After the bombing of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan, what are your thoughts on star prices?

– Star prices are not high, they are very very high. And this has been the case since time immemorial. The bombing of the two Eid releases — BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN and MAIDAAN — only underlines this harsh reality. Having said that, let me add that in spite of stars charging exorbitantly, producers are queueing up to sign them. So you can’t expect stars to reduce their remunerations. Nobody is so conscientious that he would of his own volition announce a cut in his fees. They will continue to demand sky-high prices along as producers are willing to pay them. And this is happening because saleable stars are in short supply.

Why did Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 not open to even average houses today? After all, Love Sex Aur Dhokha had done well at the box-office.

– LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA was released 14 years ago — in 2010. Fourteen years is too long a gap for benefits to accrue from the first film. Besides, the promotion of LSD 2 is not half as good as it ought to have been.

Distributors of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan fought tooth and nail with exhibitors and chain holders for showcasing of their films last week. But ultimately, both the films fared so miserably that their shows had to be reduced and re-distributed among the already running films. What would you call this situation?

– A joke… a BIG JOKE. Just goes to underline how far removed from reality the distributors of both the films were. Frankly, showcasing becomes an ego issue when two big-budget films are pitted against each other. Each distributor thinks, the public will patronise his film if he has more number of shows. But the fact is that from the Friday on which the films are released, the public doesn’t care who gets how many shows. What they look out for is entertainment. They will patronise the film which offers them more entertainment. Nothing else matters. N-O-T-H-I-N-G E-L-S-E!   

While the start of both the big releases of this week were pathetic, why did Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan take a bigger initial than Ajay Devgan’s Maidaan on Thursday (April 11)? I ask this question because while Akshay Kumar’s recent films (with the exception of OMG 2) and Tiger Shroff’s recent films have fared poorly, Ajay Devgan’s most recent film, Shaitaan, did very well at the box-office.

– It is not just the performance of the last film or last few films of the stars that governs the opening of their next film but a host of other factors too. BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN is a mass-oriented film whereas MAIDAAN is less of a mass film. As you know, mass films invariably open better than films which are not predominantly mass-appealing. Also, the release of MAIDAAN was first announced for April 2022. Its actual release in April 2024 implies a delay of two full years. The public got the impression that it must be a stale film. One has got to be very careful while announcing his film’s release because in the age of social media, nothing escapes the attention of the public. Another reason for both the films opening to dull houses is the absence of popular songs in them.

What about the owners of cinemas which had been taken over for running by Carnival? Most of the cinemas had complained of huge amount of accumulated dues not being cleared by Carnival. Now that Carnival is shut, have those cinemas been paid their dues?

– Carnival is under liquidation. You must be aware that when it’s a question of liquidation, things are not settled so seamlessly. Most of the cinemas have their properties back but their dues, running into lakhs and crores of rupees, are still outstanding. Perhaps, the liquidation order will bring them some relief. As for the original properties of Carnival, many of them were acquired by the Miraj group. Some prime properties were purchased by PVR. As for Shrikant Bhasi, the founder of Carnival Cinemas, he has started another chain of cinemas, which goes by the name of My Cinemas. The company has started from South India but is trying to woo cinemas in the rest of India too, for collaboration! Yes, it may sound weird but it’s true.

Whose is the more difficult job — the writer’s, director’s or the actor’s?

– No job is easy. For a film to succeed, the script has to be good, it has to be well narrated (by the director) and well enacted (by the actors). Yet, the writer’s job must be the most difficult because he has to start from scratch. The director and the actors have the script to go by, but the writer has nothing.

How has the first quarter of 2024 been in comparison to that of 2023?

– If you compare the first quarters of 2024 and 2023, this year’s first quarter has, obviously, been far less than last year’s. Just one PATHAAN in the first quarter of 2023 is enough to put to shame the first quarter of this year. Having said that, it must be added that even otherwise, the first quarter hasn’t been very good this year. In fact, exhibitors are a nervous lot after the performance of most of the films in the first quarter of this year.

Why are producers making content for cities rather than for smaller centres?

– Because the admission rates are much higher in the multiplexes in cities than in single-screen cinemas of the smaller centres. So it makes commercial sense for producers to make films for the city audience as the high admission rates assure them of profitability with lesser footfalls than if they make content for smaller centres.

Arrange the following in order of importance for opening of a film on the Friday of release: a film’s title, trailer, songs, star cast, director and producer?

– Varies from film to film, but mostly, the order would be: star cast, trailer, songs, title, director, producer. Although a director is the captain of the ship, not many among the audience give him due importance, at least as far as the initial value of a film is concerned.

Once again this week, it’s the Hollywood film, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which has opened better than the Bollywood film, Crew, at many centres. What’s even more surprising is that the Hollywood film has computer-generated characters playing the heroes whereas the Bollywood film has three leading ladies. Isn’t this strange?

– Not really strange. There have been several occasions when a Hollywood film has opened bigger than a Bollywood film, that too, with a saleable hero or two in the Bollywood film. GODZILLA and KONG are big brands and this Hollywood film had to open big. Also, CREW doesn’t have any heroes (Diljit Dosanjh is in a special appearance), and we all know that heroine-oriented films often don’t open big. In spite of that, the initial of CREW is quite praiseworthy.

Will Excel Entertainment make a Madgaon Express franchise just like its Fukrey franchise?

– They could. The story of MADGAON EXPRESS was such that it could afford itself to a series.

Any pre-release reports of Maidaan?

– The film is carrying excellent pre-release reports. People who’ve seen the film are raving about the second half in particular. They say, it leaves you in tears at several places.

Why don’t the producers of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan come on different dates instead of clashing on Eid?

– This is easier said than done. No producer would like to forgo the Eid week because it definitely translates into enhanced collections. Since both, BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN and MAIDAAN, are hugely budgeted films, every such benefit (like a potentially bountiful week) is an additional factor to maximise revenues.

Last week, Yodha took a dull start. This week, it is Madgaon Express and Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, which have opened to weak houses. Do these dull initials tell a story?

– Yes, these are alarming initials. This means that unless the audience find something super-exciting in the trailers, they are not in a mood to rush to the cinemas. This has happened post-COVID because one section of the public is spending its money on films very judiciously. They will go to the cinemas only when they are convinced that it will be worth the ticket prices. Admission rates must be brought down for films starring heroes who aren’t hot. The sooner the industry realises this, the better it would be.

What did you think of the trailer of Crew? Will the film open well?

– The trailer has made a place for itself in people’s hearts. There is a certain amount of craze that has developed for the film after the trailer was released.

Why has Bastar The Naxal Story not taken even an average opening today after the stupendous success of the same banner and same director’s The Kerala Story?

– The average cinema goer is not aware that the production house and director of the two films are the same. BASTAR THE NAXAL STORY simply did not generate heat among the public.

Don’t you think, Yodha could’ve done without songs?

– My counter-question to you is: why should it not have songs? Since the songs in the film are so wonderful, it is good that there are three songs.

What do you think of the move by T-Series and Luv Films to make a sequel to De De Pyaar De? They announced it recently.

– An intelligent move!

What is the public reaction to the trailer of Ajay Devgan’s Maidaan?

– The trailer is being loved by the public. The film seems to have box-office ingredients like patriotism, family emotions and sports, all in good measure.  

Why did Ajay Devgan buy the remaking rights of Gujarati Vash when it was not a hit?

– Ajay liked the subject but felt, the ending was problematic. He acquired the remaking rights so that he could improve on the film’s ending and then remake it in Hindi. And that’s what he has done.

Why is the trade in panic mode these days?

– The panic mode has been triggered by the lacklustre performance of films at the box-office. Since films are not doing well, the entire cycle of payments from exhibitors has gone for a toss. This affects both the other sectors — production and distribution.

On the one hand, we have stars like Shah Rukh Khan and producers like Aditya Chopra, who don’t believe in promoting their films, and on the other, there are stars like Akshay Kumar and producers like Vashu Bhagnani who promote their films very aggressively. Who is right?

– In this industry, there’s nothing as right or wrong. To each his own! Sometimes, films become hits without promotion too. At other times, optimum promotion doesn’t even guarantee a decent opening. Every film is different and hence a call about the level of promotion needs to be taken for each film. There is no sacrosanct formula which can be applied to all films.  

With the kind of poor initial this week’s Laapataa Ladies has taken, does it stand any chance at the ticket windows?

– Haven’t you heard of films picking up due to positive word of mouth? LAAPATAA LADIES belongs to that list of films which open poor but go on to score on the strength of mouth publicity.  

In the face-off between Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan in Eid, which star will score over which? In other words, which film will open better — Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan or Ajay Devgan’s Maidaan?

– Too early to predict. Depends on so many factors: music of the two films, trailers, promotional strategies, level of promotion, etc.  

What did you think of the trailer of Shaitaan?

– It is a wonderful trailer. The intrigue value is immense!  

What worked for HanuMan? Its dubbed Hindi version has done so well!

– The mythological angle. If well done, mythological films work even today.  

There are rumours that Maidaan might be postponed again. Is it true?

– Not true! There is no change in the release date of MAIDAAN. It will hit the screens on 10th April in the Eid week. 

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.