When 3 Idiots swept box office records and Aamir Khan was hailed as the biggest superstar in the country, who would have thought a certain Salman Khan – back then, not going through the best phase of his career – would challenge Aamir for the No 1 spot?
Apart from the lifetime collections of 3 Idiots (200 crores), almost all other records held by Aamir have been broken. Not once, but twice. First by Dabangg and now by Bodyguard (collections are already around 70 crores in 4 days and Sunday should break the 80 crore first week record in less than 5 days!). In between, there was a non-festive release ‘Ready’ which collected 125 crores in India!
While Aamir has one release every year, Salman’s Bodyguard released just 3 months after Ready.
The other challenger for the top spot, Shahrukh Khan, has been missing from action lately. Ra One his next release will be his biggest test. To put Salman’s dominance over SRK into perspective, the first week of Dabangg (80 crores) was more than the entire lifetime collections of Shahrukh Khan’s My Name Is Khan (72 crores lifetime), which also released last year. And Bodyguard is expected to go past MNIK in 5 days flat!
Having said that, Shahrukh Khan has been the most consistent superstar in the last decade and his success ratio is unmatched. His last failure was Paheli and since then almost every film starring SRK in a lead role have been box office HIT’s or better.
If Ra One does anything in excess of 100 crores (and it has to because of high costs), SRK’s position in the industry and more importantly his 100% success ratio in the last 6 years, will remain intact.
Ajay Devgan deserves a mention too – Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Golmaal 3, Rajneeti and the very recent Singham – have all been super-successfull. He’s right there at the top too.
For now though, it’s Salman Khan, enjoying one of the best phases of his career. He was always a crowd-puller, but never recognized as the topmost star. Now he is!
Who are the Top 5 stars in the industry today? Tell us in the comments section below
Our business group runs & invest in theatres, arts/entertainment & cinemas, in Pakistan and in this context, there is no doubt, Salman Khan movies generated very high profits.
A few months back 35 mm cine-prints of READY were exhibited all over the main cinemas of the Country and the film grossed well and secured the investment, that is good news for us and now with Salman Khan’s recent hit Body Guard the profits are even better. Now this is good business for the guys like us who are affiliated with the film distribution and cinema management.
But, all that glitters is not GOLD, what we are trying to say that it is the local audience which makes any film shine at the BOX OFFICE and at the same they are responsible for crashing of the film as well.
Our own buddies who saw READY were highly disappointed and they cursed the movie and the overall cheapness and over acting that was shown in that film. BUT, what made READY a success was right timing and usage of Salman which had borne fruit for the industry, and at the same time most audience were totally pissed off with such rotten stuff.
Now, coming to Body Guard (which is slightly better than Ready) again, we as theatre runners are happy, because it pulled out the crowd right into cinema halls, BUT, most people who actually saw Body guard were rather bewildered and unhappy with this film and their comments are recorded on real time log. No doubt, they supported the good action sequences, but the closing moments and lack of a story line, mediocre acting of front line stars were the greatest disappointment for the audience. Believe us they all were murmuring as to how this average film could gross so high on the BOX window and suddenly they felt gravely cheated.
Apart from good business, which Body Guard guaranteed, we should also think about our valuable clientele, namely the audience that quality entertainment should be provided to them and film makers and distributors should not test patience of the audience.
Indian film industry /Bollywood has vastly improved in terms of technique and equipment & no doubt competent, and brought forward great films in past with good output in terms of business, but now it appears that focus is more on BOX office returns, and less emphasizes on good quality presentations, resulting in less impressive films.
Moreover, senior stars like Salman Khan & others are an asset for Film industry and people love them and prefer to see them in better movies.
In any case, Salman is the champ, these days, and thus making us happy…….
Dear All,
Let me remember you an important thing, akshay is the one who kick SRK and step him down. SRK was king of box-office for almost 15 years and was on the top in India and abroad as well. Akshay is the one who challenged SRK for the first time in 2007.
bollywood king khan of salman khan
Sallu Only Sallu
Salman Dabangg Khan no doubt.
@ahsankhan
Main teri bahen ko chod chod kar phad dalunga kutte ki aulad.
SRGAY is a member of GAY community.
Haklu khan
Beggar of bollywood.
My name is FLOP khan.
Salman Khan to launch Ranbir’s ex
While the Bodyguard actor is recuperating in the United States, his brother Sohail Khan is working hard on their next production Sher Khan. Apparently he has been in talks with Kingfisher calendar model Angela Jonnson’s agency to be cast opposite Salman Khan in the jungle adventure. They begin filming only sometime next but that doesn’t stop from looking around. And obviously it doesn’t matter that she can’t speak in Hindi too well. Don’t you remember the Dabangg dude is equipped to handle non-Hindi speaking actors, Katrina Kaif as the case in point! Look at where she is today! Anyways, for the uninitiated this lovely model was spotted at Ranbir Kapoor’s house party some time back. And it raised a lot of eyes and questions. But unlike other women, the aspiring actor took her chance pe dance and admitted to have dated the hot Kapoor. Well now that’s a sure-shot way to grab headlines! This girl is trained well.
Reflections: Will Shah Rukh hold on to that King Khan throne?
By Joginder Tuteja, September 7, 2011 – 12:40 IST
Ok, let me try to give it all a dramatic opening.
The stage is set. Red carpet is spread. The drums are rolling. Audiences have arrived. Players have made an entry. Dice has been rolled. The game is spread out. Salman Khan has hit gold once again with Bodyguard and all eyes are now on Shah Rukh Khan to do something bigger, something better and something far more spectacular, first with Ra.One and then Don 2.
Right? Absolutely. Easier said than done? Not really. After all, the rules of the game were known to both Salman as well as Shah Rukh way in advance. Salman has not minced words in stating that collections are not really a true reflection of whether a movie has been accepted or not. In his own words, collections are bound to show a jump with every major release due to continued enhancement in business practice. So in that aspect, Shah Rukh too must have done his calculations way in advance knowing that Ra.One had to be much bigger than Bollywood’s last biggie – Bodyguard.
In times when the first three days of release make or break a film (leave aside projecting a trend, as was the case till a year ago), Bodyguard has already sailed through. Will Ra.One and Don 2 do that for Shah Rukh too? Let’s discuss in this week’s ‘Reflections’.
Good movie or massive collections?
Bring on a debate around prospects of a film and die hard fans can always be expected to state – ‘But then so and so actor is way above collections after being in the business for 20 years. All that matters is whether a movie is good or not.’ Try telling this to Shah Rukh and I am sure he would be the first person to admit that all of this makes for good talk but bad business. For someone with one of the best business minds in Bollywood, Shah Rukh won’t allow commerce to take a back seat when it comes to Ra.One.
Oh yes, he has worked in a good film before which didn’t do well at the box office. The name was Swades. It stays on to be his crowning glory. However when it comes to popularity, it is Om Shanti Om that tops Swades by a wide margin. So, what would Shah Rukh, who is at a stage of his career where he has to demonstrate all over again that he is still occupying the throne, want in his repertoire? Another Swades? Or an Om Shanti Om? Your guess is as good as mine.
That feel of competition
There is no harm in going for that ‘performance oriented’ role. Shah Rukh too did that with My Name Is Khan and saw very good critical acclaim, good success at home and phenomenal reception in overseas coming his way. This was when he had a Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Om Shanti Om behind him with the Number One crown comfortably placed on his head. Of course, while shooting for My Name Is Khan, he would have heard of Salman Khan’s Dabangg and Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots as well but wouldn’t have perceived them as major threats. With a commercial cushion in the form of Ra.One and Don 2, there wasn’t much to worry about either.
However a few months before My Name Is Khan both these movies released and changed the equation. Suddenly terms like ‘Ace Khan’ and ‘Dabangg Khan’ started making headlines. Talk of the town was ‘Man with golden touch’ and ‘Sabka favorite Bhaijaan’. Headlines were no longer restricted to King Khan. There was competition at both ends and Shah Rukh was now treading a path where all he could do was wait and watch for the big ones in the making instead of hurrying it up with a quickie.
Whom to win over?
That Shah Rukh Khan is unassailable overseas as well as urban territories is hardly a topic for debate. However, there is something to ponder over with the current state of affairs:
1. Salman Khan, who was earlier said to be darling of only masses, is now garnering 100% opening day collections in multiplexes across the nation for Bodyguard.
2. Aamir Khan, who was too classy for all involved, is seeing his 3 Idiots opening to 100% opening in those small town, single screen cinemas as well.
So, Shah Rukh is now required to penetrate both the territories. When he was reigning supreme, collections of over Rs. 50 crore were said to be good and he already had a two Rs. 80 crores plus grossers in Om Shanti Om and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with My Name Is Khan crossing the Rs. 70 crore mark as well. While such a total is a cakewalk for most A-listers today, Shah Rukh is over and above being ‘just an A-lister’. He has to do something big, something phenomenal and something that has never been achieved before. However that something can’t be achieved by winning over just the masses or the classes. The need of the hour is to win an all-India audience. And for that, the target is to win over everyone. Yes, just about everyone!
Others are catching up too
Shah Rukh can’t afford a slip at all. Period. That’s because he doesn’t have to deal with only a Salman or an Aamir. A certain Ajay Devgn has risen like a phoenix and registered Rs.100 crores success with Singham. Hrithik Roshan has gone ahead and achieved Rs. 90 crores success with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Fortunately, for Shah Rukh, these films primarily worked in single screens and multiplexes respectively which means there is only a subset of universal audience which has both Salman and Aamir as favourites. It is this segment that Shah Rukh has to conquer in a big way.
How would he achieve what he is set out for?
As I key this down, I am sure there are master strategists who would have been hired and paid mega bucks to lend Shah Rukh advice on this. I am sure they are doing their job mighty well too. With 50 days to go for the film’s Diwali release, expect an explosion of massive campaigns rolling over next few weeks. However, the least that most film enthusiasts and industry followers would definitely witness is the biggest ever release for the film. Rest assured, Ra.One will leave Bodyguard miles behind when it comes to release spread. So that’s one goal achieved.
Second target would be to do that ‘something big’ which would make ‘Bodyguard crosses Rs.20 crores on Day One’ headline to seem like oh-so-yesterday. How would he get that magical number (shall we say, Rs. 25 crores)? Of course a common man won’t know. But then Shah Rukh can well be expected to cover good distance to make it happen. It’s a psyche at play here and till the time headlines scream ‘Ra.One takes highest first day collections ever’, even die hard fans won’t be content.
As simple as that, it is perception creation at work here and there can’t be any compromise!
Will he achieve what he is set out for?
Looking at Shah Rukh’s career graph over last couple of decades, it would be a massive shock if he doesn’t position Ra.One as the biggest grosser ever. Remember, he is the same man who is known for redefining marketing and promotional campaign all by himself. Those were the days when campaigns began and ended in Mumbai and occasionally stepped into Delhi. However, he took Don to different parts of the globe and ensured huge all around visibility for it. And then one can’t forget his endeavour to ‘destroy Saawariya’ when it came in the way of Om Shanti Om – all in the name of business though.
Those were the days when stakes were not as high as today, he was the undisputed King Khan and all that was required was to keep galloping ahead. Today the scenario is a tad different. In this race there are other horses as well, some running alongside, a couple few steps ahead and one or more just breathing down his neck. It is a precarious situation to be in and though Shah Rukh won’t quite like that, he won’t mind that as well. And that’s because if he indeed takes that huge stride and makes that massive jump to destroy anything and everything that is around him, the crown of King Khan would return to stability all over again.
Movie of the life time bodyguard . I love your most romatice song and tere mere songs of the yeare.love u bhai
Salman Khan’s composer proteges vying for same space in Sher Khan
SUBHASH K JHA 06 September , 2011
Mumbai: It isn’t easy being the master of destinies. As if one musician-turned-actor Himesh Reshammiya was not enough of an issue to resolve for, now Salman Khan has two musicians in his mammoth durbar trying to catch his attention for acting roles.
Himesh started as composer for Salman’s films and graduated to playing a leading man in films that were designed to accentuate Himesh’s potential as a singing star. Now that he’s back into Salman’s fold, we hear there’re attempts to tap his yearnings as an actor. Himesh might be cast in a major role in Salman Khan’s home-production Sher Khan, which Sohail Khan is directing.
Himesh denies any plans of acting in any film of Salman. But the whispers that Salman would accommodate Himesh’s acting aspirations along with his compositions into the Khans’ home productions is growing.
A source tells Businessofcinema.com, “Sher Khan is being designed as a film for Salman’s young fans. Himesh too is liked by kids. He is being seriously considered for the part of Salman’s friend in Sher Khan.”
However, there’s one hitch. There’s the other composer-protege of Salman with acting aspirations. He is Sajid, one-half of the Sajid-Wajid duo. Sajid nurses ambitions of being an actor and has already featured in his mentor Salman’s film Wanted as one of his three sidekicks.
Interestingly Sajid sported a cap like Himesh did in 2006-2007 throughout Wanted. An indication of the space that Sajid would like to occupy?
Sajid is open to more acting projects and is in fact looking forward to a role in Sher Khan.
Says the composer, “If I get the chance to act alongside Salman bhai, why not? My brother and I are passionate about music. But I also enjoy acting. Yes, I played Salman bhai’s friend in Wanted. And if I get a chance again I’ll most certainly grab it. As for being in Sher Khan, it’s too early to say.”
With both Himesh and Sajid vying to be composer-actors in Salman Khan’s camp the rivalry between the two factions is only going to toughen. May the best musician win.
Salman Khan eyes two Telugu remakes
Remaking south films has become Salman Khan’s winning formula for the box-office. Buzz is that the Bodyguard actor’s brothers are discussing remake propositions with the producers of two Telugu films – a hit film Kandireega and yet-to-be-released Dookudu. Apparently the makers of Kandireega say that the Khan’s family is not only ones interested in adapting the hit film for the Hindi-speaking audience. Few other Bollywood producers have also expressed interest. However, we doubt that anyone else will manage to do get hands on the remake rights, especially since Salman’s campers are also pitching for it. Once the superstar is back from his shooting schedule of Ek Tha Tiger, the deal will be sealed.
@Saju dey
Thanks for the article for srk. It was nice to read that article. I completely agree that srk has to come with something big now to catch or cross sallu bai or amir. There r much expectations frm srk nd srk is very much capable of fulfilling those expectations. Its now srk turn to show the world that he is still there where he belongs. My best wishes r always with srk. So i m waiting for srk hurricane.
Saju Dey..your last article..pitifuly was in favor of SRK..that shows u r illiterate to even find whether an article is for or against SRK..
You are disgusting Human being..u abuse..coz u dont have anything to speak..
as for Ra.One and Don2..Trade Trac a boxofficeindia.co.in’s method to predict opening of films..and it changes week by week acc to hype..
It predicts
Ra.One ‘s first week to be 125Cr currently..it’s expected to go up later coz hype never decrease
at the same time..it predicts Don2’s first week to be 112Cr and that too 3 months before is release..
O.K to get it straight Ormax media..another predictor..says that..buzz of Ra.One is 30 in its 8th week..whereas no film has ever touched 20 mark till yet..and Ra.One is cruising at 30..
Chammak Challo Song..came in heartbeat only on the basis of the official 10sec teaser..
and that new song has debuted on top charts..
For the next few days..my friend..you’ll have vomiting..headaches..no not because u r pregnant or something..
but because ..Ra.One and DOn2 will be hovering over ur illiterate head..
@ahsankhan: are you nuts?? Who is Aksgay???who cares about him and his crap movies???
I wasn’t active few months back but didn’t know that some joker fans are still in this world after TMK.
And how can you forget Hrithik, he beat SRgay in 2000 from his frist film, in 2003 with KMG and in 2006 with Krrish and Dhoom 2. Aamir Khan in 2006 with Fanaa and RDB and in 2008 with Ghaini and 2009 with 3 idiots. Salman Khan with Dabangg in 2010!!
So get your facts right!
are their two Saju DEy’s woh gaali galoj waala kidar hai..jo gaaliyan derha tha
Anonymous..
Its true..Only person to step up forward to challenge SRk’s throne was Hrithik ..but he was soon overpowered by SRK..then the biggest threat to SRK came..in form of Akki..who saw chains of massive hits..he was the biggest threat to SRK..
then we know Aamir dropped by..and followed by Salman..who finally dethroned him..
But..we cant run away from the fact that Ra.One and Don2 are the weapons with which SRK is gonna take back his position..
Saju Dey! Harrami ki aulad gali kiw deta hi. aggar app mard ki awlad hoon tu samni ajawo.
dear friends! this Saju Dey is made he is using bad word here.sham on him how he called himself Indian. Indians are very respectful people everywhere in the world. i am kindly requesting all of you to ignore his stupid comments on this article.
Saju Dey! If you come in front of me at this time I will kill you. How you use this kind of word here. I am real pathan from Afghanistan. In our culture if you say these words to someone they will not let you go home back. If you are a real man then have a control on your self like a real man otherwise leave this site
ahsankhan..cool down..Saju Dey is disgusting..no gain ..in talking to him..just Ignore..
Surprising how the shift has started
From the talk of overtaking 3I, now it imay not cross Dabangg and at worst even Ready!
What irks me is the inability to understand the market dynamics and how unbelievable 3I performance was. There is such loose talk amongst fans and even amongst trade sites like BOI claiming any well liked film can overtake 3I. It is stupidity or dishonesty of the highest order. People get giddy like school girls over a days or a weekend performance and start dreaming 3I.
Even the talk of a 100 crore week was so unrealistic.
BG has opened fab but as I said in day one, decay will be fast
@Amal: LOL nothing like that it will break dabangg record for sure. 3I is still very unlikely given the trending patterns of most big films and certainly 100 crore hits. Of course a film might eventually open to 120 crores and cross 3I but that’s not that same thing. And here Aamir still has the trending records. 3I doubled it’s initial week. Neither Dabanng nor Ready did this. And 3I a lot more than this. This film went from 80 crores to a little over 200, Dabanng went from 80 to 140 plus. So even as Salman is doing phenomenally well let’s not undermine these very important differences. also remember that when Devgan gets 100 crores from a far more ‘serious’ (which is to say far less comedy here) Singham the right kind of mass star in the right kind of setup and with some wind behind his back can really profit from this structure. But Aamir was there first with Ghajini which is to say those numbers seemed shocking at the time. Today one expects it with the right film and star combo. 100 is really the new 75 at this point, an increasing number of films will do it. And of course the genre of the day is now masala which means that there is a wider audience base. Even 150 crores will be pretty reachable for an increasing number of films. Beyond this it will be still hard for the forseeable future. Again Salman’s resurgence after being in the doldrums for most of the past decade is nothing less than stunning. He’s right at the top now other than Aamir (and I’d still place the latter over him quite easily for reasons I have discussed before) but given three 100 crore grossers in a row I wouldn’t argue too much with anyone who wanted to place him even with Aamir as a pure box office draw, at least as long as the streak lasts. He’s certainly dominating the whole debate at the moment. And here at the risk of repeating himself the big loser is really SRK.
amitabh bachchan is still the emperor of the indian film industrie
the rest just want to better him but this is impossible in this century
no one can act or react like the great bachchan
Arakshan: althought I hate gay Shahrukh and to the core, i have to admit he is a much bigger star than Aksgay anyday!! Aksgay tried to beat him but failed!!
In 2007 I consider it SRgay’s best year he had two big BB and CDI was better than any film of Aksgay that year!! Welcome was his only BB and did less than OSO in gross! also it was a multistarrer and Joker didn’t get too much from it, NANA and ANIL took all the credita s they overshadowed him.
His other hits BB, NL, HB were small hits or above average!!
So for me 2 BB are much bigger than 1 BB and 3 small hits!! so 2007 belonged to SRgay no doubt.
Joker didn’t top the BO any year from his start, as I said he had only one good year 2007 and was beaten by SRgay.
End of the story.
hey all!
i agree that salman is the biggest superstar in the contry.but that is not the only thing important.
when it comes to excilence in work,no one can come close to aamir.
so in my opinion
salman khan…..the biggest superstar
aamir khan……….the best in industry
@Anonymous
u r absolutely right dude.
@aditya:
u r right dude.
salman is crowd puller , his movies r not to that caliber that people expects from him now salman is undoubtly no1 . but afte raone and don2 srk easily get his own position back bcz both these movies r in 3d. and production values also so high. i relly hope if salman ek tha tiger releses in 3d and break the records. altough raone or don2 might break 2 idiots lifetime records just becz of massive openings something like 150 cr a week but no movie can break the 2nd and 3rd week records hold by 3idiots. it has to be another raju film to break it.
I don’t know why some people are started saying salman is no 1 because salman himself told that aamir khan is the no 1 actor in bollywood on a interview once Akshay kumar said no one can break ghajini record only aamir khan can break his own records and I am waiting for his movie 3 idiots to break ghajini records And when 3 idiots released it not only broke ghajini record but made a gross of 400 crore which no movies had done till now and remember till 3 idiots there was no actor in Bollywood whose movie had done net 100 crore business Aamir was the only one salman all the movies which have done net 100 crore are all after 3 idiots and considering to the fact aamir had done no films after 3 idiots how come one say aamir is now at no 2 just wait And watch aamir will bring tsunami at the box office by his upcoming movies
No. 1. Salman Khan
2. Aamir Khan
3. Shahrukh Khan
4. Ajay Devgun
5. Hrithik Roshan
1. Salman Khan
2. Aamir Khan
3. Ajay Devgun
4. Shahrukh Khan
5. Hrithik Roshan