Why has no major or even medium-budget film released this week?

– You will get to see a couple of more such weeks of no major release, this year. That’s because production had dropped down in the last two years as producers and stars were unsure about what would run and what wouldn’t. The impact of the slowdown will be felt this year.

Considering the revenues received or receivable from digital, satellite, Overseas theatrical and audio sales of Fighter, how much does it need to collect from India theatrical for earning handsomely?

– To break even, FIGHTER needs to net Rs. 275 crore from India. As that seems an impossibility, where’s the question of the producers making a profit or, as you say, “earning handsomely”. The rate at which collections dropped from Monday onwards clearly suggested that the film would not even break even.

Is it true that many stars of big films have stopped promoting films the way they used to do in the pre-COVID days? If so, why?

– Yes, several top stars have reduced promotional activity to the bare minimum. Reasons of each star are different, so it cannot be specified why this is happening. Yes, but one thing is for sure. If one top star does not promote his film, several others emulate him. However, just because less promotion may have worked for one film or one star, it is not necessary that it will work likewise for all the films or all the stars. 

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.

Why did Karan Johar not release Gehraiyaan in cinemas?

– The deal for the premiere release of GEHRAIYAAN on OTT was finalised much before the film had started. In fact, Karan Johar had right from before the film went on the floors, decided to make it for OTT rather than for cinemas, because of its bold content. The film may probably not have got the response which it is getting, had it been released theatrically first.

Among Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR and Bachchan Pandey, for which film is the craze the highest?

– For RRR.

Do you think, the release date of Laal Singh Chaddha or Raksha Bandhan will be changed to avoid a clash on 11th August?

– No, the release date of neither film will be changed because of the impending clash. Aamir Khan announced the new release date of 11th August for LAAL SINGH CHADDHA after being aware that RAKSHA BANDHAN would be coming on the same date. And after Aamir’s announcement, Akshay Kumar and Aanand L. Rai underlined that they would not be changing the release schedule of their RAKSHA BANDHAN. So a change in release date of either of the two films for avoiding a clash is out of the question.

What did you think of the trailer of Karan Johar and Viacom18’s Gehraiyaan?

– Bold and beautiful!

Is it a good idea to release the Hindi dubbed version of Allu Arjun’s Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo in North India on 26th January in the wake of the success of the star’s Pushpa: The Rise Part 1 in Hindi (dubbed)?

– The film’s release has been postponed. The new release date is not yet known. But to answer your question, it was a good idea to encash on the success of PUSHPA (dubbed) but not such a good idea to release ALA VAIKUNTHAPURRAMULOO with the same title as it is difficult to pronounce and its meaning is impossible for the Hindi-speaking audience to understand. Also, the film needed proper pre-release promotion. So, it is good that the film has been postponed.

When will Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi release now?

– Maybe on the same date, 18th February. The producers just might be able to release it on schedule if things on the Coronavirus front improve in India. Basically, if cinemas in Delhi reopen, the producers might think in terms of releasing it on 18th February itself instead of postponing it.

You tweeted earlier this week about the producers of Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya distributing one free ticket for every ticket purchased. What’s wrong with that? Why were you so critical about this?

– It sets a wrong precedent. Members of the public start taking that as an entitlement. This is dangerous because it will adversely affect the initials of forthcoming films. People will be dissuaded from going to the cinemas in the first weekend under the belief that producers of other films will come up with similar schemes after the first weekend and hence they will wait for the weekend to get over. You probably did not read the response of a cinema owner to my tweet: “Multiplexes selling tickets at throwaway prices in the first week itself is slow poison for the industry. See a post on our Facebook: a patron wanted to watch a movie which was not being screened at ours. Another patron asked him to wait for Monday as the multiplexes will have throwaway prices and he could watch it then.” Next what? Distributing free tickets just so that the first week’s total comes to a respectable figure? It is like a producer making a film, and then buying tickets himself for free distribution to show that the film has collected so well and prove that his film is a hit. Does the baker buy his entire stock of bread and feel happy about doing great business? Explained differently, it is our duty — as journalists — to present a true picture of the trade. If you remember, some weeks back, I had also exposed the trend of corporate bookings to mislead people into believing that the business of films is what it actually isn’t. Any person who loves the film trade and cares for it should be critical of practices like the above.  

Will Shaitaan take a good start on 1st March?

– Horror films often open well. Having said that, it must be added that Ajay Devgan needs to pump up the publicity of the film for a better initial because the awareness about the supernatural film is not optimum. He still has three weeks to garner more excitement for the film.  

Is Aamir Khan producing the remake of Hollywood film Champions?

– Yes, he is. Its shooting has already started. The film is titled SITARE ZAMEEN PAR. The Hollywood CHAMPIONS (2023) is itself the remake of a Spanish film of the same name and released in 2018. SZP is being directed by R.S. Prasanna who had made SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN. 

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.

Why did Samrat Prithviraj not take a flying start today?

– The film’s trailers and songs failed to generate excitement for the film among the paying public. Perhaps, that’s why producer Aditya Chopra released a second trailer of the film before the film’s release today (3rd June). The silver lining, however, is that collections showed a rise in many cities as the day progressed.

Does tax-exemption granted to films help boost their box-office collections?

– Since a state government can only exempt a film from its share of the GST (which is 9%), tax exemption does not really help too much as the reduction in ticket prices is not large. Also, exhibitors resent tax-exemption nowadays because the state government asks them to first deposit the GST with the treasury, and then apply for refund from the state. That means, exhibitors have to deposit the 9% GST which they don’t collect from the public, with the state government treasury. Needless to add, the refund takes forever to come. Several exhibitors, therefore, prefer to not screen the film at tax-free rates. Instead, they reduce ticket prices but charge 18% GST so that they don’t have to wait for years — yes, years! — to get the refund from the state governments.

With South stars like Yash, Jr. NTR, Ram Charan and Allu Arjun’s films scoring in Hindi, I had thought that the Hindi dubbed version of Kamal Haasan’s Vikram Hit List would also open well today. But I was wrong. Why did it open so poorly?

– Not all South stars are popular with the Hindi film-going audiences who seem to prefer younger heroes. Kamal Haasan starrers did not do well in Hindi-speaking areas even when he was young, so how could you expect VIKRAM HIT LIST to take a good start today? While on the film, let me inform you that its shows had to be cancelled in several cinemas due to absence of audience.

How would you describe the first half of 2022 for the box-office?

– It’s been fairly good. Although there have been many flops, some films like K.G.F. CHAPTER 2, RRR, THE KASHMIR FILES, BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2 and GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI have done well, most of them amazingly well. Besides, there’s still a week to go before the first half’s releases can be analysed. Wait for JUGJUGG JEEYO to hit the screens.

We keep saying that the audience today has become very smart and, therefore, mediocre films will not work any longer. I’ve been hearing this since donkey’s years. Can you tell me, when was the audience not smart?

– You are absolutely right. The paying public has always been smart. Anybody who has to spend his hard-earned money on something, is inherently clever enough to weigh the pros and cons before spending it. And that’s true not just for a film ticket priced at Rs. 100 or Rs. 200 but also for even a rupee spent on anything. Only thing, since people have access to more information now, thanks to social media, their smartness has increased. But that happens in any sphere. Besides, today, the audience has a lot of choices in the form of content on OTT platforms, making the competition for films more severe. Otherwise, poor content has never worked, and it never will!

Is it true that Raksha Bandhan will be premiered on an OTT platform?

– Not at all! Zee has acquired all the rights of the film for a phenomenal price and can’t dream of forgoing theatrical release. It will hit the screens on 11th August.

Why is the pre-release promotion of some films not up to the mark? After all, when producers spend so much to make their films, why can’t they market them well?

– Like making films is a gamble, marketing them is also a gamble. Whether the marketing strategy will work with the public or not, is not easy to predict. So, sometimes, a film’s promotion budget may be big but the quality of promotion and, therefore, its impact may be below the mark. Oftentimes, producers lose steam by the time their film is complete, and they have no money or little money left to promote and market their film.

Will there be a clash between Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan on Eid or will it be averted?

– There will very likely be a big clash this Eid because the producers of both the films seem inclined to release their film on Eid. The shootings of both, BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN and MAIDAAN, are complete, and their post-production work is on in full swing. There is very little chance, therefore, of the release plans of any of the two films changing.

I have a fabulous story but I am unable to put together a film project. Where am I going wrong?

– Who has said that your story is fabulous? Is it your belief or has someone who understands scripts and is independent, said so? If it is only you who believes in the script but not any actor or producer or financier, chances are that you are going wrong in the assessment of the story.