Bajirao Mastani vs Dilwale: Positive side of the clash for both films

A clash is never good for the producers and distributors of two big films. But since there can only be 3 festive releases in a year and almost every big film wants to cash-in on the extended holiday weekend, clashes, in the years to come, will be inevitable.

Here are some quick positives for both Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale.

Positives for Dilwale:

• It’s the biggest film of the year and the genre is extremely audience friendly. The music has worked too. Majority of people would want to watch Dilwale first and it would also be the first choice at mass centres.
• The entire star cast and director Rohit Shetty have a excellent track record. Read the article we published yesterday.
• Since Shah Rukh Khan is the producer of Dilwale, the risks are much lower as compared to Bajirao Mastani. Khan has already recovered a huge chunk of his investment and Dilwale would be a profitable venture even in the worst case scenario.
• The history of box office clashes is clearly in SRK’s favour. Call it good luck or stardom, most filmmakers who have challenged SRK have suffered huge losses. Jaan-e-Maan was blown away by Don. Jab Tak Hai Jaan did not have the genre in its favour, but the worldwide business of the film was way ahead of the mass-entertainer Son Of Sardaar. And then we have the one-sided battle between Bhansali and SRK in 2007, Om Shanti Om was leading right from Day 1 against Saawariya and went one to be one of the highest grossers of all time.
• The one thing common in most films that have clashed against an SRK film, is that he always had the genre and content in his favour. It was only during the JTHJ vs SOS clash that the genre was in Ajay’s favour and the result was a lot closer. Son Of Sardaar was a clean-hit at the box office, even though Jab Tak Hai Jaan collected more.

Positives for Bajirao Mastani

• The success of ‘Baahubali’ has given a huge boost to the historical genre, something that has also helped fetch a whopping sum of Rs 50 crore for the satellite rights of Bajirao Mastani.
• Clashing against a big film like Dilwale has also resulted in plenty of free publicity for the film. It has been in news throughout the year.
• Those looking for a ‘good’ film and not just a ‘time-pass entertainer’ could give Bajirao Mastani a chance over Dilwale. Rohit Shetty films might have a following, but there is a section of audience that finds his films silly.
• Deepika Padukone has a strong following all over India, Priyanka is popular too, Ranveer Singh appeals to every section of the audience and Sanjay Leela Bhansali films usually perform very well in the state of Maharastra – which is the biggest for film business.
• The second trailer of Bajirao Mastani has received a extremely positive response, something that will ensure higher footfalls.
• And finally, the pre-release reports for the film is good. People who have watched the film at a special screening have called it a ‘masterpiece’. If this turns out to be true and Bajirao Mastani does indeed turn out to be a excellent film, it could even do the impossible. Remember, a film like ‘Baahubali’ had zero appeal towards the Hindi audience and the star cast wasn’t too appealing either. Yet, the film went on to become the first dubbed film to collect more than Rs 100 crore. There is nothing quite like extraordinary word-of-mouth publicity.