AskIndicine: QnA at 3PM

Q. How true it is that Shahid kapoor doing another movie with Sanjay Leela Bhansali after Padmavati?

A. Not true.

Q. Maximum potential of Bollywood movies on a single day?

A. The maximum potential could be as high as 60 crore on a single day, if all 4500-odd Hindi screen across the country were running to full occupancy. It all depends on the star cast, scale of the film and release period. The introduction of GST from July this year will also have a positive impact on film business. It could give net collections a boost of around 5-10%. So we could have films crossing the 50 crore mark on a single day by the end of this year, or next year. The Diwali day remains the best day for film business, but the two South releases this year – Baahubali 2 and Robot 2.0 will easily surpass the highest single day collections of Hindi films.

Q. How much will IPL affect Bahubaali collections?

A. Not much. The impact of IPL has reduced in the last few years. It’s insignificant now. People will find time to watch Baahubali 2.

Q. Why is Hrithik taking a lot of time to sign a movie ? Is he keen to work with big directors or waiting for a good script.

A. The wait is always for a good script, but good script sense is a different thing altogether. Barring Kaabil, he hasn’t made right choices in recent times even though he took 2 years for Bang Bang and the same amount of time for Mohenjo Daro. The results, especially with the Ashutosh Gowarikar film, were under whelming to say the least. It isn’t about big directors either, because both Siddharth Anand and Sanjay Gupta have a poor filmography.  We don’t really know what his thought process is, but he should either be doing more films or outstanding films if he wants to take 2 years per film. But again, the pace at which he wants to work and the kind of films that he wants to do, is his personal choice.

Q. What’s your expectation about SRK Imitiaz film? How much it can earn in 5days weekend?

A. A big opening is a foregone conclusion, because SRK films always open well. The box office expectation for the extended weekend would depend on the trailer and music. Currently, we are looking at 110-120 crore in the first 5-day weekend.

Q. According to your collections, Hrithik last 5 films is Agneepath-122,Krrish 3-196,Bang Bang-148,Mohenjodaro-60 and Kaabil-104. I agree this is not excellent collections but still it’s not that bad considering last 3 films clashed with big films. What’s your thought on this?

A. The collections, barring Mohenjo Daro, are good. Even Mohenjo Daro was maybe at around the same range as FAN, after negating the disadvantage of clash with Rustom. So the collections aren’t bad at all and even his rejected films are getting to 60 crore, but the problem right now seems to be the promos. Mohenjo Daro had some of the worst promos in recent times, due to which not many were interested in watching the film. The same was the case with Kaabil, the promos did not generate any interest at all, but word-of-mouth saved the film.

Q. When will Rajkumar Hirani direct Shahrukh Khan in the movie?

A. It may never happen. SRK was the first choice both for Munnabhai MBBS and 3 Idiots. So if he had done those movies, he would’ve probably played the lead in all Hirani movies so far. It’s a missed opportunity, especially 3 Idiots. It would’ve been a career defining film for him, maybe even bigger than a DDLJ.

Q. Any idea about the character of SRK in Tubelight?

A. It’s a small role. No details yet, except that his character is named ‘Gogo Pasha’.

Q. Should Varun Dhawan do Dishoom 2 as the film got great TRPs?

A. We don’t think he will. Even though the film got good television ratings for the premiere, it didn’t really find acceptance at the box office. Dishoom 2 might work, but it’s always risky when the first film isn’t loved.

Q. What is your opinion on SRK being called as the world’s biggest movie star and the most popular star by CNN, BBC, Los Angeles Times, Forbes etc..?

A. He is by far the most recognised Hindi film star in the world – especially among non-Indians. It doesn’t really need to reflect in the box office collections, Amitabh Bachchan films don’t open well, that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the the biggest names in the industry.

Q. A very important Inquiry ; Was Maine Pyar Kiya All Time Grosser??

A. Yes.

Q. What is the worldwide collections of Jolly LLB 2, Rustom, Housefull 3 and Airlift.

A. Approximate numbers – Jolly LLB 2 190 crore, Rustom 215 crore, Housefull 3 198 crore, Airlift 215 crore.

Q. Is Ode to my Father happening? Which movie will come on Eid 18 as Remo said that they are still writing the Script?

A. Salman is supposed to start Remo D’Souza film after he completes shooting for Tiger Zinda Hai.

Q. What are your predictions for Padman?

A. It’s a bold subject the makers have chosen, especially for a film featuring a major star like Akshay Kumar. A lot would depend on the treatment. It may not be a huge grosser, we think it’ll be a word-of-mouth film. A 9-10 crore opening, rest depends on content.

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Q. Hi Indicine. I visit your site most often and always read this Q&A session but asking a question for the first time. What do you exactly mean when you say a film is made on a large scale and what are the top 3 Indian films based on scale?

A. When we talk about scale, it’s about the presentation of a film. Big sets, high production values etc. All of this also means bigger budget. The most expensive films are Dhoom 3 and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. Padmavati is expected to beat both.

Q. Can Bahubaali : The conclusion open with 30+ ( Hindi Belt ) as buzz is never seen b4 nd there are not any big films coming ?

A. A detailed analysis of Baahubali: The Conclusion is coming up. The interest is huge. The first film opened at 5.75 crore, the pre-release buzz for this is several times bigger. We expect it to open 20 crore plus.