AskIndicine: Live Now

AskIndicine Live QnA begins at 4PM today. There are no major releases in May, apart from Azhar (May 13) and Sarbjit (May 20). So this would the last QnA before the release of Housefull 3 in the first week of June.

Post your questions in the comments section below.

Q. How are the box office prospects of Raees looking now? Is it still being seen as a potential bumper openers on a Friday morning by the trade??

A. Too early to talk about Raees right now. There is still quite a bit of uncertainty around the release of the film. Are the makers willing to take on a film like Hrithik’s Kaabil? If Mohenjo Daro goes on to be a huge hit at the box office, that will completely change the way the trade would look at the clash – Hrithik would then have a upper hand. How will Excel market the film? Are they going to lie low for a while, then release the trailer a couple of months before – which wouldn’t be a great idea because the teaser was released in July last year. Too many questions at the moment. There needs to be clarity over these questions, because we even begin to talk about opening number on Friday. Releasing on Eid against Sultan was probably a better idea than pushing your film by nearly 7 months. Bakrid (September 9) was the best date.

Q. According to you, which movie will be Highest Grosser of 2016 - Sultan? Mohenjo Daro? Shivaay? Raees (if on Bakrid)? Dangal?

A. For highest grosser of the year, it’s the content (story, writing and direction etc) that are more important because almost all films that you mentioned does feature a top star. Mohenjo Daro and Shivaay are two films that can surprise and go on to be huge grossers – because the genre of myth / history / costume has received a big boost with films like Baahubali and Bajirao Mastani. Sultan and Dangal are obviously the top contenders because of the release period and two of the biggest stars in the industry. We wouldn’t want to include Raees in this because it’s officially scheduled to be out in 2017.

To make the QnA a little more interesting and interactive, we will add more polls. You can request for polls in the comments section. Do note, the decision to add the poll or not is completely upto us  - we do not want to overdo the poll thing.

Q. Has the buzz for Azhar biopic increased?

A. Not by much, atleast not where they should be ‘buzz-wise’ less than a week before release. The film has been extensively promoted during the ongoing IPL season (Azhar himself has made appearances), so a lot more people are aware that the film is releasing. Whether that converts into ticket sales on Friday morning – is something that remains to be seen. We think it’s going to be a word-of-mouth film - decent start with content deciding the film’s fate. Azhar isn’t as popular as the likes of Sachin, Dhoni or even Dravid and Ganguly. But the older generation who grew up watching Azhar, might want to watch his films. His life is more controversial than any other Indian sportsman too.

Q. What are the reasons behind Salman’s success at single screens? (Yuvraj)

A. His action image, his larger-than-life persona (both off-screen and on-screens), his connect with the masses and above everything else his awareness that he needs to do films for the people of India. He does not aspire to do films that the critics or the so-called intellectuals love, but does films that connects with the audience in the core Hindi belt of India and also with the middle-class in urban cities. They are head over heels in love with everything that Salman does, because people can relate to his films.

In the interiors of India, actors like Sunny Deol and Akshay Kumar are loved for their action image. You’ll find their posters all over the place, including at the back of tractors and auto rickshaws. Some of Salman movies, apart from having action, also have a emotional connect. This has helped him go one step ahead of everyone else. He was already at the peak of his popularity, but Bajrangi Bhaijaan has taken him to another level. Will be hard to beat or even touch that level of fan-following and craze.

Q. Can you let us know which are the big ‘event’ films that are announced for a theatrical release in 2017 and for the remainder of 2016? (Aashish Thapar)

A. 2016 – Sultan (Eid), Housefull 3 (Post IPL), Mohenjo Daro and Rustom (Independence Day weekend), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay (Diwali), Dangal (Christmas).

2017 – Kaabil and Raees (Republic Day), Salman – Kabir film (Eid), Sons of Sardar and Salman – Rajkumar Santoshi film (Diwali), Raju Hirani film – Sanjay Leela Bhansali film – Aanand L Rai film all for extended Christmas period. Tentative for now, will change depending on various factors.

Q. What do you think about Tiger’s acting? Is it his martial artist ability which takes a movie forward or the story. I don’t think he can act in a pure rom-com or comedy or drama. so,what type of actor he is do you think?

A. Tiger has a long way to go as an actor, but the confidence that an actor gets from success and acceptance will help him improve. The advantage for him is, he has got plenty of time and currently no one in the industry can do action like he does. So by the time he overdoes action, maybe he will improve in the acting and dialogue delivery department too. Akshay Kumar wasn’t a terrific actor when he started, but he could do fantastic action. He then improved tremendously as an actor and now he’s reached a stage where he can play just about any role. To match Akshay won’t be easy, we aren’t even comparing, but Tiger definitely has potential and his career is off to a fantastic start.

Q. What are the upcoming movies of Jacqueline Fernandes? (Rohit Kumar)

A. Dishoom with Varun Dhawan and John Abraham, A Flying Jatt with Tiger Shroff and Housefull 3 with Akshay Kumar.

Q. Just because ‘FAN’ had flopped at the box office, is it wise to write off Shahrukh Khan completely? If yes, can he make a comeback?

A. Shah Rukh Khan is too big a star to be written off so easily. His popularity is still very high and one or two under-performers do not make a big difference to established stars like Shah Rukh. It’s because of his own high-standards and incredibly high success ratio that people are even talking about his downfall. Akshay Kumar’s Brothers was a big failure and all his films in 2015 were under-performers. Did anyone talk about his downfall? One film like Airlift and the entire perception has changed.

The problem for SRK is.. right from the early stages of his career to until about 2009-2010, he was the top star. There were other contenders, but he was ahead. But in the last 6-7 years, Aamir and Salman have taken giant strides and SRK hasn’t been able to do match up. Those big grossers have been missing, even though opening-wise he’s right up there in the Top 2. Next only to Salman and even comparable to him.

Opening of his last few films:

• Chennai Express – Highest Opening day, Highest Single Day
• Happy New Year – Highest Opening day, Highest Single Day
• Dilwale – Excellent opening, but was affected by Bajirao Mastani. 21 crore is excellent even for a solo release on a working day, Dilwale managed that even though it lost 40% multiplex shows to Bajirao Mastani.
• FAN – It isn’t a off-beat film that it’s being made out to be after it’s failure, but for a film without songs, opening of nearly 20 crore is terrific.

So it’s all about that ‘one big film’ where everything falls into place. Not just the opening, but the content too. The sooner it comes, the better. If it doesn’t come in the next 1-2 years, it’s then that things will actually begin to get serious because he doesn’t have age on his side anymore.

Q. Everyone including some famous trade analysts saying that Baadshaho delayed for March release. Is it true?

A. Director Milan Luthria has just released a statement 3 days ago that Baadshaho is releasing on January 26. He’s more credible than any trade source. Having said that, it’s going to be difficult to come on January 26, because Hrithik has made his intentions clear and Raees is also on the same day. It’s not a big weekend like Christmas either. So Baadshaho, given the fact that Ajay has a release October end (Shivaay), might postpone the film for a couple of months to give a 4-5 month gap between his two films.

Q. How is the response of Kaabil sneak peek and posters?? What will be the opening day collection of Kaabil assuming solo release?? Will it do 35crs on opening day? (Sohail)

A. Posters and sneak peeks like the one which was released, do not reach out to a large section of the movie going public. It was only released to confirm the release date. As for opening, we can only talk about it after the teaser / trailer is launched.

Q. Which one is biggest hit in 2016 so far? 

A. The Jungle Book is by far the biggest blockbuster of 2016. In fact, it’s the only Blockbuster / All Time Blockbuster of the year so far.

Q. You are now one of the top Bollywood site. Cant you bring notice to SRK regarding the Bakrid weekend.

A. It was conveyed to them before they made the ‘Republic Day’ announcement. From Excel’s point of view, there must be some major reason to postpone a film like Raees by 7 months. It could either be to reshoot scenes from the film (there have been rumours) or it could be because they want to give Raees a good 8-9 month gap because of FAN’s failure. We can’t think of any other reason. For someone who was quick to rubbish rumours, it isn’t right on Ritesh Sidhwani’s part to be silent on Twitter. Both Excel and Red Chillies owe an explanation to fans, especially on social media.

Q. What kind of a marketing campaign can we expect from Aamir Khan for Dangal? During Ghajini he promoted his haircut amongst all the employees of multiplexes when Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi had released, For 3 idiots they came up with the idea of writing ‘Capacity 3 idiots’ behind every auto rickshaw,for dhoom 3 he wore his hat everywhere and for PK the poster did all the talking which helped to push the curiosity? Can we expect him to come up with something innovative yet again especially because he is the producer himself?

A. Can’t speculate such things, but Dangal PR has been working all through without anyone realising that it’s PR. That in itself is a masterstroke. The effort that Aamir is putting into making the film has been all over the media, and this information is the PR machinery at work. Aamir is a genius at making things look real and natural, he doesn’t speak much, but lets his action do all the talking. Meanwhile, we have been hearing that the makers of Dangal aren’t too pleased with the second teaser of Sultan.

Q. Is it true that Robot 2 and Sons of Sardaar are clashing on Diwali 2017?

A. The way the Tamil film industry functions is different from how things are in Bollywood. Kabali is Rajnikanth’s next release and we do not yet have a release date for the film. It’s expected to release in July.

Q. Is Mohenjo Daro clashing with Rustom? (Aashish)

A. For now, yes.

Q. What’s your opinion on movies like Shahid, Masaan, Aligarh, Aamir etc? When this movies will get market? Critical acclaim is a nice thing. But they cant sustain if collection is less as Aligarh collected 2 crore only. How can directors take risks if this is the condition?

A. Audience that watch such films in theatres is limited, because films like Masaan, Aligar or Aamir.. can also be watched at home. Ticket prices at multiplexes is another big problem. You could as well wait for a couple of weeks for the movie to be aired on television, buy it from Youtube or even rent a DVD when it releases. Commercial films are entertaining, exciting and has stars. You can’t blame the audience for not watching such films in theatres, when the tickets cost as much as commercial films with stars. A different strategy needs to be worked out. You should read this article – Movie Ticket Pricing Strategy: Should all movies cost the same?

Q. India has 1.3 billion of people but just 10000 screens ( and bollywood can just 5000 of them); Why? And on other hand the US has three times more screens (approx 30000 or more) and they are less then us (in terms of population).. but still Bollywood is considered the biggest movie industry in the world… why?

A. Biggest movie industry because we produce the most number of films. All regional films included, we produce more than 1000 movies every year.

Q. Can Baaghi surpass the lifetime of Fan?

A. Looking difficult now, should end at around 80 crore. Still has a chance though.

Q. How much will Twinkle’s statement on Sri Sri will affect Housefull 3 considering he has millions if followers?

A. Won’t make any difference, unless media does their bit and blows it out of proportion.  It’s mostly the media that twists, turns and make a silly issue into a sensation.

Q. Can Housefull 3 earn 200 crore if the content is loved by everyone like the first and second part?

A. Definitely has a chance of getting close to 200 crore if its liked. But a more realistic figure is 150 plus, if the content finds appreciation.

Q. Do you think it’s high time for senior actors like Shahrukh Khan and Ajay Devgn to prove themselves as the youngsters are going very fast and even beating their films?

A. They have nothing left to prove. It’s like comparing Amitabh Bachchan to the younger stars, Bachchan isn’t a major crowd puller now, but does it make him any lesser than Shah Rukh or the youngster that you talk about? It doesn’t make any sense. SRK and Ajay have had long and successful careers, it’s the youngsters that need to prove themselves by lasting in the industry for as long as some of their seniors have.

Q. Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Emraan Hasmi and Sunny Deol – Arrange these actors in terms of stardom.

A. Extremely harsh to put Sunny Deol in that category. He was a major star. Even Emraan was way more successful as a solo star compared to others. Apart from them, the order would be Emraan Hashmi, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan.

Q. Is Salman now free from all his court cases? If no, what are status of all cases?

A. Not at all. The Supreme Court is yet to clear him. Both cases – Hit and Run, Black Buck – are pending in court.

Q. What are the prospects for Houseful 3. Even though the trailer is not universally accepted, still the hype generated by it is humongous..11 millions views in a week.Also, when it comes to comedy, we all know that Indian Family audiences loves to come in numbers to watch. Can HF3 pull off in style and numbers?

A. It’s definitely a big film, belonging to a very popular franchise. If Welcome Back could open so well and go on to do business of nearly a 100 crore, Akshay’s presence will add tremendous value to a film like Housefull 3. Box office wise it’s definitely his best chance of scoring big, but it’s with his film that were ‘big’ pre-release that Akshay has failed. Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara was huge prior to release, Brothers was equally big. Both were mega disappointments. Let’s hope Akshay can turn things around with his third big film.

Q. Which movies have more buzz as for now? 1. Mohenjodaro or Rustom? 2. Raees or Kaabil or Baadshaho? 3. As Dil hai muskil or Shivaay?

A. We can only comment on ‘buzz’ once the trailer releases. Pre-release wise Mohenjo Daro is a big film. Raees postponement has been received negatively, good response to Kaabil poster. Baadshaho has a very good actor-director combo, who made Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, so the audience will be interested. Ae Dil and Shivaay are both big films. Ae Dil will have fantastic music. Shivaay will be scale and grandeur. Let’s see, we like to talk about box office prospects after trailer launch.

Q. You had mentioned in one of your articles that Varun Dhawan’s Dhishoom should be big in the mass centres and interiors.Does this mean that he has acquired a fan following there?Is He a pan India star?Also,amongst the young generation of male actors, who has a pan India following today?

A. Yes, his fanbase has been growing at smaller centres. Main Tera Hero did fairly well, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania was decent and ABCD 2 did very well. Dhishoom is his first action film, should open very well at mass centres. Expecting 15 crore plus opening.

Q. Was it right on the part of Kaabil makers to desperately target Raees by instantly releasing the poster ..also considering the fact that Baadshaho was already slated to release on 26th Jan! Roshans have always had good relations with SRK and Excel entertainment but don’t you think such move can create tensions?

A. There is no question of desperation. Sneak peeks videos aren’t created in a day. There were rumours of Raees moving to Republic Day for a week or so and it’s at that time that they decided to release the video confirming the date. There was a ‘hint tweet’ from Hrithik too. About ‘creating tensions’, this could have been sorted out internally. The Roshans are just a call away for both SRK and Excel.

We are yet to completely understand the decision that the Raees makers have taken and the statement which said “It was not an easy decision to move the film. We understand that our movie is highly anticipated. However, a film of such magnitude requires appropriate showcasing. Therefore, we have decided to shift our release date” does not make much sense, because your film is not going to get the ‘showcasing’ it deserves on Republic Day 2017.

That’s the end of today’s QnA session. More than 25 questions were answered. Thank you for joining us.