. For the paying public, Ajay Devgan (Captain Vikrant Khanna) had already become a hero at interval point when he safely landed the aircraft in near-impossible conditions. Even if in saving the lives of the passengers and the aircraft, he broke some rules, it did not matter to the audience or make him any less a hero in their eyes. Hence the court case thereafter made little sense to the viewers. That’s how the public thinks. You may argue that the film is based on a real-life story. The counter-argument is: every real-life story may not be appreciated by the public, on the big screen. So one has to either tweak the real-life story, change the narration structure, or simply not make a film based on that story.

Why has no major Hindi film opened today?

– Because DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (dubbed) has opened today. That’s such a formidable opposition that no Hindi film producer wanted to risk releasing his film alongside the Hollywood film.

It’s very rare for a film in its second week to fare better than a star cast film in its first week. And yet, that’s what happened with K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) in its second week, and Jersey in its first week. Why do you think, this happened?

– The shelf life of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed) was far more than just a week. Hence it continued to do roaring business in its second week. Simultaneously, the public reports of the new release, JERSEY, were fairly good but not great, and definitely not half as good as those of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed). Just one more point here: the shelf life of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed) is not yet over. In other words, even in its third week, it will prove to be an extremely strong opposition for this week’s releases.

What is the lesson to learn from the box-office failure of Jersey? That cricket films are not in fashion?

– The only lesson to learn is that one should not be in a hurry to release his film if there’s a tornado already sweeping the nation. The tornado in this case was K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed). Its opposition proved monstrous for JERSEY.

Are Bollywood producers shaken with the recent stupendous success of South dubbed films and the simultaneous failure of original Hindi content?

– You bet! Not just Bollywood producers but also Hindi film stars, writers and directors are shaken out of their wits.

Will the domestic theatrical business of K.G.F. Chapter 2 be more than the lifetime domestic box-office collections of Dangal? What will you consider — the business of all the versions of K.G.F. Chapter 2 or only the Hindi dubbed version — while drawing a comparison with Dangal?

– We will compare the business of DANGAL with that of the Hindi dubbed version of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 only, because a Hindi film’s business needs to be compared with another Hindi film’s business only. And yes, K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 will definitely surpass DANGAL. Once it does, the order in terms of domestic theatrical business would be: (1) BAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION (dubbed), (2) K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed), (3) DANGAL.

Will Bollywood filmmakers now restart making action films?

– Yes, they definitely will, now that the Hindi dubbed versions of three South Indian action films have succeeded at the turnstiles. PUSHPA: THE RISE PART 1 (Hindi dubbed) was a hit, RRR (Hindi dubbed) was a bigger hit, and K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (Hindi dubbed) is the biggest of the three. Frankly, the Bollywood trade misjudged the scenario and propounded the theory that multiplex audiences do not like action fares. They have now realised that their conclusion was completely wrong because all the three abovementioned action fares have done roaring business in the multiplexes just like they’ve done in the single-screen cinemas.

Why does the trade attach so much importance to the opening day’s collections of a film?

– Simply because the business today is that of initial. There are so many films in the release pipeline that films rarely get a chance to grow after a weak start. Even if a film’s content is very strong but it does not open too well, there’s a limit to how much it can grow after a dull start because cinemas (single-screen as well as multiplex) have to allot shows to new films slated for release in the weeks that follow. In other words, the running films have to be sacrificed for the newer ones. If a film takes a flying start, it does not need to run for a long time in the cinemas to become profitable.

Why are your reviews of films not highlighted in half- and full-page advertisements issued by producers for their films on the day of release of the films or on the following day or following Sunday?

– Only those reviews which talk in glowing terms about the film are highlighted in the advertisements, for obvious reasons. Strangely and quite often, the one-liners and stars mentioned against the names of the reviewers are given before some of those reviewers have even watched the film in question! That is why you may generally be seeing the same names being highlighted. Do you think, I would fall prey to such gimmicks? I don’t believe in pleasing producers. I am happy that my readers/viewers trust my reviews. That’s far, far more important than one’s name being flashed in dubious newspaper ads.

How were you so confident about the bumper opening of K.G.F. Chapter 2? In your ‘You Asked It’ column of 1st April (two weeks before the film’s release), you had said that the craze for the film was growing by the day and that the film’s opening would be bumper.

– You have my answer in your observation. I could say what I said because the craze for the film was growing by the day. If you want to understand how I gauged that, well, one has to have his ear to the ground all the time in this industry.

Was the decision of the producers of Jersey to postpone their film, right?

– Of course, it was cent per cent right. Looking to the bumper-and-beyond initial of K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 yesterday (Thursday, April 14), one can well say that releasing JERSEY alongside K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 would have been suicidal for the producers and distributors of JERSEY.

The business of The Kashmir Files was affected after the release of RRR. Now, the business of RRR will be adversely affected after the release of K.G.F. Chapter 2 next week. Can’t something be done about this?

– The only way to address this genuine problem is to have more number of cinemas. But even after that, new films will always continue to affect the collections of already released films albeit to a limited extent.

Why is Sajid Nadiadwala no longer the producer of Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali?

– There were differences between Sajid Nadiadwala and the film’s hero, Salman Khan, over the point of sharing IP and revenues. So as to not let that strain their friendship, the two decided that Salman Khan should produce the film under his own banner. Hence Sajid Nadiadwala is no longer a part of the film.

How do OTT platforms decide on their film acquisitions?

– Just like distributors do.

Why are many in the trade unwilling to accept that RRR (dubbed) has done exceedingly well?

– Those who feel, RRR is not up to the mark, had assumed before its release that it would be another BAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION, which was also directed by S.S. Rajamouli. They forgot that every film of Rajamouli cannot be a BAHUBALI.

Will K.G.F. Chapter 2 open as well as RRR?

– The craze for K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 is growing by the day. Whether it opens as well as RRR or less than it or more than it, the fact remains that its opening will be bumper.

Why did the producers of Jersey not schedule its release for 8th April instead of pitting it in direct opposition of K.G.F. Chapter 2 on 14th April?

– Like K.G.F. CHAPTER 2, the producers of JERSEY also wanted to take advantage of the Good Friday holiday on 15th April (Friday). Additionally, 14th April has the advantage of being a holiday for Mahavir Jayanti, Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti and Baisakhi.

Is the success of The Kashmir Files unparalleled?

– This success story reminds one of the runaway success of JAI SANTOSHI MAA in 1975.

Will the unimaginable success of The Kashmir Files change the way films are made and will it also prompt filmmakers to make serious films now?

– There will be a handful of producers who will announce serious films, now that THE KASHMIR FILES is such a huge hit, but please don’t expect the entire industry to change because of one film, howsoever huge its success. This is like saying that after the stupendous success of JAI SANTOSHI MAA in 1975, producers only made mythological films. But we all know, that’s not true.

Would Bachchhan Paandey have done well at the box-office if The Kashmir Files was not so strong in its second week?

– The business of BACHCHHAN PAANDEY was slightly adversely affected because of THE KASHMIR FILES but to think that if it would not have had to face the opposition of THE KASHMIR FILES, its fate would’ve changed is baseless. We’ve had two films releasing on the same day and both clicking at the box-office. GADAR EK PREM KATHA and LAGAAN were simultaneously released, and both were hits. There are other similar examples.

Why are exhibitors averse to films being granted tax-exemption?

– These days, if a state government grants a film tax exemption, it means that the ticket price will reduce by just 9% because that’s the percentage of SGST payable on a ticket. Compared to the amount of exemption, the hassles and follow-up involved in getting the SGST refund from the state government are too much. You must’ve understood that although the cinemas are not allowed to collect the SGST from patrons on tax-free films, they have to pay the SGST to the state exchequer. The state government later refunds the amount of SGST attributable to the tax-free film, to the cinemas from which it was received. This entire process could take a year or even two years.

Does the runaway success of last week’s The Kashmir Files on the one hand and the failure of the big-budgeted and star-cast Radhe Shyam on the other indicate that the star system is falling apart?

– Not at all! The stupendous success of THE KASHMIR FILES in no way means that star-cast films will not run. What it means is that great content may not always need the support of big stars. The failure of RADHE SHYAM underlines the age-old theory that no amount of star value can make up for poor content in a film.

Have the promotion budgets of films reduced because of the huge backlog of films awaiting release?

– Yes and no! That’s because every film producer needs to wait for the promotion of all films slated for release before it to reduce so that his own film’s promotion can create the maximum impact. That is why the window which a film is getting for promotion has reduced. And no, because the producer has to literally struggle and juggle to make his film’s promotion stand out among the promotion of so many other films and web series. That means, more impactful and, often, costly promotion.

Why did Sajid Nadiadwala not release his Bachchhan Paandey on 4th March instead of 18th March? The film would’ve got a longer playing field. By releasing on 18th March, he will get only one week’s clear playing field as RRR is slated for release on 25th March.

– Your suggestion is right but Nadiadwala may have had his reasons to not get BACHCHHAN PAANDEY on 4th March. As you said, 4th March would’ve worked well for him as JHUND, even before release, was not looked at as a tough opposition for BACHCHHAN PANDEY. This week’s RADHE SHYAM and THE KASHMIR FILES would also not have posed tough competition to BP in its second week. In other words, that release strategy would’ve proved bountiful for the film and, to borrow from the title of Sajid Nadiadwala’s own forthcoming film, it would’ve been like both, Eid and Diwali for Nadiadwala or, in other words, KABHI EID KABHI DIWALI. And also, Holi (as it falls on 18th March, he would have got its benefit in the third week).

Why are producers always wary of promoting small films even if they have strong content?

– It will take some years for the mindset of producers to change. Actually, the public likes to make a beeline for star cast films and hence the initial which small films take is generally slow. Since business is mostly about the first two-three weeks, producers fear that if the film’s collections don’t pick up from the second or third day, the huge promotion cost will further increase their losses. Let’s put it this way: in the case of big films, they try to maximise their profits, but for small films, producers tend to minimise their losses right from the word ‘go’.

With the dubbed Hindi version of Valimai having had to bite the dust two weeks back, would it be right to say that the excitement around South films, born out of the stupendous success of Pushpa: The Rise Part 1, has reduced?

– Why just VALIMAI (dubbed)? This week’s RADHE SHYAM is also a South production which has opened to average houses and is carrying dull reports. Although it is not dubbed (it was shot in two languages — Tamil and Hindi), the fact remains that it is a South film.