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. 

To what would you give more importance in a film — director, story writer or star cast?

– To the story — even more than the story writer. A good story will work even with a lesser star cast and a mediocre director. But not even the best director and/or star cast can do much with a dull story.

What’s changing faster — society or our films?

– Society, for sure. Our films are often a reflection of society. Even otherwise, some things in our films have not changed since donkey’s years.

Will AI (Artificial Intelligence) impact the film industry?

– It will — and there can be no doubt about it. How will it impact? Only time will tell!

How would you rate year 2023 from the box-office point of view?

– Outstanding! To have four of the five all-time biggest blockbusters released this year is no small wonder! 

Why don’t you review web series too?

– I should have the time to watch all of them. Only then can I review them.

What are your predictions for 2024 as far as the box-office is concerned?

– To say that it would match 2023 may be a tall order because 2023 was indeed an exceptionally good year. But let me just say, let’s hope for the best because we have some very exciting films lined up for release.      

Why was the initial of Dunki so unexciting?

– You can’t term the opening unexciting for the simple reason that DUNKI is not an action film which should’ve taken a bumper start. The only other genre which assures a great opening is a love story, that too, if it is eagerly anticipated, stars newcomers and boasts of super-hit music. DUNKI is not that. Frankly, the opening of DUNKI was very good. 

On the one hand, the trade people are saying that Dunki and Salaar should not have clashed. On the other hand, the same trade people feel that cinemas can accommodate two big releases on one day. So what’s right?

– It’s true that cinemas can accommodate two big releases on the same day, but it is also a fact that the optimum number of shows would not be available to either film because of the clash. Had the two films released in two different weeks, the number of shows for each of the films would’ve been optimum. Matters are more difficult because ANIMAL (which has entered its fourth week) had also to be given shows. There is also a Hollywood release — AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM — this week, which had to be accommodated by the cinemas.

Why did single-screen cinemas not open the advance booking counters of Salaar till Wednesday evening?

– Many cinemas didn’t start the plans till late Thursday evening. It’s because there was no clarity on the number of shows which would be allotted to SALAAR (dubbed). While the distributors of DUNKI were insisting on all the four shows, SALAAR (dubbed) wanted at least one or two shows in the single-screen cinemas. The advance booking windows either opened very late on Thursday, only after the matter got resolved. In many cases, the plans just didn’t open.      

What is the kind of feeling you have been getting about Dunki? I ask this question because although I am a fan of Rajkumar Hirani’s films, the trailer of Dunki did not excite me enough.

– Yes, I agree, there are people who haven’t taken much of a fancy for the trailer of DUNKI, but that’s because they’ve probably missed a very important emotion in it. The point which Shah Rukh Khan makes about the Britishers staying in India for a hundred years — without visas — and ruling over us, but now insisting on visas for Indians to enter their country will be met with applause in the film. That’s because the scene will instil in the viewers a sense of avenging the British Raj when the film unfolds on the screen. And that, in all probability, will be a very big emotion which will endear Shah Rukh and the film to the audience.

What is the biggest takeaway from the runaway success of Animal for the trade and for Ranbir Kapoor?

– For the trade, the biggest takeaway is that if the content is good, length is strength. You may recall, the trade was not at all happy about the film’s running time of 3 hours and 23 minutes. Before the film’s release, exhibitors were unhappy as they would have had to start the first show very early and also because there would have to be a restriction on the number of shows due to its unusual length. But the public didn’t complain about the film’s length. For Ranbir Kapoor, the biggest takeaway is that he has become a hero of the masses after this film. Collections of ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres for the film are of the kind never before seen for a Ranbir Kapoor starrer.

It was assumed for a long time that action films don’t go down well with the multiplex audience. What happened to that theory?

– The theory has been debunked! Sometimes, false theories are propounded, and they do the rounds for so long that they are assumed to be the gospel truth. However, in reality, they become theories only because nobody questioned them. That action films don’t work in multiplexes was one such theory which gained ground because people blindly accepted it. It is only after the stupendous success of films like RRR (dubbed) and K.G.F. CHAPTER 2 (dubbed) that the trade people started questioning the two-decades-long theory. The runaway success of films like PATHAAN, GADAR 2, JAWAN and ANIMAL this year has reiterated the fact that the theory was baseless.     

How was the CBFC so liberal in passing scenes of gruesome violence, swear words and sexual dialogues in Animal?

– The raw violence, four-letter words and sex-laden dialogues were the need of the film’s drama and that is why the CBFC cleared them by giving the film an ‘A’ certificate.

How much must the business have been impacted because of the ‘A’ certificate to Animal? In other words, how much extra business would Animal have done had it been granted a ‘UA’ certificate?

– Its net collections with a ‘UA’ certificate would’ve been around Rs. 50 crore more than they would be now, with an ‘A’ certificate. But please understand one thing: the film’s content is what is driving the business. Had the film been granted a ‘UA’ certificate, the film would have had far less violence, sexual dialogues and foul language. That would’ve reduced the business a great deal. While a section of the ladies and family audience have given the film a thumbs down because of excessive violence, four-letter words and sex-laden dialogues, there is an army of youngsters and masses, which is loving the film because of the content. The benefit (in terms of business) accruing to the film is far more than the disadvantage because of the rejection by a section of the audience. So, the business of the film would’ve been far less without the same content.

What kind of opening do you envisage for Dunki and Salaar (dubbed) on 22nd December?

– Bumper for both the films!