AskIndicine: Live Now

Q. Should we write off Raees? Because it had release trouble, and now Mahira Khan and Indo-Pak issue; so can we say that Dear Zindagi and Raees both will go the Dilwale way? (Even Dear zindagi has Ali Zafar).

A. We still have more than 3 months to go before the release of ‘Raees’. The government isn’t banning any film starring a Pakistani artist, in fact the Home Ministry has said they’ll continue to grant visas. So there is no question of writing off Raees, ADHM or any other film.

Q. Can a love story movie be the highest grossing of all time nowadays?

A. The genre is eternal and the potential is always going to be huge. Even a Marathi film like ‘Sairat’ managed to collect more than 100 crore this year, so there is no reason why a well-made romantic film can’t go on to be a huge grosser. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was a romantic film that collected nearly 190 crore in 2013.

Q. Vidya Balan or Kangana Ranaut, who is a bigger actress?

A.Kangana Ranaut, but both are content and word-of-mouth dependent.

Q. Will Raees release on Republic Day or not? As theatre owners have decided not to screen the films starring Pakistani actors.

A. Only the ‘Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India’ has requested its members not to release the films. That doesn’t mean multiplexes or even single-screen exhibitors will decide against releasing the film. If the relationship between India and Pakistan continues to worsen, then there will be two issues – one, Raees could lose out on a few screens and two, negative coverage for the film in the media could lead to a section of audience boycotting the film. Too early to talk about what could happen so far out in the future, we do not even have a clear picture about ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. Once that film releases and depending on how things pan out, we’ll get a better idea on how it could be for Raees. For now, the trailer of Raees might come out a little later because of the ongoing Pakistani artists controversy / debate.

Q.Why M.S Dhoni the untold story founding difficulty in crossing 150 crores besides having 3 open weeks? Is it an over rated film… I mean how is exactly the trend of the film?

A. The trend was average in the first week, but the film has sustained quite well in Week 2 and 3. Lack of competition, obviously, has helped. The two big negatives of the film, which people have been pointing out, was the length and the romantic portions. It could have probably collected about 20-30% more than it did if the film was shorter and crisper.

Q. Which 5 films releasing in 2017 are most awaited by you? And on which film will you put your money on to become HGOTY of 2017 (Including 2.0 and Baahubali)?

A. Tiger Zinda Hai is our top pick for 2017, it will shatter records if its a good film. Followed by Tubelight. Both are potential 300 crore plus grossers. Then comes Baahubali 2, the Hindi version could do 200 crore plus, the popularity of the first film on television will add tremendous value to the box office potential of the 2nd film. Box office is unpredictable, but from what’s on paper, these three films should be in the Top 3 grossers of 2017.

Q. Why has Ayushman Khurana not yet hit superstardom (have asked this question many times, hope you answer this time)?

A. With all due respect to his talent and hard work, ‘superstardom’ is too far way. Let’s talk about stardom first, he isn’t even a bankable star yet. Long long way to go for him.

Q. When we can expect something like poster or teaser or trailer from Jolly LLB 2 makers?

A. In November, that’s when they begin their campaign.

Q. How hot are ADHM and Shivaay right now? How much would you rate their buzz out of ten?

A. Both films are not where they should be at the moment. ADHM is involved in a controversy, so it’s very difficult to say anything with certainty. There is interest to watch the film, the response to the trailer was average but songs have been received very well. The ‘break up’ song may not be the best song in the album, but it was a fun song, exactly what was needed at this point in time. For Shivaay, the makers have not been able to sustain the interest. The trailer was very well received, but rest of the units (except Darkhaast to a certain extent) haven’t really connected. People are confused about what the film is all about. The question is going to be about content, word-of-mouth will decide the fate of Shivaay.

Q. After the initial reports of Dangal, do you still bet on Sultan as HGOTY? How much are you expecting from Dangal?

A. It’s too early to say it’ll be the highest grosser of the year just going by a few celebrity tweets. Especially since the word ‘decade’, ‘decade and a half’ and ‘century’ has been repeated in each of the tweets. Even if it turns out to be an extraordinary film, it would still need to be an entertaining film to reach 300 crore. Few more days to go for the trailer, that should give us a better idea about the box office prospects of Dangal. Stay tuned to the FBO and LBO page.

Q. After super success of Dhoni how do you see Sushant Singh Rajput’s career from here on?

A. It has given his career a big boost, a lot more people know him now and he’s touched people with his performance. To find out how much it has helped, we’ll have to wait for the release of Raabta in February next year. If it opens above 8-9 crore (assuming solo), then it’s probably an indication that he has gained a lot from MS Dhoni The Untold Story.

Q. Is it true that Sultan and Bajrangi Bhaijaan both have crossed 100 crores on single screens? If yes then how big a achievement is this?pls reply I have been asking this from previous 6 times?

A. Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan are two of the highest grossers at single-screens. It’s a massive achievement because the average collections from single-screens has fallen below 15%, even lower for many of the ‘successful’ films this year. Salman is the only star currently who’s catering to Pan-India audience, whether it’s families, masses or multiplex audience. It’s at the script level he’s achieving that balance, which is helping him not only deliver those big grossers, but also adding to his growing fanbase.

Q. Is Robot 2.0 a Bollywood movie?

A. No.

Q. When GST will be implemented? What will be than the nett & gross collection of a movie like SULTAN which has nett collection 301 cr & gross 420 cr?What about footfalls.

A. It’s expected to be implemented from April 2017. It will definitely increase the collections of films, but by how much depends on whether or not the benefit of lower entertainment taxes is passed on to the paying public. For example, if theatres increase the base price of the multiplex ticket and the final ticket rate (including taxes) remains the same as before, then net collections will increase and bigger records will be set. If tickets become cheaper and all the tax benefit is passed on to public, then the footfalls will increase leading to higher collections. So it’s a win-win situation. GST will give a huge boost to the film industry.

Q. In last 5 years box office collections of movies are highly dependent on holidays but that was not the case before. Movies releasing on non holiday were also blockbusters. Does that mean Indian audience have lost interest in watching movies in recent years and only like watching it on festivals?

A. It’s just that big films featuring big stars are releasing during these festive weekends, to make it an ‘event’. But if Salman releases a Bajrangi Bhaijaan during a normal non-holiday weekend, it would still probably get close to the 300 crore mark. We’ve seen films with normal releases like ‘The Jungle Book’ or ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ (without even a major star) that have gone on to become 180 / 150 crore grossers. This, inspite of the fact that ticket prices weren’t really at holiday levels. So it really shouldn’t be difficult for good films like PK, 3 Idiots, Bajrangi Bhaijaan to be major grossers. In fact, we’d say Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s holiday advantage was negated by the outstanding run of Baahubali.

Q. One word to describe these Bankable Superstars our country is proud of. Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan. No specific order; names are based on Seniority debut in the industry.

A. We would like to use more than one word, but promise to keep it short:

• Aamir Khan: Extraordinary script sense. Even those who don’t usually watch films, make it a point to watch his films.
• Salman Khan: Megastar, biggest name in the industry today.
• Ajay Devgn: An actor who will be remembered for his performances, Sultan Mirza for example was beyond extraordinary.
• Shah Rukh Khan: Still the most recognised Indian actor in the world. Loved. It’s about that one film that clicks, needs to happen soon.
• Akshay Kumar: Making all the right moves at the moment. Should peak in the next couple of years. One of the nicest men in the industry.
• Hrithik Roshan: Needs to do more films and work with better directors. Still commands a following, but the last couple of years (both on a personal and professional level) hasn’t been great for him.

Q. Why are people calling it a end for SRK? I am a die-hard fan & sometimes I get scared & become very sad just by thinking about it.

A. It’s far from over. FAN is his only big failure in the last 10 years or so. Yes, quite a few of his films have been below expectations as far as box office collections are concerned, but every actor goes through such phases. He’s still working with top directors like Imtiaz Ali and Aanand L Rai. The success of these three films will be crucial for him, but he isn’t going anywhere. An established fanbase doesn’t disappear with one or two rejected films, they’ll be back in theatres as soon as he does one film that looks appealing.

Q. Tubelight is gonna be the first not-so out and out commercial movie of Salman Khan in the SALMAN KHAN ERA. It has a weird title, no Bollywood actress, no love angle, above 200 cr budget. Kabir Khan has pushed the liberty far too much as he himself said its a huge risk to do a film like Tubelight, but I can afford to take such a big risk at the level I am today (because of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and ETT). Do you think Salman Khan went too far in search of a HAT-K movie and took this huge risk? A small mistake and others could start looking at EID weekend as well to release their movie.

A. It’s too early to make these assumptions and the budget is not 200 crore. It might be a different film, but as long as its commercial and entertaining, it still has high chances of working. Kabir Khan is a good director and knows what the audience expect from a Salman film. So those audience-pleasing elements will definitely be there. Wouldn’t call the title weird, ‘Tubelight’ does generate quite a bit of curiosity. From what we’ve heard, Salman’s character in the film will be loved.

Q. I am big fan of indicine, please post an article on Top 10 actresses of Bollywood.. I think indicine you are a patriarchal mind because you post article on Top 10 actors every year but never on actresses. Do you underestimate the women power or is there any other reason. Please answer I’ve asked this 3-4 times.

A. It’s not about being patriarchal or sexist. But it’s a well known fact within the industry and trade that it’s the male actors who are driving the box office collections of films. How else would one explain the box office opening of Fitoor? It did not even get a face-saving opening at the box office, even though it featured a top star like Katrina. Even Baar Baar Dekho collected less than 7 crore on Day 1, but put the same Katrina in Tiger Zinda Hai and the numbers would be record-breaking. So the problem with posting an article on Top 10 actresses is the criteria to rank them. How do we rank them, what numbers do we use?

Q. How does a movie work to become super hits, blockbuster and so on. Is it because when a film does more money then the budget they spend on that film. And how about they send 50 core on a film and it make 52 crore in box office is that a average or flop. Can u explain this in more specific details.

A. In today’s times it’s a combination of recovery and perception. A film like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil for example would probably recover all its investment from satellite, music and overseas collections. But that doesn’t mean we can declare the film a hit if it collects 50 crore at the domestic box office. At the very least, for the film to be declared a moderate success, the nett box office collections of a film has to be equal to the budget. After that profit can be worked out after including recovery from the various rights and overseas collections. There are other factors involved too, like if a territory has been sold to a distributor, the nett collections has to be more than double the price for which it was sold for (because a share of the collections goes to the exhibitors / theatre owners). In olden days, verdicts used to be ‘strict’ but these days its based on perception and overall recovery.

Q. Why didn’t Vivek Oberoi starrer Prince open well back in 2010 when it had a chartbuster music album and big budget? To be honest, I liked the concept.

A. Because of Vivek Oberoi.

Q. Was Akshay Kumar bigger than Aamir, Hrithik and Salman in overseas during his peak stage?

A. Mid-2000s, yes. Second biggest after SRK.

That ends the QnA session for today. We got a lot more questions than we expected today. Some of them will be answered during the week. Thank you for posting your questions.