With the big Eid releases having flopped, and not many promising films slated for release this year, what do you foresee for the trade?
– By “not many promising films”, you mean to say that not many films hold promise of doing big business, right? If yes, you are right! But small films may turn out to be the successful ones this year. Of course, they cannot bring the big numbers one associates with big-ticket entertainers but they can, nevertheless, help the trade stay afloat. Secondly, Hollywood and the South Indian industries just might save the day for the exhibition sector. So, in reality, exhibitors and the trade should be keeping their fingers crossed for small films, Hollywood films and South Indian cinema this year.
The producers and makers of both the Eid releases this year were supremely confident about their respective film’s stupendous success. Then what went wrong?
– People connected with any film being “supremely confident” about it doesn’t mean much because every producer and every filmmaker gets so emotionally attached to his film that it is difficult to imagine them to be objective at the time of the film’s release. Besides, if they don’t exhibit confidence in their product, who will? Thirdly, the reaction of trade people in preview shows before a film’s release is, more often than not, misguiding because most of the industry people never give their honest opinion if they don’t like a film. This further fortifies the producer and director’s belief that they have made a blockbuster. Frankly, nobody wants to hear negative comments about his film, more so at the time of release. The same was true in the cases of both the Eid releases — BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN and MAIDAAN.
Is it true that Sunny Deol is not completing the films he had started before the release of Gadar 2? Why?
– It’s true. He is seeking a revision in his remuneration. In some cases, he is demanding a five- to tenfold hike in his fees! In a couple of cases, he is asking the producers to change the script. Both the demands are untenable and so, those films are in limbo. Â