By Surendra Bhatia
Lord Ganesh, harbinger of all things auspicious, has come and just departed but the season of festivity that He set alight will run for the next few months till the end of the year, which will give way, abruptly but also predictably, to the early New Year Friday jinx. Till then, the boom time has begun, for much of the country but specifically for Bollywood.
Bollywood is no longer burdened to rake it all in during the months from now till the beginning of January next year, as has been the case for many years. Yes, there was a time when much of the year was largely bare, with films cashing in only during the latter months. Presently, it could be said that even if flops are overwhelmingly and consistently visible, successful films are more evenly spread out during the year. The latest example is that of Mission Mangal, which has done extremely well at the box-office, despite its seemingly documentary-like subject. Fortunately, the earlier months of the year have begun to see more hits than before, decreasing the load on the festive season.
Nevertheless, the hopes that Diwali would bring in huge hits, and Christmas would provide the right glitter to celebrate the New Year still run high. It’s traditionally the Diwali film that is the biggest and most-talked-about project of the year and much is expected of it, justifiably. It is the film with the greatest chances of success, provided, of course, it earns it through entertainment. Bollywood may not now have all its eggs in the Diwali basket but when it comes through safely and in one piece, rewarding the film, the jubilation runs throughout the industry.
This time, a tried and tested entertainer, fourth in the Housefull series, will go all the way to woo Goddess Laxmi on Diwali. The success or lack of it will affect the sentiments with which 2019 would be remembered. But before that, it is on the Mahatma’s birthday, October 2, that two biggies will clash, one (Syeraa Narasimha Reddy) dubbed, and the other (War), an original Hindi film. As you can see, the season has truly begun, with clashes in the offing and huge expectations generated to set the year off on a high. Within the industry, the spirits are slightly higher at this time of the year, smiles are broader and optimism rules. Now, if only the much-anticipated films deliver to the hilt, it could be safely said that the country may take its time to get over the economic slump but Bollywood, with four-five big hits till January beginning, is all sorted out and flying high. The hits have to come… be positive.
