By Surendra Bhatia
Bollywood and Diwali share a symbiotic relationship that often manifests itself strangely. In the week that is supposed to be the year’s most auspicious and most lucrative for new films, Bollywood usually has the least number of releases while in a week that is generally considered jinxed and harsh to new films, it has the most releases. Makes sense?
This Diwali, the auspicious week for new films, Bollywood will see the grand opening of Housefull 4, mounted as a blockbuster and expected to establish itself as one from the opening day itself. Facing it as a viewing option for the audiences is Made In China; its USP is that it stars Rajkumar Rao. Here is where Bollywood would like to put a full stop to its Diwali offerings. One film is good enough for Diwali; two are tolerable but any more than two cause consternation. The theory is simple enough. Diwali is a time for a big-budget film to rake in huge takings and bring happiness to the film industry. But other releases (two, three, four…) are likely to cut into each other’s business and deny Bollywood that big-ticket blockbuster that festivals are expected to deliver.
This Diwali, a third film, Saand Ki Aankh, could well play the spoiler. Despite much dismay in Bollywood, this Anurag Kashyap film seems determined to be the third release on Diwali. There have been suggestions that Saand Ki Aankh could be shifted forward by a week or so but it may stay put to release on October 25. It’s a small film, with lesser stars like Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar but the subject may prove to be a winner and may one say, tough competition to Housefull 4. The film is a biopic based on rustic lives of India’s oldest (age-wise) sharpshooters, and could enjoy the adulation of audiences that fell in love with Dangal. Who knows?
So, three releases in the year’s best week is seen as disappointing but just a week before that, as many as eight films are likely to release, including a dubbed one. That is seen as perfectly fine, because the pre-Diwali week is known to be jinxed and highly unfavourable to new films.
Maybe that has much to do with the fact that all these eight films are small ones and not expected to set the road to the box-office on fire, in any case. Perhaps, Bollywood sees a lot of sense in throwing into turbulent waters the ones who can’t swim even while ensuring that the waters are as calm as they can be for the swimmers. Told you, doesn’t make much sense but that’s Bollywood for you.
Frankly, it works like that: no big ticket film will care to come in the pre-Diwali week because collections are traditionally known to be poor during that week. And this is because people in Hindu households are busy with preparations for the festival of lights. Cinema-going or film viewing goes very low on their to-do list because more pressing matters — like spring cleaning the homes, buying new clothes for every member of the family, preparing for the festival pooja, which includes making sweetmeats at home and visiting relatives and friends to wish them on the festive occasion — are on the top of the priority list. Producers of small films make the most of this scenario and release their films in the dull week just so that the films don’t have to compete with new star-cast and big-budget films.
