Do you think a sequel to DDLJ will be made with SRK – Kajol?

Joginder Tuteja answers 5 questions from Indicine readers

Q. How is the response to ‘Himmatwala’ promos? Will the film be able to enter the Top 3 opening weekends of all time? Does it stand any chance to beat ‘Rowdy Rathore’ in all respects? – Aashish Thapar

A. Response to the promotion of ‘Himmatwala’ has been good. In fact it is better than that of ‘Housefull 2’, which by the way had went on to do a business of around 120 crores. The film is all set to challenge the best opening of the year so far, hence coming close to the collections of ‘Race 2’ which had scored around 51 crores. However it would be a tough journey to enter the Top-3 opening weekends of all time as Salman Khan and his films (Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg 2, Bodyguard) have raised the barrier. It does stand a chance to surpass ‘Rowdy Rathore’ since the next biggie (Ek Thi Daayan) comes only three weeks later. Of course the pre-condition stays on to be content.

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Q. Do you think that a sequel to DDLJ with Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol will be made? It could be DDLJ 20 saal baad and they have children. A good family story with some young cast. It starts of from where it ends where Kajol gets on to the train. It’s just a thought. Aditya Chopra, are you reading this? – Dev Krishna

A. Of course it’s just a thought and Aditya Chopra could well be listening. If you have a bound script, you may well approach his office; it is always open for creative people and their thoughts. Personally though, I don’t see the film’s sequel happening. I would rather let a classic stay untouched.

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Q. My question to you is why is Shahrukh doing only romantic movies and Salman only action? On the other hand we see Manoj Bajpayee, Aamir Khan, Nawazzuddin Siddique who are very brilliant actors and they are doing different kind of movies. But Box Office is ruled only by either SRK or Salman. In India is it the star who runs the movie or the story? Why is a big budget movie made only with Shahrukh or Salman and not a brilliant actor like Nawazzuddin? – Ram Prasad Pandeyji

A. This is not a phenomenon which is ruling in today’s times. Back then in the late 70s and 80s as well, there was this huge New Wave cinema that had found it’s origin. ‘Actors’ like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Deepti Naval, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil etc. were in vogue and there was this widespread belief that they would eventually end up toppling the star system. Nothing happened then, nothing is going to change today either.

Bollywood in general is an out and out visual medium with a strong eye on commercial visibility. Yes, there is a change taking place with a ‘Kai Po Che!’ or an ‘ABCD’ or a ‘Vicky Donor’ finding audience. However it is the superstars who continue to rule as they have managed a much wider reach. Also, one has to understand that if big money is being spent on a Shahrukh or a Salman, it is because they have ruled for 20 years and more and have earned that right due to continued successes. Same can’t be said for other ‘actors’, whether senior or newly arrived.

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Q. 2013 is one of the odd years where the ‘most hyped’ & ‘most talked about’ movies belong neither to SRK nor to Salman Khan. Where would the two superstars stand respectively after the two biggest releases, being ‘Dhoom 3’ and ‘Krrish 3’, star neither ? – Hamza Khan

A. Yes, you are right in saying that ‘Dhoom 3’ and ‘Krrish 3’ are the most hyped and talked about films of 2013. In fact that’s commendable considering the fact not a single frame of either of the two films has been revealed so far. However that won’t make any difference to the standing of superstars Shahrukh and Salman who have been around for years.

‘Dhoom 3’ and ‘Krrish 3’ are bound to be noticed since former has Aamir Khan being seen in an out and out commercial role after years while latter has Hrithik Roshan returning after a hiatus. As for Shahrukh and Salman, wait and watch for the hype to build around ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Mental’, both of which are on the right track. Having said that, it is a fair assumption to make that the journey towards the 200 crore mark looks much brighter for ‘Dhoom 3’ and ‘Krrish 3’.

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Q. With the success of films like ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Dabangg 2’, ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Singham’, ‘Bodyguard’ etc., it can be seen that the Indian public loves such desi masala films. However, why is it that films from big banners (such as Dharma and Yash Raj Films) often make films that are more overseas-appealing? Isn’t that strange, given the fact that a lot of these films end up with a maximum of just “Hit” status in India? – Rick Sandhu

A. Taste of audience cannot be generalised. Yes, the aforementioned ‘masala’ films have worked but then more than just the content, it is the overall package that worked. If you see the question just above, this year’s biggest grossers are expected to be ‘Dhoom 3’ and ‘Krrish 3’, none of which can be expected to fall under the quintessential ‘masala’ category.

As for Dharma and Yash Raj attempting only overseas appealing films then well, the change has started happening. Karan Johar is producing films like ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’, ‘Ungli’ and ‘Gutka’, all of which are soaked in Indian flavour. In fact the very titles say it all. On the other hand, Yash Raj’s slate of films like ‘Mere Dad Ki Maruti’, ‘Aurangzeb’, Sonam-Ayushmann starrer, ‘Gunday’, Anushka-Sushant-Parineeti starrer are as ‘desi’ as they get.

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Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder

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