AskIndicine: Live Now

Q. Sultan will be the 10th consecutive successful movie of Salman Khan if it succeeds. Do you think he has chance to break Rajesh Khanna’s record of 15 consecutive successful films. If he does that will he become biggest superstar of Bollywood of all time? – Saquib

A. Superstardom has absolutely nothing to do with consecutive hits. A star can have a few failures in between and still retain his stardom.

It’ll probably be a nice record to have, but Rajesh Khanna’s 15 back-to-back successful films came within a period of 3-4 years. There was a time when 2 or 3 of his films were running in different theatres at the same time. Let’s talk about this once the record is achieved, as Salman needs 6 more films to succeed (including Sultan) and future is never predictable

Q. How many screens will be given Rustom, if it clashes with Mohenjo Daro? And what will be the lifetime collection of Housefull 3? – Sachin

A. It’s still too early to talk about both films, without watching the trailer. The impact of a trailer can make a huge difference, so all eyes will be on the theatrical trailer of Mohenjo Daro. If it manages to create the impact that the trailer (not teaser) of Bajirao Mastani did, then it’ll have a major advantage.

Rustom is targeted mainly at the multiplex audience, while Mohenjo Daro will have wider pan-India appeal. The Hrithik Roshan film is certain to get 3000 plus screens, Rustom would probably settle for around 1600-1800. Single-screen release of Rustom will be very limited, it’s more due to the genre than the star.

Housefull 3 should finish somewhere around the total of the previous Housefull film (116 crore). There could be a difference of around 5 – 10% depending on whether Udta Punjab releases this week or not.

Q. Udta Punjab postponed or not?

A. For now, it’s scheduled to be out this week. The makers are going ahead with their release plan, hoping that the court’s verdict (tomorrow) will be in their favour. They are well aware of the fact that the film will benefit only if it releases this week. If they push it ahead, Udta Punjab will have to move to next month – until all the issues are sorted out. You can’t postpone it by a week, because then there will again be uncertainty. Next month, there is Sultan too – so with the film hitting headlines throughout the week, the makers have got crores worth of publicity for free. It’ll help convert into collections only if its out this week.

Q. Current Top 5 superstars in terms of fan following?

A. Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar. In that order.

Q. Is there any way to get movies like Natsamrat, Sairat, Thithi etc in Hindi or with subtitles? Please do clarify over this – Bhautik

A. Sairat is a recently released film and is still performing very well at the box office, so it’s not yet available on DVD. The other films that you mentioned are available with English subtitles. Link to Amazon

Q. Is Great Grand Masti releasing on 22nd July? Still no poster or trailer while Dishoom coming 1 week after it has released it’s trailer?

A. Yes, Great Grand Masti is scheduled to come out 2 weeks after Sultan. The trailer will be out this week (most probably). We’ve been informed that it’s ready.

Q. If Dangal gets postponed, are there any chances of Raees releasing this Christmas?

A. Dangal is confirmed for Christmas. No delays, shoot will be wrapped up soon. Post production work has already begun. Reports are very good.

Q. What do you think about the promotional strategy of Dishoom as it has been nearly 2 weeks since Trailer got released and no song promo?

A. The first song of Dishoom will be out on 16th June. There is no hard and fast rule that the first song absolutely must come out a week after the theatrical trailer. It’s normal to release the first song two weeks after the trailer.

Q. Don’t you think that Khan movies grossed 200 above only due to festive weekends. Whenever they release in non-holiday it managed to do around 100 crores only. Akshay, however, didn’t get any festive period still his films grosses 100 crores. If Akshay got Christmas – Eid – Diwali weekend, don’t you think it can do 200 crore?

A. You cannot take credit away from the Khans. Eid as a festive weekend was non-existent before Salman Khan came, dominated and made it his own. Christmas was considered to be a non-favourable period because of extreme cold in North India before Aamir Khan started releasing his films and made it a big period.

As for Akshay Kumar, he has got several favourable release periods. Baby (Republic Day weekend), Brothers (Independence Day – big day for film business), Singh Is Bling (Gandhi Jayanti – Haider and Bang Bang collected more than 200 crore combined), Airlift (Republic Day), Housefull 3 (Post IPL). It’s not like Akshay is releasing his films during normal weekends. He’s picking the best out of what’s available. Even if you release Brothers on Christmas, it won’t work, like we’ve seen with Tees Maar Khan which released during Christmas 2010.

Not being negative about Akshay, but there is a potential for big films like Brothers / OUATIMD / Housefull 3 to get to 150 crore and beyond during non-festive periods. Like we’ve seen with films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and others

Q. Sholay, Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai etc are considered as Evergreen Cults of All Time. Will 3 Idiots, PK and Bajrangi Bhaijaan be remembered in the same league in years to come let’s say a decade or two?

A. Most certainly. On television, 3 Idiots and Bajrangi Bhaijaan generate high TRP’s every single time they are aired. In fact, most times when Bajrangi Bhaijaan is on television, it trends on Twitter. The films that you mentioned are also three of the five most watched films in theatres.

Due to extremely high traffic and server load, we have to temporarily stop the QnA session for 30 minutes. We’ll be back at 5:45PM. Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Back.

Q. According to you, a film you think will be remembered (appreciated) in years to come more, Bajrangi Bhaijaan or PK? Both are evergreen but a slight difference. One promotes love and humanity AND the other tells us about the reality of religion and issues related?

A. Bajrangi Bhaijaan appeals to a wider section of the audience. It’s a simple story that not many will dislike. On the other hand, PK was received with extreme reactions. Some loved it, others hated it. There are few others who consider OMG! Oh My God to be a better film that PK. More original because it released first. So overall, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the more liked film and that’s unlikely to change in the future too. 3 Idiots beats both though and if the sequel does happen, it’ll be unimaginably huge.

Q. Why Dhoom brand is famous among us as all the movies have weak plots especially Dhoom 3? Are we fascinated by Bikes or something else is there?

A. Dhoom was a 12 crore film, Dhoom 2 was made on 30 crore budget. 150 crore was invested into Dhoom 3. The makers have not only upped the scale with each new film, but have also opted for bigger stars. This ensures that they get the biggest release periods, so it’s highly likely that the next Dhoom film will either feature Salman Khan (strong reports) or Shah Rukh Khan. Content-wise the audience don’t expect a classic either – some good songs, stunning leading ladies, a bit of humour and action. Script has never really been the strong point of any Dhoom film, except maybe the first. YRF also doesn’t overdo it – one Dhoom film every 5 years seems to be the target. In short, Dhoom films are packaged and timed well. That’s the USP of the franchise.

We have some Dhoom related polls on Twitter, have a look:

Which actor do you want to see in DHOOM 4? @yrf

— Indicine.com (@indicine) June 12, 2016

Which actor was the best as the lead villain in the DHOOM series and should return to the franchise? @yrf

— Indicine.com (@indicine) June 12, 2016

Q. Will Sultan effect Dangal, Is Dangal really shifting?

A. Sultan won’t affect Dangal. And like we’ve already said, there is no truth to rumours of Dangal shifting to a later date. To fill space and generate traffic, media has become notorious in creating rumours and a day later rubbishing them. Don’t believe 90% of rumours that you read. Let’s not speculate too much, wait for the official announcement. If a film is getting postponed, the production house will always release a statement.

Q. Indian Box Office Queen & King?

A. BeingSalmanKhan and DeepikaPadukone!

Q. Regarding the underperformance of Housefull 3, Does this have any effect on Golmaal 4? Does team Ajay -Rohit have to look at H3 as a case subject? Your take please?

A. A little early to call Housefull 3 an under performer. It could still do 120 crore plus. Golmaal 4 will be huge. Getting the release date right will be the key.

Q. How well are the songs of Sultan received? Has the buzz increased and is the buzz equal to that of Fan?

A. No comparison between the promotional campaigns of FAN and Sultan. FAN was the most poorly planned and marketed Shah Rukh Khan film in a decade! Nothing made sense and they didn’t even have units in the last one month to give the audience something new. On the other hand, they haven’t put a step wrong with Sultan. Perfectly announced, shoot went as per schedule with PR team constantly working at keeping the film in news. Teaser was well received, trailer was huge and the songs have worked well too. Everything has worked for Sultan so far and it’s all down to content clicking with the audience.

Q. Who do you think have a better future in Bollywood: Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt or Shraddha Kapoor?

A. Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra – in that order. Parineeti has no big film offers, while Alia and Shraddha have plenty. Time is running out for Parineeti, a fantastic actress.

Q. What’s the status of Ayan Mukerjee’s DRAGON?

A. There have been too many delays and the problem could be the economics. It was meant to be a big budget film that was planned after the success of ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ when Ranbir was expected to soon be a major superstar. But he hasn’t had a success since and has two disasters and a flop to his name. But Ayan Mukerji has said the film is definitely happening and they plan on starting shoot by the end of this year.

Q. Is Akshay is doing Jolly LLB 2, is it confirmed?

A. Yes, the film is happening. Shoot begins Mid-July. However, no official announcement yet.

Q. Any update on PK’s new worldwide collections or any info regarding its Japan box office performance please…?

A. It’s releasing in Japan in October. Worldwide collections remain the same.

Q. Is it true that the cast for 3 idiots sequel will be completely different from original film…?

A. There have been reports that the script of the film has been finalised, but that’s not true. They are still working on the script. It’ll only happen in 2018 – 2019. Long way to go. We have no idea if it’ll be a completely different film or not.

Q. Please can u tell me the release date of Mohenja Daro theatrical trailer?

A. The trailer is ready, date yet to be finalised. Industry insiders say, third of fourth week of June.

Q. What you think akshay kumar has to do in order to get back to the level of superstardom he had in the 2000’s and compete with the khans? This decade he has given us the most number of classy movies(sp 26, baby, airlift, omg etc) and massy movies( rowdy rathore, housefull series etc) but matter what he does he cant seem to get a decent opening and even if it trends well it seems to run of steam around 120-130 crore when the younger generation actors are giving 180cr+(YJHD, bajirao Mastani). Even his most most awaited movies cant get more the 15-16 cr opening? He used to do multiple movies at the peak of his career and most of them used to get bumper opening so multiple movies is not an excuse? Do you think he did too many bad movies at his peak and the audience lost confidence in him?

A. Akshay’s working style is different from other actors in the industry. He’s an actor and he does his job i.e to act. Apart from that, he lets directors, producers, editors and marketing teams do theirs. He doesn’t necessarily involve himself into other aspects to ensure the overall product is upto his expectations. There is not a whole lot of planning or excess amount of time spent on decision making. This allows him to do films like ‘Jolly LLB 2’, which most other actors would be hesitant to do.

Q. Is the sequel to Robot really called “2.0” ?

A. Yes, but that’s the working title. They’ll opt for a Tamil title, because it’ll get them entertainment tax exemption in Tamilnadu.

Q. Which clash is more critical Rustom vs Mohenjo Daro and Shivaay vs Ae Dil Hai Mushkil? Don’t you think Karan is clashing because he has personal grudges against Ajay Devgn? He did never clashed with a Khan movie. Mohenjo Daro or Shivaay which one is more expensive budget wise.

A. No filmmaker will announce his film against another due to personal differences (if there is any). A film is announced for a particular period because the filmmaker believes his film has the best chance to do well on that day. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is going to be a big film too. It’ll have excellent music and probably hold stronger appeal towards the multiplex audience. Overseas too it’ll be the first choice as Karan Johar films always do well. It’ll also be a less risky film – both budget and genre wise – as compared to Shivaay, which could go either way. Either a big hit or a hugely disappointing disaster. Karan also has better credentials as a director as compared to Ajay Devgn. So it’s going to be an interesting clash. As for your question about the budget of Mohenjo Daro and Shivaay, the Hrithik film is costlier.

Q. Your favourite movie in Housefull series? And which non-holiday release in 2016 would you bet on to have the biggest opening? Can Dishoom be the one?

A. Housefull 2. Dishoom has very little chance of generating a big opening after the response the trailer has received.

Q. Better first look.. Shivaay or Mohenjo Daro? Vote

A. Here you go, take a look and vote.

Q. Any update about Milan Luthria’s BAADSHAHO? When will they start shooting?

A. Shoot begins early August.

Q. Can Udta Punjab collect more than 100 crores after getting so much of free publicity by censor board?

A. It’s very difficult for such films, because the appeal is limited and it’s adult rated too. No film that is adult rated and lacked appeal towards single-screen audience has yet crossed the 100 crore mark. Even with all the controversy, we’ll be really surprised if the film opens above the 10 crore mark on Friday.

Q. If Sultan released on EID day, then the opening will be?

A. 40 crore plus. Upper limit is something that cannot be predicted for now. Check out our FBO prediction closer to release.

Q. As we all know a superstar can give a bumper opening and rest depends upon the content, so my question is there any process in which the makers appoint some critics and also big directors and shows them the movie and according to their suggestions makes changes in the finale product?

A. Trial shows are held for neutral audience for feedback and suggestions. Aamir Khan does it for almost every film of his. He even does it to the music of some of his films. By doing this, you can probably better your product, but you can’t turn a bad film into a good one. Filmmaking is a long and difficult process. A lot can go wrong at different stages, even if the script is strong on paper, the director may not be in form or the actors might be incompetent or miscast. And finally, it’s also about timing the release of films right. The genre might go out of favour from the time you plan and shoot to the time when the film is ready for release.

Q. Can Raees cross 40+ crore solo on 26 Jan 2017 because its national holiday…. And how much Mohenjo Daro can collect on 12 Aug 2016 solo… (Harshvardhan Singh on Twitter)

A. Can’t talk about Mohenjo Daro before the trailer is out. Need to see some visuals from the film before commenting. 40 crore plus for Raees on January 26th with a solo release should be achievable if the ticket prices are hiked to festival levels. But it remains to be seen if the film will appeal to the family audience. It’s about a bootlegger, could have violence and there is a Sunny Leone item number too. SRK will be returning after Dilwale and FAN too. For a 40 crore plus opening, every centre, every circuit should open to extraordinary response and every section of the audience should watch it too.

That ends our QnA session for today. More than 30 questions were answered. Thank you for joining us.