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The coronavirus pandemic has taken over so much of our mind space that when we talk about year 2020, it is only the dreaded virus and the lockdown it necessitated that crowd the mind. However, the first three months of the year gone by did have their share of happy tidings for Bollywood.
ONLY BLOCKBUSTER OF 2020
Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior opened on 10th January, 2020 and went on to become a blockbuster. Baaghi 3, which released in March 2020, was also a successful fare. Other than these two films, no film in the first three months set the cash registers ringing at the ticket windows. Thappad did fair business but just about. In all, only 56 films made it to the cinemas in the first two-and-a-half months of 2020, after which cinemas were asked to down shutters because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Love Aaj Kal and Angrezi Medium were, perhaps, the biggest casualties of the first quarter of 2020 as both the films faced rejection at the turnstiles.
OTT-PREMIERED FILMS FLOPPED
Rejection seemed to be the catchword almost all through the lockdown which started in March-end and continued till the year-end in some parts of the country. Cinemas remained closed all over India from around March 15-20 till October 10, 2020. They started to reopen from October 10 but the reopening was staggered, depending on the COVID fear in the different states of India. Cinemas in some parts of the country are shut even now. Thanks to the cinema closure, several producers opted for the OTT platform to showcase their films. But even on streaming platforms, almost every new film released during lockdown faced rejection.
The move to premiere films on streaming platforms met with initial non-acceptance by the exhibition sector but it learnt to live with the new normal, however temporary, as more and more films released on streaming platforms after bypassing the cinema platform. Most of these films failed to find appreciation as they were found to be sub-standard even for home-viewing (where one doesn’t generally pay for the viewing as a quid pro quo). Whether it was the OTT premiere of the first such film, Gulabo Sitabo, or of Dil Bechara, the most anticipated film of the lockdown months, if only because its hero, Sushant Singh Rajput, had committed suicide a few weeks before its OTT release, or of the much-hyped Sadak 2 or of lucky hero Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii or even of the last film of 2020, Coolie No. 1, the public reports were the same — bad! Perhaps, the only films which seemed to have entertained the audiences at home were Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and Ludo.
FEW RELEASES IN CINEMAS AFTER REOPENING OF CINEMAS
After the reopening of cinemas post-lockdown, film releases have been few and far between. Although cinemas reopened in more than half of India in October, there was no new release in that month. This was mainly because cinemas did not reopen in Bombay and Maharashtra until November. The first release was Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari in the Diwali week in November. This was followed by films like Vinash Kaal and Peninsula (dubbed) in November, and Tenet (dubbed), Indoo Ki Jawani, Sayonee, Omprakash Zindabad, WW84 (dubbed), Shakeela and Tute Kanch in December. In all, only ten films released in the cinemas in the last almost two months. Adding these ten films to the 56 films released in cinemas prior to the lockdown, the tally went up to 66 films in the entire year. The figure of 66 new films has to be viewed in light of the extraordinary situation created by the pandemic and the lockdown. Effectively, Bollywood has had 66 new releases in just five months as there was not a single new release in cinemas from the month of April to October. Of the five months, November and December, the two months after the lockdown was lifted, were not too conducive for new releases.
ONLY 66 FILMS IN CINEMAS IN 2020
Bifurcating the 2020 releases as original Hindi and dubbed, the figures were as follows:
In January 2020, there were 22 Hindi films and 3 dubbed films which opened.
In February 2020, only 2 dubbed films opened as against 24 Hindi films.
The month of March saw 4 Hindi films and just 1 dubbed film hitting the screens.
In November 2020, there were just 2 Hindi films and 1 dubbed film which opened in the cinemas.
The corresponding figures for December 2020 were 5 Hindi and 2 dubbed films.
In all, 57 Hindi films and 9 dubbed films were released in the cinemas in 2020.
19 FILMS ON OTT IN 7 MONTHS
Besides the cinema releases, there were many big-screen films which opened on streaming platforms beginning from the month of June and continuing till December. All these films were original Hindi films. In other words, there were no dubbed films which were premiered on streaming platforms during the lockdown. In all, 19 films bypassed the cinema platform and were premiered on OTT platforms in the seven months from June to December 2020.
June 2020: Gulabo Sitabo (Amazon Prime Video).
July 2020: Dil Bechara (Disney+ Hotstar), Shakuntala Devi (Amazon Prime Video), Lootcase (Disney+ Hotstar), Raat Akeli Hai (Netflix), Yaara (Zee5).
August 2020: My Client’s Wife (ShemarooMe), Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (Netflix), Khuda Haafiz (Disney+ Hotstar), Mee Raqsam (Zee5), Sadak 2 (Disney+ Hotstar).
September 2020: Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare (Netflix).
October 2020: Khaali Peeli (ZeePlex and Zee5), Ginny Weds Sunny (Netflix).
November 2020: Laxmii (Disney+ Hotstar), Ludo (Netflix), Chhalaang (Amazon Prime Video).
December 2020: Durgamati – The Myth (Amazon Prime Video), Coolie No. 1 (Amazon Prime Video).
In all, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar premiered 5 films each. ZeePlex/Zee5 had 3 releases while ShemarooMe had just 1.
Totally, there were 66 films released in cinemas, and 19 films which released on OTT platforms. Hence the total number of new films released was 85.
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CINEMAS IN DIRE STRAITS
The coronavirus pandemic lockdown resulted in mutiplexes and single-screen cinemas suffering such back-breaking losses that several cinemas and multiplexes may never be able to reopen.
FEWER FILMS ON SETS
Post-lockdown, shootings resumed but the number of films on sets was far lower than what it would’ve been in normal conditions. Strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) had to be followed on sets, as a result of which fewer films mounted the sets despite shootings being permitted from June-July. Another reason why fewer films mounted the sets after shootings were permitted was that producers were unable to decide on their film budgets because of the uncertainty about estimated revenues from cinemas. Since nobody knew how long it would take for the box-office to return to pre-COVID levels, producers were in a dilemma as far as budgeting their films was concerned. However, films like Bell Bottom and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui were completed in single start-to-finish schedules after the lockdown was lifted. When shootings were permitted, persons above the age of 65 were initially not allowed to participate in the shootings but this condition in the SOPs was struck down by the Bombay high court as being discriminatory against the elderly. Unfortunately, actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar, who was 79 years old, died of COVID-19 which she contracted during shooting of a TV serial at Satara (in Maharashtra).
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SANJAY DUTT’S HEALTH ISSUES
Sanjay Dutt sent alarm bells ringing in August when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. However, he seemed to have overcome the dreaded disease and was shooting in full swing after treatment.
SHOCKING DEATHS
Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Jagdeep, music director Wajid Khan, director Nishikant Kamat, choreographer Saroj Khan, cinematographer Ishwar Bidri and singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam were among those who bid adieu during the year under question. All these deaths took place during the depressing lockdown.
ONE DEMISE… AND A HUNDRED PROBLEMS
Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise on June 14 sent shock waves in the nation as people speculated whether it was a case of suicide or murder. More than six months later, the mystery had not been officially solved although there was speculation that it was death by suicide. As an aftermath of the death, Bollywood celebrities like Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Salman Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mahesh Bhatt and some others were dragged into horrific media-created controversies. Many of them were blamed for driving Sushant to suicide and some of them were even accused of murdering him! His girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, was jailed for buying drugs for him while he was alive. Her brother, Showik, also served jail time. Both were released on bail. The CBI investigations into the death case shifted the spotlight on Bollywood and drug consumption in the industry. Many celebrities were interrogated by the Narcotics Control Bureau, a couple of other industry people were also arrested. The Enforcement Directorate also stepped in to probe whether Rhea had siphoned off funds from Rajput’s account. Nothing came out of most of the investigations.
Besides Sushant, several other industry people, like actor Asif Basra, also committed suicide. It was probably the impact of the lockdown and the depression it brought in people rendered jobless.
COURTROOM DRAMAS
Thirty-four top producers and four film trade associations filed a joint petition in the Delhi high court against a couple of TV news channels for their allegedly biased reportage of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The five months after his alleged suicide on June 14 were witness to media trials of the kind rarely seen in Bollywood or even electronic media history. Javed Akhtar filed a defamation suit against Kangana Ranaut for saying in an interview to a TV news channel that he (Akhtar) was part of a Bollywood suicide gang. Rakul Preet Singh also filed a petition in the Delhi high court for action to be taken against some television news channels for publishing slanderous material against her, relating to drug abuse.
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BIG-BUDGET FILMS WAITED FOR CINEMA BUSINESS TO NORMALISE
After remaining shut for seven months, cinemas were finally allowed to reopen from 10th October. Even after the reopening, footfalls in cinemas were very low. Because of this, producers of big-budget films were wary of releasing their films in theatres. Sooryavanshi and 83 had been announced for release in March and April 2020 but they are still to see the light of the day and the dark of the cinema halls. While many producers opted to premiere their films on OTT platforms instead of waiting indefinitely for cinemas to reopen, there were others like Aditya Chopra who steadfastly stood in support of the theatres. His Bunty Aur Babli 2, Shamshera, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar are all awaiting theatrical release in the new year.
INTERNAL CONFLICTS UNRESOLVED
Soon after cinemas reopened, topics of revenue-sharing, exclusive cinema window, and Virtual Print Fee (VPF) became the bones of contention between exhibitors on the one hand and producers/distributors on the other. The Multiplex Association of India (MAI), ruled by the national multiplex chains, preferred to negotiate with individual producers for obvious reasons. Non-national multiplexes and single-screen cinemas all along felt slighted as producers/distributors preferred to keep them out of discussions. Non-national multiplexes and single-screen cinemas were game for releasing films which had been premiered on streaming platforms during the lockdown, but national multiplex chains were not. Much later, a couple of films like Khaali Peeli, which had been released on OTT platforms, did make it to the non-national multiplexes and single-screen cinemas.
PIRACY BY CINEMAS!
Cinemas in smaller centres indulged in piracy of films which were premiered on OTT platforms after cinemas had reopened in October 2020. Dejected that producers were not thinking of the cinema platform by simultaneously releasing those films in theatres too, cinema owners of small centres screened those films without having the rights. In this way, Laxmii, Durgamati – The Myth and Coolie No. 1 were screened in cinemas although their theatrical rights were never sold.
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STARS SHONE BRIGHT
Stars opened their purse strings and their hearts to help the needy during the lockdown. Sonu Sood worked day and night to ensure that those stranded reached their homes safely. Not only did he help them financially but he also provided them the much-needed succour. Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar were the others who impressed with their large-heartedness.
RAJINIKANTH QUIT POLITICS BEFORE JOINING
Rajinikanth was to have made his political debut in the new year (2021) but he decided against the same for health reasons. He was hospitalised for fluctuating blood pressure and exhaustion in December in Hyderabad. After being discharged from hospital, he announced his decision to remain away from active politics because of health reasons. A lot of WhatsApp jokes did the rounds after this announcement. It was said that Rajinikanth was the only hero who could retire from politics without joining it!
MAHARASHTRA VERSUS UTTAR PRADESH
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that he would build a state-of-the-art film city in NOIDA to attract film shootings to the state. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray took offence and declared that Maharashtra was the birth place of Bollywood, and nobody could take the industry away from the state.
PANDEMIC PREGNANCIES
Among the few good news in the last nine months were those of the pregnancies of Anushka Sharma and Kareena Kapoor Khan. While Kareena is expecting her and Saif Ali Khan’s second child, Anushka and her cricketer-husband, Virat Kohli, will become parents for the first time.