AskIndicine: Live QnA at 4PM

Q. What are the chances of Raees to have a solo release now?

A. It has to move to a different date to get a solo release. There will be a major shuffle in 2017 release dates in the next couple of months.

Q. What is verdict of Sultan & will it touch 300 cr mark?any idea about footfalls?

A. All Time Blockbuster. Footfalls will be 3 crore plus.

Q. The south filmmakers are not at all concerned about the festival factor. Recent films like Kabali and Sardar Gabbar Singh (that feature megastars like Rajinikanth and Pawan Kalyan) and other big films like 24, Sarrainodu, Bramhotsavam and Theri that feature superstars had released on normal working day. Even Robot 2 makers are in no hurry to lock Diwali 2017? Why so?

A. South Industry works differently. The release dates are announced late and their movies move freely. For example, Baahubali last year was delayed quite a few times. Now there are reports that Baahubali: The Conclusion might move too. Kabali was postponed quite a few times, before it eventually released last week. Even in our industry, the trend of blocking dates well in advance is new. It’s not necessarily a good thing, because the obsession with holiday weeks is leading to more clashes. For films starring established stars, it’s better to get a solo release during a normal week than a clash during a festive / other holiday weekends. It’s the same in the south, big stars or big films will always have an audience. It’s better to get the content / film right, instead of getting obsessed with big dates and then ego getting the better of actors / filmmakers.

Q. What are upcoming films of Sooraj Pancholi ?

A. He’ll be doing a Remo D’Souza directed film where he’s been cast opposite Ajay Devgn. He’s also said to be in talks with Excel Entertainment for a film directed by Pierre Timmins (Assistant director on films like I Hate Luv Storys and Dostana).

Q. When you say that a particular movie is being released on 3000-4000 screens (assume). What does that actually mean? Does it mean 3000-4000 odd theaters / multiplexes?

A. A lot of people think ‘No of screens’ and ‘No of theatres’ is the same. That’s not true. For example Sultan released on 4300 screens, but the theatre count was approximately 2700 theatres in Week 1.

Q. Salman got Kabir Khan (Bajrangi, Tubelight), Aamir got Hirani (3 Idiots , PK). Don’t you think SRK should also have a director who can give him Commercial + Content universal film to bring back his Old Charisma ?

A. Shah Rukh was the first choice for 3 Idiots, but he let go of the film. So it’s not about big directors not wanting to work with him, but the choice of films that has let him down. Also, at this stage in his career, he can’t be calling directors to work with them. Having said that, Imtiaz Ali and Aanand L Rai are big directors, who can make universally appealing films.

Q. Can Sultan cross 300 crore by fifth week?

A. Yes, the film will cross the 300 crore mark next week. It’ll cross the 297 crore mark today and should complete its fourth week with net box office collections of 298-299 crore in India. Fifth week, 300 crore mark should be surpassed.

Q. Can Rustom open bigger than Mohenjo Daro if buzz increases more in coming 2 weeks?

A. Yes, it’s a real possibility now. Rustom could inch over and record better Day 1 collections than Mohenjo Daro. Final prediction on August 11. Stay tuned.

Q. What’s the update on Thug? Seems like a big budget mainstream film from YRF. Reports of Hritik walking out and Aamir stepping in are doing the rounds.

A. Let’s wait for the official announcement on this. They haven’t been able to convince Hrithik about the script and there have been date hassles too, because Hrithik will be busy with both Mohenjo Daro and Kaabil. Thug has been getting delayed.

Q. Can you please tell me which are the top 10 movies with highest footfalls in the history of indian cinema..??

A. Movies with the highest footfalls would all be from the 70s and 80s. Sholay is the most watched film of all time and the footfalls would be more than 3 times that of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (which is by far the most watched film from 90s onwards).

Q. What is the final lifetime collection & verdict of Udta Punjab can its business considered good after looking aspects like dark adult movie having niche audience and also piracy and how much boost it will give to shahid kapoor career?

A. 60.5 crore finish for Udta Punjab. It’s an Above Average / Semi Hit grosser.

Q. Can you tell tentative Screen Count of Mohenjo Daro & Rustom?

A. Mohenjo Daro will get about 20% more screens than Rustom, but the key will be the occupancy levels on Friday and over the course of the weekend. It’s the word-of-mouth that’ll be the key and not the screen count – because when you enter a clash, it’s a foregone conclusion that your film won’t get a wide release or massive number of shows at multiplexes.

That ends our QnA for today. We are still facing some minor server issues, so this page will be updated with a few more answers by tomorrow evening. Do check back. Thank you for joining us.