AskIndicine: Live Now

Q. Can you please tell me the approx footfalls of Maine Pyar Kiya? Were they above 4 crore or not?

A. It was approximately 4.3 crore (Source: Old Film Information magazine). The average ticket price was around Rs 8-8.5.

Q. Can Katrina makes strong comeback with Baar Baar Dekho after two failure movies Phantom & Fitoor?

A. The campaign has been good, the music is a huge hit, so this should help the film take a big opening at the box office. It remains to be seen how well the film will perform in the long run. Katrina is still popular, but with age no longer on her side, lack of acting talent and big films.. she will find it difficult to sustain / increase her popularity in the next few years.

Q. Will Raees shift now since the Roshans are being so stubborn? If clash cannot be avoided isn’t clashing with Dangal in Christmas a better option as 2 films can be accommodated?

A. Currently there is no update on Raees vs Kaabil. The clash is scheduled to take place on January 26. Christmas is always a better period to clash compared to weekends like Republic Day and Independence Day. But the Aamir Khan threat is always there, more so because content will eventually win and Aamir films very rarely disappoint content-wise.

Q. Is there any movie confirmed by Hrithik after Kaabil?

A. No, Hrithik hasn’t signed any movie after Kaabil. He’s in talks and will probably have a release early 2018.

Q. With 8 months completed how will you consider 2016 box office wise?

A. Average year so far. Two of the biggest films of the year – FAN and Mohenjo Daro – have disappointed big time. We still had to wait for Salman to deliver the year’s first Hindi blockbuster. Akshay has been terrific, but Housefull 3 should have collected more. Baaghi was the other stand out performer, along with Kapoor & Sons and Neerja. Dishoom was expected to be huge at the beginning of the year, but it just about managed to cover costs. Ki and Ka did well, but had the potential to earn more. Sultan and The Jungle Book are the biggest blockbusters of the year so far.

Q. Is Tiger Shroff doing Student Of The Year 2?

A. Yes, Tiger is confirmed. The film will have only one hero / male lead.

Q.What would be total collection of Flying Jatt and what does it need to get hit verdict?

A. It would depend on the kind of growth that it puts up on Sunday and how well it holds on Monday. The 4-day weekend business will be around 28-29 crore. For hit it has to earn more than 60-65 crore. It’ll recover costs at 55 crore net.

Q. Rowdy Rathore or Welcome, which is bigger hit?

A. Rowdy Rathore is the bigger hit.

Q. Which film you are expecting to be the biggest hit of 2017, Raees, Tubelight, Bahubali: The Conclusion or 2.0 (Robot 2)?

A. Raees has no chance, because it’s involved in a clash, plus the genre may not appeal to every section of the audience. Sunny Leone’s presence (nothing against her) may not make the family audience too comfortable, but that would depend on how they’ve picturised the song. It’s not a major issue, but even small things like these can make a difference when it comes to highest grosser of the year. 150 crore will be the first target for Raees.

Tubelight will be huge, but for us the two biggest films of 2017 will be Baahubali and Robot 2. If the second Baahubali film is close to as good as the first, the Hindi version alone will do 200 crore. Opening of Rajnikanth films in the south can match all-India business of top Hindi films, with the added advantage of Akshay’s presence, insane opening records could be set.

A short break of 15 minutes, traffic on the website is too high at the moment.

Q. Any news regarding Shivaay and ADHM clash? After watching Shivaay trailer would Karan Johar will avert clash?

A. No, the clash won’t be averted. Both Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil will arrive during Diwali. The teaser of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil will be out on Tuesday (30 August). We would be able to analyse the clash in more detail after the trailer of both films are out. Until then, it would be unfair to say one film has an advantage.

Q. Is it a true news that if we download from Torrentz, we will be arrested or just a rumour?

A. It’s true. Downloading movies or music from torrent sites is illegal. The industry is losing money. The current government has promised to take strict action. Not everyone can be prosecuted, put to jail or fined, but internet service providers have been asked to put warning messages before a visitor visits torrent website. Distributing movies illegally will definitely put you in trouble. Why not pay a small fee and stream the movie from legal websites? There are so many out there, including Youtube.. you will save a lot of bandwidth, you get good quality print, producer earns money and the industry benefits.

Q. What is your expectation from Jolly LLB 2 [in terms of box office] if trailer is good [as we all know Subash Kapoor movies are very good, like Rajkumar Hirani type movies] and this time he is working with superstar also. Please sir, answer this time.

A. First of all, lets not compare Subhash Kapoor to Rajkumar Hirani.. Hirani is in a different league altogether. Jolly LLB 2 will be an interesting film. It’ll open very well, but the film is scheduled to clash against Dinesh Vijan’s Raabta (which is timed to take advantage of Valentine’s weekend). It’ll also release two weeks after two huge films like Raees and Kaabil. That period is crowded.

Q. What are the probable release dates of SRK upcoming movies i.e. The Ring and A.L. Rai’s next? What is the update on SRK’s next with Bhansali after Kangana confirming the movie. When can we see this movie going on floors?

A. Imtiaz-SRK movie is targeting Independence Day weekend (not official). Aanand L Rai film has been announced for Christmas 2017. Too early to talk about Bhansali – SRK – Kangana film.

Q. Can Shivaay cross the 200 crore mark at box office despite clash. Because trailer is clicked in a big way. Even response is better than Sultan . also the film is targeting masses, young audience and family audience and it had two open weeks before rock on 2 releases on 11th Nov. So What’s your detail prospective about the film.

A. The Diwali weekend is overrated. It’s nowhere close to as big as Christmas. There is one massive holiday and pretty much nothing after that. Even if Shivaay is an outstanding film, it would still need Ae Dil Hai Muskhil to face complete rejection. Only 10 films have crossed the 200 crore mark, none were involved in a clash.

Q. In last Q&A session, you said that highest paid actor is Salman then Aamir and then SRK, but in last week Forbes revealed that SRK is among the Top 10 Highest paid actors and Salman on 12th position.

A. Forbes said “Khan continues to rule Bollywood’s box office with the lead role in hit Dilwale and many others, earning multimillion-dollar upfront fees and a cut of the back-end for his efforts. He also cashes in on endorsement deals for dozens of brands most Americans have likely never heard of”

So clearly, it includes endorsements (SRK earns the highest from endorsements), plus includes the money that Diwale got from various distributors.  Our list was based on current market value (acting fee only), which depends on box office performance of last couple of films.

Q. In what time period was SRK considered absolute number 1? Why is he not being considered number 1 today? What can he do to come back to this position?

A. SRK was No 1 for most part of his career. How can he be considered No 1 today when Salman and Aamir are way ahead, atleast as far as the domestic box office totals are concerned. He needs to do good films to get back to the top. Signing films with big directors does not ensure success, these days only films that have a good story to tell are working.

Q. Is the buzz of Raaz Reboot is too low and why?

A. The response to the trailer has been mixed and the music isn’t gaining popularity either. The film will still open because of franchise value, but it’s highly unlikely to open as well as Raaz 3.

Q. Why is Akshay Kumar underrated?I mean it’s difficult to give a 100 crore movie in 2 years & he did it 3 times in a single year!media should credit him more for his box office pull.

A. It could be because 100 crore is no longer the benchmark, the industry has moved on to 150 – 200 – 250 – 300 crore films

Q. Do you think Pink can take a better opening than Raaz Reboot in clash because Pink’s trailer got a much better response than Raaz Reboot and also Emraan is going through worst phase of his career with 8 flops in a row?

A. Unlikely. Pink will start slow and grow. Raaz Reboot will open well, rest will depend on audience response.

Q. Do you think the superhero genre is finished in India after the failure of A Flying Jatt? Will this impact Hollywood superhero movies also which run well in India also?

A. A Flying Jatt was like a poor man’s Krrish. It was made on a smallish budget (i.e for a superhero film) and the VFX was very poor. You can’t invest more on a Tiger Shroff film, he hasn’t yet established himself in the industry. Krrish 4, if it happens, will do very well. Ayan Mukherjee’s superhero film starring Ranbir Kapoor is happening too. So the genre is not dead at all, superhero films need big budget. Since our industry is star-driven, such films need bankable stars.

Q. Will Shivaay take bigger opening than ae dil hai mushkil? I don’t think there is any huge buzz for ae dil hai mushkil. On the other hand shivaay has incredible buzz and it’s sky rocketed ever since the trailer unveiled. Almost everyone loved it. So why do you think that ae dil hai mushkil can give any competition to shivaay? Please answer me.

A. Shivaay trailer has received a phenomenal response, which is great for the film, but that doesn’t mean ADHM is already on the back foot. Karan Johar directed films have a following and every single film of his has opened very well at the box office, including Student Of The Year which had newcomers. He has a big cast this time around, including a top female star like Anushka. Economics will also be in favour of ADHM. Shivaay has quite a few factors in its favour too – which includes scale, action (mass friendly), impressive trailer. So it’s going to be a battle of equals, unlike Rustom and Mohenjo Daro which turned out to be one-sided.

Q. Can Fawad be the first Pakistani star to be a successful mainstream bollywood hero? Is he getting offers (other than ADHM where he is probably the second lead). Is he interested in doing more bollywood or is he prioritizing Pakistani film industry? What do you think? Can he be a bankable star like Varun, Ranvir etc? What are the prospects of Ali Zafar?

A. Fawad Khan is getting his first big push with his upcoming film for Dharma Productions. The film features Katrina Kaif in the lead. So if that film works, it’ll be very interesting to see if someone like Fawad Khan can make it big in the industry. So far, he’s been more successful than Ali Zafar. However, he has a long long way to go before he can even get close to Varun and Ranveer.

Q. Who is the bigger star among Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra?

A. Varun Dhawan, by a long distance.

Q. What is Sultan final overseas collection?

A. Rs 163 crore.

Q. Is it true that Akshay Kumar-YRF’s movie Tashan(2008) was not released in multiplexes? Why so? How much did that affect the movie’s business?

A. There was a revenue sharing dispute between major multiplexes and Yash Raj Films. However, Tashan was released a week later, but it was too late as the response to the film wasn’t great. It lost around 40-45% of its business.

Q. Did the genre of horror movies ever work at the box office?

A. Quite a few films have succeeded, but the genre has been dominated by the Raaz series of films. Raaz and Raaz 3 were huge blockbusters. Raaz 2 was the weakest, but it did well enough to be profitable. Bhoot did fairly well.

Q. How is ‘A Flying Jatt’ performing at single screens? Have the masses accepted it?

A. It hasn’t really performed upto expectations so far. Way lower than Baaghi.

Q. What will be the changes in entertainment tax from April 2017?

A. Entertainment tax all-India average is around 38-40%. It’ll come down to 18-22%. Most circuits will benefit, except Punjab which is currently tax free but movie tickets will be taxed after GST comes into effect (expected to be April 1). Too early to talk, but it’ll benefit everyone involved. Producers can make more money, exhibitors will save on snacks as well as increased footfalls due to cheaper (hopefully) ticket prices.

Q. For a better box office standing an actress needs to do: a movie like Queen, Neerja or a movie like Sultan? Please answer this time. I am asking this question for 5 weeks.

A. It’s a difficult question to answer, because it’s better to do a bit of both. But sometimes, even if you do both (e.g Sonam in Neerja and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo), an actress might still struggle to create any sort of standing. Whereas a much smaller film like ‘Aashiqui 2’ can do wonders to your career and make you a hugely popular star amongst masses. Shraddha hasn’t done too many big films, but at smaller centres she’s way more popular than someone like Alia Bhatt. She added a lot of value to films like Ek Villain, ABCD 2 and Baaghi. But Shraddha on her own in a solo female-centric film, may not really hold much box office value. The best combination is a popular actress with a bankable male star. Only this can take an actress to the top.

On the other hand, we also have someone like Kangana who is huge in word-of-mouth films and in the Tanu Weds Manu series, but as soon as she comes in a lesser film like Katti Batti, Revolver Rani, Rajjo.. it doesn’t it take a face-saving opening.

Q. Which star is more popular on your site at Indicine?

A. Page views for article wise, it’s still in this order – SRK, Salman, Akshay, Hrithik, Aamir.

Q. Which young star can and will replace Akshay. To replace Salman u will need the superstardom. For Aamir the rights sort of scripts. For Shahrukh the aura. But those are the things that every star will want. But who can be daring enough to take 4 films per year. Which is important for the industry.

A. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to become Akshay Kumar. There might never be someone like him again, but there is nothing calling replacement for any actor. No big star can be replaced. Each one is different from the other.

Some quick answers from now:

Q. Can DANGAL become a first 400CR movie ?

A. Before release, we predicted 92 crore for 3 Idiots, thinking it might not hold mass-appeal like Ghajini. But it did 200 crore. Box office can never be accurately predicted, anything can happen.

Q. Do you have any internal reports about ADHM teaser?

A. Reports are very positive.

Q. Will SRK dwarf movie release Christmas 2017, he needs to block date soon else somebody else will take that date! Please advise.

A. No advise, SRK has been in the industry for 24 years. He knows what’s best for him.

Q. Is Hrithik next movie Fighter confirmed or a rumour?

A. Not confirmed.

Q. Can Rustom beat Rowdy Rathore’s collection?

A. It’ll end with net box office collections of around 130 crore

Q. The Khans, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn fall in the Superstars category, Ranveer, Varun, Siddharth, Sushant etc are considered the younger lot but in what category do actors like John Abraham, Saif Ali Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan etc come under? They do both solo and ensemble movies but still they are never discussed much.

A. They are not bankable solo stars. But John, Ritesh and Saif have beeb more success than Abhishek. Even Sushant can’t be compared to Ranveer, Varun, Arjun, Sidharth.. but that could change in the next one year.

Q. How many people work behind this Indicine website? And if someone wants to join in, how should he/she go about it?

A. Mail us telling us how you can contribute to the site - indicineteam @ gmail.com. No gossip / rumours.

Q. Is Kahaani 2 vs Dear Zindagi confirmed?

A. Yes, but could be averted. 25 November is the date for both.

Q. Please conduct a poll for your visitors today if possible. Which Superstar/star Fan you are ?? Options SK,AK, SRK,.Aamir, HR,Ajay, Varun, Siddharth, Emraan, Ranveer, Ranbir.

A. Here you go:

Q. Do you think that Hollywood Horror films are far superior than Bollywood’s? A new horror flick like Dont Breathe has a superb story,even though i felt it as a limited horror before watching but was amazed after watching it. ?ndia has got various old mythical creepy story ,Why aren’t the ?ndian directors incorporating those idea in a movie?

A. The market for horror film is small in India. It still need erotic / sexual content to sell.

Q. Why your site is so popular? Any reason?

A. Because people like you visit and read. Thank you.

Q. Please list the upcoming movies of Aamir khan….

A. It’s short, like always. Dangal.

Q. Which movie can achieve bigger hype. Ek Tha Tiger 2 or Dhoom 4?

A. Dhoom 4.

Q. I read this website everyday from Bangladesh. i am posting question here for 4th time…. i never been answered. but i will ask again. Is there any confirmation about SRK doing any project with Bhansali and another project of Dhoom 4?

A. We cannot confirm anything unless it’s confirmed either by a reliable source connected to the film or until there is an official announcement from the producers. And even if someone connected to the film discloses, he / she may not want us to publicly reveal. For now, SRK could do both films or none.

Q. Why always domestic verdict is listed in an actor’s filmography and not overseas ?

A. Because a film that works in India, but fails overseas.. can be declared a hit. But a domestic flop and overseas hit, is still a flop. Domestic (India) business is most important.

Q. Is Kaabil shoot on schedule ? Heard its shooting has been delayed, is it true ?

A. Trying to unnecessarily bring a film down is not going to work. Film is on schedule.

Q. John vs Shahid vs Sidharth vs Arjun Kapoor. Arrange in order of who is bigger?

A. As a solo star – Arjun, Sidharth, Shahid, John.

Q. Once you said that Salman is the biggest crowd puller in mass area. What is the reason for his such fan following in single screen dominated area?

A. He is probably the only star in the industry today, who does films that appeals to the masses. Epitome of a massy superstar. A lot of other stars are more concerned about what a tiny section of critics and intellectuals think, than making films for people who made them stars.

Q. Would you say that Kabir Khan is one of the top directors because he made a movie like Bajrangi Bhaijaan ?

A. He’s the second biggest director in the industry today.

Q. Do you think that if sultan was tax free that it would have made as much money as Bajrangi Bhaijaan ?

A. Yes, but Bajrangi Bhaijaan would have earned more if not for Baahubali. So it balances out in the end.

Q. Can you tell us why there is so much negativity against Hrithik?

A. When a film fails there is bound to be negativity, but yes, the media in general was negative against Mohenjo Daro right from the time the trailer release. It wasn’t a bad film, should have collected more.

Q. I want to know, according to you, what is the Best Movie, Actor, Actress, Director, Album… of 2016 till now?

A. Could differ from the reviewer of our site. Movie – Sultan, Actor Shah Rukh Khan, Director Ali Abbas Zafar, Actress Anushka Sharma, Album Baar Baar Dekho.

53 questions were answered today! Thanks for joining us.