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. 

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. 

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. 

Why did Fighter take such a terrible start yesterday?

– The start was below the mark due to several reasons: the odd-day (Thursday) release, the lack of pre-release heat generated for the film, and people’s boredom with the India-Pakistan drama. Having said that, let us add that collections did pick up as the day progressed, but they continued to be pathetic in pockets.

Is it true that Ajay Devgan is unwell and hence not shooting nowadays?

– He was unwell as the retina of his left eye was affected due to an eye injury sustained on the set of SINGHAM AGAIN more than a fortnight back. His treatment is in progress. He resumed shooting for non-action scenes earlier this week.

Is Bade Miyan Chote Miyan complete?

– Three songs of the film are being currently picturised in Jordan, following which BMCM will be complete as far as shooting is concerned.

Is the shooting of Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion complete?

– Not yet. Some shooting still remains to be done. That is why Kartik Aaryan is still skinnier than his usual self, looking even younger!

Why is Ole Aale, the Marathi remake of the biggest ever Gujarati blockbuster, Chal Jeevi Laiye!, not as big a hit?

– Leave alone a blockbuster, OLE AALE is not even a hit! Sometimes, remakes of blockbusters can fail to have the appeal of the original.

With the BJP’s Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration due on 22nd January, the nation is completely in the grip of a BJP wave. In such a scenario, Main Atal Hoon, a biopic of BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee, should have opened big, isn’t it?

– Film performance, initial, run, etc. are not so simple to assess. It is never 2 + 2 = 4 in the film trade. 

Do you feel, Fighter will open big?

– Yes, it will open very big. It has a formidable cast, its teaser is breathtaking, and its songs are being loved. Besides, we will have a big-budgeted and big star cast film releasing after a gap of some weeks. So the hunger to see a larger-than-life film would be immense.

Can’t the clash between Singham Again and Pushpa 2: The Rule be averted? We all know the tension which exhibitors and the distributors of Dunki and Salaar had to go through in the days leading up to their release on 21st/22nd December, 2023.

– The clash seems to be unavoidable because the scheduled week of release of the two films has two major holidays — Independence Day (Thursday, 15th August) which is when the films will hit the screens, and Raksha Bandhan festival (Monday, 19th August). I don’t think, the producers of the two aforementioned films would like to forgo such a phenomenal week.

I’ve heard of this new concept of corporate bookings. What does it mean?

– It’s not very new. Producers/stars book tickets of their own films in bulk and distribute them among employees of big corporate houses. In this way, they are assured of bigger box-office collections officially even if that means buying tickets and distributing them for free. Of course, many of the corporate employees (who get free tickets) may decide to not go to watch the film. That’s how the show may be, say, 80-85% full on paper but barely 40-45% full actually. It is mostly a few top stars who resort to this gimmick because that’s how they make their brand value (for endorsement assignments) soar higher or avoid it from falling down! In a way, it is nothing short of a racket.