AskIndicine 4PM Indian Time

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Post your questions in the comments section below. Begins 4PM Indian Standard Time.

Q. What are the chances of Sanjay Dutt biopic clashing with Tiger Zinda Hain?

A. For now, the clash is on because Rajkumar Hirani has confirmed that they are targeting the Christmas 2017 period. A few PR articles were also circulated a few day before the film went on floors. The director has also said they will complete shoot by June 2017, giving them enough time to complete post-production. Hirani has spent a lot of time in pre-production, he does his home work well and the schedule is in place. If things go according to plan, he film should be ready well before Christmas.

It’s going to be a wait and watch situation from here. A lot can change because the makers of ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ are also working on a tight schedule. But because both films are potential major grossers, the industry and both producers will lose money.

Q. How is the buzz about Jolly LLB 2 in trade?does it have a chance to become Akshay kumar’s highest grosser ever?

A. It doesn’t look like a film that could go on to collect 135 crore plus, but anything is possible if a film finds appreciation and grows on word-of-mouth. It’ll have to be an outstanding film to do 130 crore plus. The opening will be very good, there is interest to watch the film.

Q. Dear indicine, what’s your opinion on upcoming S. S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali the conclusion & Mahabharta Triology . Thank you.

A. Rajamouli directing Mahabharata is going to be huge. A lot of actors in our own industry – Aamir Khan and SRK for example – have expressed their desire in the past to make a film on Mahabharata. Getting the cast right is very important for Mahabharata, without that, the film won’t work. But giving the fact that he pulled of a film like Baahubali, Rajamouli is the right man to realise the dream held by many in the industry.

Q. Why Salman Khan hasn’t won a single best actor award?

A. No one cares, it’s all about getting audience to theatres. Every single actor in the industry would pick box office success over film awards or critical acclaim. Salman would’ve won atleast a few awards, if he wanted. He doesn’t want them.

Q. Your reaction for Filmfare Best Actor, are you expected or it come as a shock?

A. Didn’t expect Aamir Khan to win. He actually deserved the Best Actor award for PK more than Dangal. That was a flawless performance, possibly his career best and gave him a lot more scope to perform. This was more about the behind-the-scene effort that he put in, he was excellent no doubt, but in our opinion, there were better performances this year.

Q. How much can Jolly LLB 2 collect in its first weekend and what’s the buzz around the film?

A. Given the interest right now, a 50 crore weekend could be a possibility. Although a lot could depend on the level of opening on Day 1. Even the box office performance of Kaabil and Raees could make a difference. If one of those films continues to perform in Week 3, then it could have a small impact on the business of Jolly LLB 2.

Q. Which is bigger – Akshay Kumar in three 100 crore grossers or Salman Khan or Aamir Khan, whose single film collect 350 crore? As number of tickets sales are same. Please reply sir.

A. Absolutely no comparison. Salman and Aamir are way ahead in every circuit, in every city. In fact, Dangal collections will be more than Airlift, Rustom and Housefull 3 combined. And Salman gave Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Sultan within a 1-year time frame. We aren’t even factoring-in the overseas collections here, a single film is twice more than all the other three combined. The budget of three Akshay films is also more than double of Aamir’s Dangal. So let’s give credit to the two, they are playing at a different level altogether and are bringing in audience all across the country to watch their films.

Q. Despite having various hits in 80s and 90s some actors like Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff and Govinda failed to gain superstardom. Why? Plz explain.

A. Govinda was a major star in the 90s. He could carry films and people would come to watch him.

Q. Dangal is a very nice film but if we compare the acting of Shahrukh khan in Fan and Aamir in Dangal who would you pick as best actor?

A. Would pick, Shah Rukh Khan in FAN and Sushant Singh Rajput in MS Dhoni as the better performances this year. A performance has to be judged solely on what we get to see on the big screen, not the preparation or effort that goes behind it. Again, different people could have different choices and Aamir was outstanding too.

Q. Rakesh Roshan showed 50 minutes of Kaabil to the trade. How is the actual response to it? Previously, Raees makers also did the same. Which one has got better response from trade, Raees or Kaabil?

A. The response is mixed to good, but it’s always better to believe the response of the audience when the film is out in theatres. A lot of people who tweet that a certain film is outstanding, off-record say it was average. We are not specifically talking about Kaabil here, but this happens with 90% of big films. Dangal was one of those rare films that was hailed as the best film of the decade and actually turned out to be worthy of that praise.

Q. You said Hrithik has signed a big project, when it will be announced ?

A. Hrithik coming very close to signing a film happens quite often, but at the last moment things fall through. For example, Karan Malhotra’s Shuddhi didn’t happen at the last moment, but they could work together soon. Even YRF’s Thugs of Hindoostan fell apart at the very moment.

Q. If released today how much business Dhoom 2 would have done? And can anyone have a Dream Debut like Hrithik in KNPH?

A. It would be the highest grosser of all time. Beating Dangal may not be easy but it’ll still get into the Top 2 / 3. They don’t make universal love stories like Kaho Na Pyaar Hai anymore. With even the likes of Aditya Chopra making niche films, we do not even have the directors who can make such movies. Most of what we get today are urban films – that are watched only by the city audience, so becoming an all-India sensation overnight is pretty much ruled out even before release. The best of actors the industry has produced, like Ranbir Kapoor for example, didn’t get the perfect kind of launch that a star kid is usually expected to. Having said all that, Hrithik was the most polished and complete actor on debut. People didn’t expect a lot out of him prior to release and he over-delivered, the opposite happened with Abhishek Bachchan.

Q. What is your take on Karan Johar’s statement on Kajol in his biography?

A. We wouldn’t want to discuss personal life of celebrities here. None of our business, whether it’s Hrithik – Kangana or Johar – Kajol.

Q. What is your opinion on Raju Hirani in taking Christmas 2017. It’s better than any other date. Festival release can accommodate two release easily right?

A. There is definitely space for two films, but eventually the industry will lose money when both are potential 200-300 plus grossers.  We think Hirani, Vidhu Chopra and their team will take a call once they are ready with their film. If it shapes up very well and they believe it can compete on word-of-mouth against a big Salman film, they might go ahead with their release plans. Too early to discuss finalised plans, because either of the two films could decide to avert clash.

Q. When does the theatrical teaser or trailer of Commando 2 and Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya releasing?

A. Soon. Badrinath Ki Dulhania, the teaser will be out first (last heard, it’s ready), followed by the trailer. No date has been locked yet.

Q. What is the latest update on Crack?

A. Pushed to 2018.

Q. Can Dangal’s footfalls reach 400 crore plus?

A. Not sure we understand your question, because for a film to get 400 crore footfall – every citizen of the country has to watch the film thrice! If it’s about 400 crore, it’s looks like Dangal will finish with business of around 380 crore net.

Q. Aamir in which one was at his best according to you ? 3 Idiots, PK, Dangal.

A. Hands down, PK. It’s our favourite lead performance in the last 10 years. Brilliant would be an understatement.

Q. Indicine is this true that Salman is not happy with how Tubelight is shaping up.. please answer.

A. It’s not true. There were similar rumours during Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Ek Tha Tiger too. Fallout between Kabir – Salman, not happy with the way the film has shaped up – these two rumours have been there for all of their films. Google it, you’ll find a lot of old articles.

There might be arguments, disagreement.. but that happens in almost every creative field where such a huge team is involved – especially when there is so much at stake.

Q. What are the chances of Kaabil beating Raees in long term? And what are the factors in favour of Kaabil & Raees?

A. We can’t be writing everything in our QnAs. Long term bet depends on which film turns out to be better. Detailed article will be up soon.

Q. Your favourite 5 Akshay Kumar movies of all time?

A. Guess it would be Hera Pheri, OMG Oh My God, Special 26, Namastey London and Khiladi. He’s done quite a lot of entertaining movies.. even a film like Awara Pagal Deewana was very entertaining. A underrated comedy.

Q. Is the brand Rajkumar Hirani is bigger than Ranbir Kapoor or the other young generation actor as almost all are saying that Dutt biopic is Raju Hirani film, not even a Ranbir Kapoor film?

A. Raju Hirani is the biggest and the most successful director we currently have. So obviously he will overshadow a much younger star as compared to someone like an Aamir Khan who brings in his own credibility. Ranbir hasn’t been going through the best of phases either, but that doesn’t mean he will not be a factor. He’s stil the biggest young star we have, possibly the 6th biggest crowd puller in the industry.

Q. Why you predicted above 5 Cr for OK JAANU when there isn’t any buzz and interest among audience to watch it. And a Hollywood film was clashing. Is it difficult to predict low numbers for films of popular cast ?

A. We thought the presence of ‘Aashiqui 2’ pair and hit music, will give the business a boost. Even otherwise, Ok Jaanu would’ve probably managed a 5 crore plus opening without ‘xXx’ releasing in the evening. The impact is something we under-estimated. That’s not an excuse though, we got it horribly wrong.

Q. If the Raees keeps increasing and Kaabil doesn’t keep up, do you think the latter might open below 10 crore, much like Mohenjodaro, which would be a bad sign for Hrithik’s career.

A. When an actor has such a long career and an established following, one or two films can never be considered a bad sign. For Kaabil, things aren’t looking very bright. They need to turn things around, either by putting out some good promos or the word-of-mouth has to be there. We could sum it up by saying – the response to the Kaabil promos is much better than Mohenjo Daro, but nowhere close to Raees or where a big film should be.

Q. How will you describe Dangal in one word?

A. Masterpiece.

Q. Any update on the release date of Golmaal 4?

A. Not yet. It’s not coming during Diwali, that’s confirmed.

Q. Why has Akshay Kumar delayed films like Namastey England and Kaththi remake? Isn’t it these universally appealing films that have the potential of giving him big grossers?

A. It does. But we think, it’s a calculated risk that he’s taking. In the past, whenever the multiplex audience hasn’t come to watch his films – they have lost money. When he does films for his core fan base (masses), even if they like it and the city-audience reject it, the revenue is too less for his films to recover costs. For example, Rustom and Airlift easily outgrossed a popular franchise film with universal appeal. 2017 is going to be a very interesting year for him, it could give him a couple of classics like 2016 or back-fire.

Q. At what mark will Raees be considered blockbuster? 200?

A. Yes, it will have to cross the 200 crore mark for blockbuster status.

Q. Which movie can break Aamir Khan’s Dangal record?

A. If Tubelight is at Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s level, then there is a chance. Otherwise, no other movie will come close.

Q. When will you update ur LBO page?

A. It’s updated here www.indicine.com/lbo.

Q. Hello Indicine, now Filmfare revealed their winners list and like every year, this time also there is no nomination for Akshay Kumar, as they forgot about Airlift as it was released about a year ago.We know that they really don’t care about awards but it is also the fact that it will also encourage them certainly to work hard.I don’t simply understand so can you just clarify about the importance of award functions?

A. We cannot answer for Filmfare, but it’s definitely a shame that Akshay Kumar and his films never get nominated – even when they are far more deserving than some of the other films that get nominated. But these actors are actors who have achieved almost everything that the industry has to offer and getting awards and nominations will neither help them get good films nor earn them money.

Q. Do you think Varun Dhawan can continue his winning streak at box-office this year?

A. Sure. He has the massy film with low costs in Badrinath Ki Dulhania and also a big film like Judwaa 2.

Q. I asked this question last Diwali Indicine if you remember and you predicted it perfectly with accuracy. So now this question is that as both the films Raees and Kaabil are very near to release and we have seen promos songs and trailers too, which film will you put your money on and who is going to win the clash according to you Team Indicine?

A. From the promos, it’s a easy pick. Definitely, Raees.

Q. Hi Indicine, im one of your biggest visitors from SOMALIA, trust me guys i visit your site more than 20 times a day even though you dont post more than 3 articles a day. My question is, I heard that the entertainment tax is much lesser to south films compared to Bollywood. why?2nd question, between PK and Baahubali which movie would be more profitable considering the EntTax…. answer in details please.

A. Thank you so much for visiting. We promise to post more. Entertainment tax is exempted (there are some conditions) for regional language films in their home state. Hindi films are also tax free in a few states, but the major states are heavily taxed. So even though the gross collection is high, what the producers or distributors get is about half of the net collections. Baahubali is a two-part film, so it’s unfair to judge it based solely on the collections from the first film – when there wasn’t a fixed budget for the first film. PK was hugely profitable.

Q. Hello indicine you are doing great Job.. I am addicted to your site.. I am posting my question from last 26 sessions but you didn’t reply my any question.. hope this time.. plz answer. My question is. First day or weekend collection of a movie can increase by distributer because generate more interest of people to watch movie. Or it is not possible. I am asking this question bcoz recently I also saw and now I read about dangal that. Distributer are giving wrong information then actual things are different. Can it possible or just remunerating people. who just want to criticise.

A. Thank you for visiting and apologies for not answering your question so far. The problem is, we don’t quite understand your question. At multiplexes, the highest share the distributor gets is in the first week, it goes down lower in the second week and further down in the third week. There are also theatres that are charge a ‘fixed rental’ to screen films. On these screens, a part of the price you pay for your ticket will go towards taxes (government) and the rest will go to the distributors. The exhibitors (theatre owner) will just get the rent he charges. So at that particular screen, the film becomes profitable as soon as the collections cross the rental amount. If it doesn’t collect the rent, then it’s loss making. That is exactly the reason why, a Salman film gets a wide release even at fixed rentals, while many of the other stars don’t, because the minimum expectation is to recover atleast the rent.

And yes, figures are be inflated, but the trade usually knows the actual collections a film. We tried to explain this in simple, hope you are satisfied with the answer and it helped you learn something new. Thanks.

Q. Who has more fan following among these young actors. Varun, Sidharth, Sushant and Ayushman. It seems Sushant leading now after MSD.

A. Varun is leading by a distance at the moment. MSD opened because of MSD. Else, Sushant cannot even cross the 10 crore mark on his own. Things will get clearer after Raabta.

Q. How much money does script writer, Director and Editor gets from one film in general ? Quantify Amount if you have data about it.

A. Script writers and editors, get far too less when it compared to actors. As for directors, it depends. The top directors can sometimes earn much more than the actors.

Q. What’s your genuine take about Filmfare awards 2017 winner list? Wasn’t it fair enough?

A. Largely balanced, the deserving won. The winners were better than the nominations, which had quite a few major omissions.

Q. Can you please tell us how is XXX Xander Cage doing in terms of box office collections? I don’t trust any other source.

A. It has done well in the first 1.5 days. But the word-of-mouth isn’t very positive. It should finish with lifetime business of less than 30 crore.

Q. What will be the prediction after Kaabil gets response like Kaho Na Pyar Hain?

A. A response like Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai cannot be predicted, anything is possible if audience love a film. But the comparison just doesn’t make sense, neither does Kaabil feature a newcomer nor does it have a director of the calibre of Rakesh Roshan.

Q. According To Your Personal Thought Which is the Best Song From All the 2017 Films?

A. Did you mean 2016? It’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track. The other favourite was the one we have attached below from Coke Studio, Afreen Afreen. Listen to it a couple of times and you’ll love it.

Q. Hello Indicine, I’m a big fan of your work but I have one small issue. Why are you giving only producer’s figures for box office collections whereas you can provide us with your well researched and correct figures?

A. We are working on something new. Wait for it.

Q. Who is best in these new generation actresses . And whose films have grossed the most money – Shraddha kapoor, Alia bhatt, Parinetti chopra, Yami gautam, Shruti hassan?

A. Acting-wise, Alia Bhatt. Box office wise, Shraddha Kapoor – but she’s going down quickly because of poor choices. Half Girlfriend will be an important film for her.

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Q. If you are asked to choose only one favourite song of this decade, which one would you choose?

A. Cannot answer such questions in live QnA. Too many good songs in the last 6 odd years.

That’s it for today. We went through all the pages and answered nearly 45 questions. Thank you for joining us.