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! 

Why did the producers of Sam Bahadur release it this week in opposition of Animal? Don’t you think, the clash could have been avoided?

– The clash between ANIMAL and SAM BAHADUR could have been avoided and, more importantly, should have been avoided. SAM BAHADUR is the kind of film which needed to be released without any strong opposition. ANIMAL was too formidable an opposition for SAM BAHADUR. And the result of releasing SAM BAHADUR in direct opposition of ANIMAL is there for all to see today. While ANIMAL has opened to bumper houses, the initial of SAM BAHADUR is dull.

How important is Sam Bahadur for Vicky Kaushal’s career?

– Every film is important for the actor who stars in it. Otherwise, why would he sign the film in the first place?

When will The Kerala Story come on OTT? On which OTT platform will it stream?

– No OTT platform has acquired the streaming rights of THE KERALA STORY. All the platforms find it too hot to handle. Therefore, you may not get to watch it on any digital platform. 

How much business will Tiger 3 do in India?

– The all-India net collections will be in the region of Rs. 275 crore. While this may be a good figure per se, it is not up to the mark for a TIGER franchise film. Yes, it is a very profitable venture for Yash Raj Films, but it is definitely a dent on the TIGER franchise because it will do less business at the Indian box-office than the second part of the franchise, viz. TIGER ZINDA HAI did. The net total collections of TZH in India were around Rs. 340 crore.

Why was this week’s Farrey not promoted well enough? After all, it’s a Salman Khan production venture, that too starring his niece, Alizeh.

– It’s weird that so many small films are released theatrically without proper promotion. That seems to have become the trend. FARREY is an addition to that list of films.

Do reviews differ depending upon whether a film is released in the cinemas or on OTT?

– Yes, reviews are bound to differ depending upon whether a film is released theatrically or on OTT. That’s because the audience judge a film differently when it is released in the cinemas and they have to pay to watch it as against when it is streaming on OTT and they don’t have to pay money in that sense of the term. Subscription money for the OTT platform, it is assumed, has been paid in the past and it is for all films and web series on the platform, not for a particular film only. 

Is the pro-Pakistan angle of Tiger 3 the only reason for the lack of approval by a section of the audience?

– Yes, it is one of the several reasons, and a major one at that! Even the pro-Pakistan angle may have worked had the writers and director made a strong foundation for the pro-Pakistan angle. But they seem to have simply assumed that the public would accept it because they (makers) want it that way. Obviously, that could never have happened… and it didn’t happen.

Between Salman Khan’s special appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, and Shah Rukh Khan’s special appearance in Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, which was the better one?

– Of course, Salman Khan’s special appearance in PATHAAN was far better than Shah Rukh’s special appearance in TIGER 3. That’s largely because the writing in PATHAAN was of a far superior quality. The two scenes of PATHAAN, in which Salman Khan made appearances, were so seamlessly written that they blended beautifully in the film’s drama. Also, the two scenes were outstanding otherwise too. However, the writing of TIGER 3, including that of the Shah Rukh Khan sequence, was half-baked.

What kind of opening do you expect Animal to take on 1st December?

– ANIMAL will, in all likelihood, take a fantastic initial on 1st December.

What are your predictions about the first day’s collections of Tiger 3? Will the opening day’s figure be the highest ever?

– The first day’s figure can’t be the highest ever because the film will release on the day of Diwali (Laxmi pooja). This may be a festive holiday but a lot of public of The Hindu community do not frequent cinemas on that day because they are bust with the festivities which include the Laxmi pooja, visiting family, relatives and friends, bursting crackers, etc. Also, several cinemas suspend a show or two on that day so that their staff members can celebrate the festival (including performing the Laxmi pooja) with their families. Shows suspended translates in to loss of revenue.

Will Vikrant Massey now get offers of commercial films from regular and big banners, after the success of his 12th Fail?

– He should! It will be a tragedy if commercial filmmakers and big producers even now don’t consider him as an actor who can deliver. But, I think, producers will wake up to the fact that he is a fantastic actor.

Why did producer Dinesh Vijan release Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video in cinemas without any publicity or promotion?

– Yes, you are right. He shouldn’t have released it in cinemas without enough promotion. The film was actually made for OTT release. A theatrical release was an afterthought.

Why has Tiger 3 been planned for release on Sunday (12th November) instead of the usual Friday (10th November)?

– Since the producer’s/distributor’s share is 52.50% (it is assumed that the film will net more than the benchmark figure of Rs. 70.37 crore in the first week and hence the share will be 52.50% instead of 50%) for the first 8 days, the producer must be expecting to make a killing if the film hits the screens on Sunday as Diwali falls on that day. He may be fearing that since Friday and Saturday are pre-Diwali days, collections may not be as massive as on Sunday. Two out of the eight days (of 52.50% share) registering collections which aren’t optimal for a film of the kind of craze which TIGER 3 has generated could translate into a big loss. The amounts receivable from the box-office as producer’s/distributor’s share at the rates of 45% in 2nd week, 37.50% in third week and 30% in and from the fourth week onwards will also be impacted differently if the film is released on Sunday instead of Friday. In other words, it makes sense for the producer to have bumper collections in the earlier days as the percentage share is higher on those days. For a film like TIGER 3, the share could vary to the extent of Rs. 1.50-2 crore or even more depending on whether the film is released on November 10 or 12. And that, you would agree, is not a small amount.

Has business revived post-COVID, in the true sense of the word?

– You bet, it has! We’ve not seen so many blockbusters in one year, have we? JAWAN, GADAR 2, PATHAAN and THE KERALA STORY in one year! And two months still to go! You never know, there just might be two or three more blockbusters in the last two months of the year!

I’m confused. Is it content that works or marketing? I ask this question because I’ve seen several films without merits working big time at the box-office because they were well promoted.

– And who told you that they worked because of promotion? You may not have liked those films but your opinion can’t matter more than the opinions of the lakhs of people who liked the film which therefore became a blockbuster. Promotion can work its magic for one show or a day but what counts thereafter is the content. People often think, if they haven’t liked a film, it is bad. I’d say, their judgement is bad.

How is the craze for Tiger 3 building up?

– The craze for TIGER 3 is building up wonderfully well. The excitement level for the film is very high — not just in the exhibition trade but also among the public.

What kind of net collections can one expect in the last two months of this year?

– Since there are four major releases — TIGER 3, ANIMAL, DUNKI and SALAAR (dubbed) — scheduled for release in November and December this year, besides several others, the net collections for the two months for all-India could easily cross Rs. 1,500 crore or even touch Rs. 2,000 crore.

Why are so many films released without the optimal level of publicity and marketing?

– At the time of release, producers are invariably short of funds, having spent their money on the making of their films. They then hope that mouth publicity would do the trick. But for mouth publicity to work, there has first to be some awareness about the film and its release, and some amount of interest generated among the public for the film. That can happen only with promotion.

Even educational institutes like the IIT and the IIM invite film industry celebrities for talk shows nowadays. What is the idea behind such shows?

– Educational institutes nowadays believe in giving their students a 360-degree view of the world. Since the entertainment industry is a very significant part of the world, talk shows with celebrities from that world are in vogue.

I am an exhibitor and I’m wondering what I should screen till Diwali. Can you help?

– It’s going to be tough because many of the running films are flops while those which are good and running in cinemas, have more or less exhausted their run. And the next film, which seems to have the potential to draw huge crowds, is only TIGER 3, but that will release on Diwali. Till then, it may be difficult for the cinemas to attract the audience in large numbers.

When big films were flopping in more than usual numbers, it was being said that the era of stars is over. Now that star-studded films like Pathaan, Gadar 2 and Jawan have worked wonders at the box-office, what happens to that theory of ‘era of stars is over’?

– The problem with the trade people is that they are unwilling to accept that big stars can sometimes go wrong with their choice of films. Since time immemorial, top stars have delivered hits, blockbusters and duds. There’s nothing new about star-studded fares flopping. Just because a few more films than expected flopped at the turnstiles in no way means that the era of stars is over.

In the good old days, there was never a hue and cry raised over the release of a film’s trailer, as today. Then why so much brouhaha today?

– In those days, there was no social media. Today, with platforms like YouTube and social media, a trailer can reach millions of people in a minute. Hence the importance given to the release of trailers.

Some things about the functioning of the film trade are weird. For instance, small films require more promotion than big-budgeted and star-cast films because awareness about them is low, but such small films are rarely well promoted. Can’t this change?

– Yes, it is weird. But producers of small films rarely think of promotional budgets when they make those films. Initially, the aim is to get the film started any which way. By the time the film is completed, budgets are exhausted and, therefore, hardly anything remains to promote the film. But since it has to be released quickly, promotion goes out of the window. So the fault lies with the individual producers who don’t think in totality. Meri film kisi bhi tarha shuru ho jaaye, chalna-chalaana toh Bhagwan ke haath mein hai — this is their thought process which is not cent per cent true. Nobody thinks that agar chalna-chalaana Bhagwan ke haath mein ho sakta hai toh film banaana bhi Bhagwan ke haath mein hona chahiye.

Your thoughts on the teaser of Vicky Kaushal starrer Sam Bahadur?

– It’s good but not extraordinary. It did not have the goosebumps effect which one expects in a film of this kind.

Why did this week’s Mission Raniganj not open to at least decent houses?

– Its promotion was so low-key that awareness about its release was low. Hence it couldn’t have taken a good start. Besides, Akshay Kumar has been going through a rough patch as far as his career is concerned. The success of the recent OMG 2 is, in the public minds, not exactly the success of an Akshay starrer because he didn’t play the main lead in it.

There was a time when love stories made by established banners and introducing newcomers were eagerly awaited by the public and hence took good openings when they were released. But Rajshri’s love story, Dono, with two newcomers in the lead roles, has not opened well this week. Any reason?

– Generally speaking, only those films open well which become ‘hot’ in people’s minds after their trailers are released and/or if their songs become hits. Nothing of the sort happened with DONO. So there seemed to be no reason for the public to rush to the cinemas to watch DONO on the opening day.

What did you think of the Animal trailer?

– Very interesting, engaging and entertaining!