AskIndicine: Live Now

Q. Is there any chance for SRK to do a 300 crore movie with Rehnuma or Aanand L Rai’s next?

A. Any film grossing 300 crore cannot be predicted without watching it and even after that we need to see the trend on the 2nd day after release. But both Imtiaz Ali and Aanand L Rai’s film have the factors that are needed to be huge grossers. Imtiaz’s next has one of the top male stars in the industry and the numero uno female star (Anushka). It also has a favourable release period, so it’s about content being favourable enough to appeal to a large section of the audience, as well as getting a strong trend. Every SRK film after Chennai Express has shown extremely poor trends – excellent in the first weekend, poor thereafter. It’s about that strong hold on Monday (or the first weekday) now. If that happens, there would be no stopping the film from becoming a big grosser. How big would again depend on the film.

Q. What is meant by VFX?

A. VFX means Visual Effects. The enhancement of a scene through CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) using software after a particular scene has been shot is VFX. For example, if there’s a huge war scene in Bajirao Mastani.. it’s pretty much impossible to shoot it in real time. Costlier too. Instead a small portion of the scene is shot and later, during the post production, the additional elements (foot soldiers, elephants etc) are added to make the scene look real as well as larger-than-life. The Tsunami scene in Mohenjo Daro, a bomb blast in a film, morphing Sushant Singh Rajput’s face into real cricket footage.. all these and more come under VFX. In short, scenes that are shot in real and enhanced later using computer software is VFX or Visual Special Effects.

Q. Now after the Rangoon’s dismal box performance it is looking like Jolly LLB 2 will cross 125 crore mark?

A. Producer-total of 125 crore looks difficult. The film will collect around 111 crore by the end of this weekend and probably add around 5 crore during weekdays, to take 3- week total to 115-116 crore. It might still add a 3-4 crore more after the release of ‘Commando 2’, but will be out of most theatres when ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ releases. So a lifetime total of 120 crore is what Jolly LLB 2 will finish at.

Q. Your initial LBO of Jolly LLB 2 was 86, then 95, why are you always under estimating Akshay Kumar?

A. Initial IndicineLBO predictions are made based on the assumption that a film would carry average to good word-of-mouth. There are other factors in play too – if Raees and Kaabil were extraordinary, it could’ve affected the performance on Jolly LLB 2. So after the release of Raees and Kaabil, we increased it from 86 to 95 and finally after release of Jolly LLB 2 we took it to 112. We have to take quite a few things into consideration. It’s not like we’ve always under-estimated Akshay Kumar. We expected Brothers, pre-release, to do 150 crore. It had a favourable release period, big banner, big release, Jacqueline after Kick, Kareena item song etc.. but it did half of that. Same with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara, we thought it’s a sure-shot 100 crore plus grosser, but it fell short.  For Jolly LLB 2, we over-estimated the opening initially – starting it at nearly 17 crore. But it fell well short. Predictions are impossible to get 100% accurate, we try our best but box office is extremely unpredictable.

Q. Akshay Kumar movie in 2018, which can touch 150 crore?

A. Robot 2.0.

Q. In last to last Q&A session you said the expected Worldwide share of RAEES is 85cr. But by trade its 68 cr for domestic and 35 – 38cr for overseas.. 

A. The final worldwide distributor’s share of Raees is around 90-95 crore, after deducting commission etc. Both the main distributor Anil Thadani and as well as few other sub-distributors lost money over the film. It was hugely profitable for the producers. This is of course, as per trade sources.

Q. I’ve visited many sites regarding Happy New Year collections and the lowest collections i found is on your page i.e 180cr.

A. The reality can sometimes be very different from what is posted on websites. Internally, there are trade analysts who say Happy New Year did not cross 170 crore domestically. It’s also a very well known fact within the trade that 3 Idiots did not collect 200 crore, it fell just short of it by a few crores. All of this can be extremely controversial and people will be unwilling to even accept it. It should never be about who has posted the highest or lowest number for a film, it should be about seeking the correct number – which unfortunately, very few are interested in. It’s also true that only the producer knows the actual collections down to the last rupee, which is why as long as their figures are within a realistic range, we’d like to give them the benefit of doubt.

Q. What is wrong with Hrithik’s career; neither his films are performing well in the long run nor they are opening well. I know he is going through a low phase but still Ranbir’s films were opening around 10 crores in his low phase and SRK’s films are opening around 20 crores in his low phase.

A. Around the same time 10 years ago, most Salman films (barring a few like Partner, No Entry) weren’t even opening as well as Rangoon. The actor is the same, just that his choices weren’t working. Every actor goes through such phases. An unstable personal life can play a big role too. Just look at clippings of Salman from the infamous 2008 Katrina Kaif birthday bash, his turmoil was clear. Today, he’s a different person, knows what his audience want and is a lot more professional in his dealings. Hrithik is probably going through a personal as well as professional low, it can happen for careers that stretch a decade and half. The trailers and promos of his last two films have been poor and have largely received a negative response. About Ranbir, when he made a wrong choice (Bombay Velvet) the opening was disastrous too. Even Jagga Jasoos could open poorly if it gets delayed again. So the most important thing for actors to make it big in the industry is right choice of films. Almost all the Top 5-6 actors have an established fan-base, a few failures or under-performers won’t make a difference to their standing in the industry.

Q. What are Alia Bhatt’s confirmed movies after BKD? This year BKD will be her solo release or she will have another release?

A. Apart from Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Alia has signed ‘Gully Boy’ directed by Zoya Akhtar, also starring Ranveer Singh. She also has a superhero film tentatively titled ‘Dragon’, which has been in the planning stages for a very long time. It stars Ranbir, directed by Ayan Mukerji.

Q. In your previous article, you said Salman has 3 consecutive 200 crore grosser. Did you miss Kick from the list which itself a 200 crore grosser?

A. Yes, it was a mistake which was later rectified. It’s 4 consecutive 200 crore grossers – Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Sultan.

Q. Favourite Movie and character of Aamir Khan, and why it’s your favourite?

A. There are many, it’s easy to pick the career-best of almost all actors, but it’s extremely difficult to pick one from Aamir’s filmography. All-time favourite could probably be Andaz Apna Apna, arguably his most entertaining film along with 3 Idiots.

Q. Even Raees has underperformed for SRK. A section of media had started writing him off right after Dilwale. What is his position(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…) as far as stardom, fan following and initial crowd-pull strength is concerned currently?

A. Initial and crowd-pulling capability wise, second. Current standing in the industry would be third. The concern within the trade is more about his choices, not star power.

Q. If Akshay Kumar starts giving one movie in a year… choose on big and good universal content oriented script, shoot it for 3 to 4 month like 3 Khans… Do you think he can give 300+?

A. It’s debatable, because he hasn’t been able to pull every section of the audience, from every nook and corner of the country – at the same time. His last universal blockbuster was Rowdy Rathore and it’s the closest that he’s come this decade to delivering a big grosser. It has to be noted here that Khans have a very large fan-following that extends to every part of the country and large share of the credit for them commanding such a following – goes back to the 90s when they did family films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Raja Hindustani. It firmly established them as stars who are a cut above the rest. Akshay does a lot of films, sure, but his films have to be opening much better than 12s and 13s or 15s and 16s from bigger films like Housefull 3 and Brothers. It’s not like he comes once every 3 months either, Jolly LLB 2 released 6 months after Rustom. The gap between Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2 was just 4 months.

Q. Why didn’t Bajirao Mastani get released in China last year like they originally planned? Usually China loves these types of period/romantic/war films. Also, are the makers ever planning on releasing it there? Thanks Indicine!

A. The China government has limits on the numbers of foreign films that can release in their country / theatres every year. The limit is 34, most of which are Hollywood films. Out of that 34, the limit for Indian films was 2 per year which was increased to 4 per year recently. Now, there are release costs too and distributors there won’t buy every film. For example, Baahubali was a major failure there. So since Bajirao Mastani belongs to the same genre, it probably didn’t get a release in China. Only the banner would know the real reasons. For now, the only actor who has been able to penetrate the China market is Aamir Khan. Everyone else has failed.

Q. What are Chances of Golmaal Again vs 2.0 clash?

A. No clash between the two films. Ajay Devgn should try and avoid clashes henceforth. It’s not that he cannot win with a film like Golmaal, but being one of the most respected actors in the industry, the way he handled the two clashes – first with Jab Tak Hai Jaan and then with ADHM, hasn’t done justice to his stature.

Q. Is SRK-Imtiaz confirmed for being a solo release now? If yes, what is the general trade expectation from the movie?

A. It’s a solo release, yes. Not trade perception at the moment, SRK won the perception game with Raees.. but it’s now time to deliver a real big grosser and more importantly deliver a film which a large section of the audience appreciates and comes to watch in theatre.

Q. What are chances of Dutt biopic vs Tiger Zinda Hai clash?

A. We maintain what we said in previous QnA, the clash isn’t happening.

Q. SRK – Anushka – Imtiaz Ali film Rehnuma will release on 11th August 2017. Whether Krishna Janmashtami holiday is on Monday 14 th August or will it coincide with 15th August Independence day holiday? Please tell me the loss/ gain for the actual situation.

A. We go by the government list of holidays for 2017. Krishna Janmashtami is on Monday (Jan 14). So it’s a long 5-day weekend, with a partial holiday on Monday giving the film a boost of around 25-30% because the next day is a major national holiday.  It’s one of the best weekends this year, the important thing now is to take advantage of it.

Q. How can a producer earn money from music albums?

A. By selling the music rights to music companies like T-Series, Sony, Zee etc. It’s a big and lucrative business.

Q. What is Hrithik waiting for, why he isn’t announcing his new movie & how do u see the Kaabil box office performance as a whole.

A. He is in the process of finalising his next film.  A couple of films were almost signed, but fell through due to remuneration and other issues. Kaabil is a plus for him, for the genre it did fairly well at the box office and his performance was appreciated too. Although he’s failed to create a positive perception, he’s managed to get the audience back to theatres. Now it’s important to follow it up with a bigger film. Like SRK, for Hrithik too it’s about one good film. Perception is something that changes very quickly.

Q. What is the meaning of footfalls?

A. It means the number of tickets a film has sold. Approximate figure.

Q. Why Toilet LBO is just 100 cr? Even it will get tax free status, there are summer holidays, it is unique love story & Akshay is coming after super success of Jolly LLB 2.

A. We cannot made predictions on assumption that a film will get tax free status. It might not get tax free status at all or it might get in Week 2 or 3, when it makes no difference. There’s the Ramzan period, we’ve heard Raabta has shaped up well and there’s a big film like Tubelight too – the audience saves up money for such event films. If Toilet opens at 12, it needs to carry better word-of-mouth than Jolly to get to 100.

Q. Hello indicine I don’t understand why actor like Shahid Kapoor who has been in industry since 15 year did not know which type of movie audience like.repeating same mistake again and again.

A. Choices make or break an actor. Until Shahid realises that the audience is simply dis-interested in films like Haider and Rangoon, he will remain where he is. When Rakesh Roshan directs Hrithik, the audience come in big numbers because they’ve been entertained by the duo’s last few films. Same with Aamir-Hirani, SRK-Adi, Ranveer-Bhansali etc. But Shahid’s films with Vishal Bhardwaj have never found acceptance, except from a small section of the audience. Even Haider, it was involved in a clash with a much bigger film, it got publicity and got those extra audience. But those audience who came to watch the film, did not enjoy it. They won’t come again. If they did, theatres wouldn’t be empty for Rangoon. Both Shahid and Bhardwaj live in some sort of a delusion that it’s films like Rangoon that the audience want to watch. It’s far from true. Almost everyone in the trade and industry knew this was a disaster, except them and a few other who hail the films they do.

Rangoon isn’t a case of the audience not liking a film, it’s about not even giving it a chance because neither their older films, nor the promos of their latest film, found acceptance with majority of audience. There is a need to respect the choice of the audience too, because film making is a business. The 50 crore which Viacom are going to lose on Rangoon, is precious money which could’ve been used to make 1-2 or more films.

Q. Can Jagga Jasoos be like Rangoon in terms of collection, because of the delay?

A. No. Unless things go horribly wrong, that’s unlikely to be the case. Ranbir reaches out to a much larger section of the audience than Shahid. We aren’t talking about Kangana here because she’s never been a consistent crowd puller and Saif is borderline irrelevant as far as box office initial is concerned. Jagga Jasoos also looks like a happier film and it’ll have entertainment value too. We are still looking at a 10 crore plus star for Jagga Jasoos, but if it gets delayed further and if some of the things we are hearing is true, it could be a struggle.

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Q. Do you think it would have been better if Kaabil would have released on 24th Feb? Mahashivratri holiday. 2 free weeks. It would have got all single screens and plexes would have preferred Kaabil over Rangoon.

A. Pretty much any date was better than the date that it released on. It’s too late now, but hope the industry learns a lesson from this clash and better sense prevails in the future.  It isn’t a problem when one film is bad and finds rejection, but it’s unfortunate when both films had the potential to earn a lot more.

Q. What are the total collections and verdicts of Dangal, Ok Jaanu, Haraamkhor, XXX : The Return Of Xander Cage (In India), Coffee With D, Kaabil, Raees, Irada and Running Shaadi ?

A. Dangal is All Time Blockbuster, Raees and Kaabil are Semi-hits. All the other films are flops.

Q. Please this time answer My Question.I really want to Know.. As Ranbir kapoor has done 8-10 movies in his carier till date.And his Fan following amongst Girl’s & metro city’s is gaining & Awesome. I want to ask you that what was the fan following of SRK & Salman khan after doing 8-10 movies in starting of their career. Is that Same like Ranbir kapoor nowadays or it was huge ?

A. Not even close, Ranbir has a long way to go. HAHK and DDLJ were bigger than what we call as ‘All Time Blockbusters’. It wasn’t just loved, those are films that touched the audience so deeply, that many became life-long fans of the actors. Ranbir hasn’t yet catered to the masses.

Q. ‘Family Drama’ was a popular genre of the 90s and even in the early 2000s. Why such films are no more made in Bollywood?

A. Lack of family films is the biggest reason why footfalls of films are decreasing every year. Recently, film critic Anupama Chopra posted a link of the decreasing footfalls. But it’s these film critics who are atleast partially responsible for fall in the number of ticket sales, along with other factors like rising ticket prices.

The ‘family drama’ genre is big and has a massive audience, but isn’t explored enough. A filmmaker like Aditya Chopra who was known to make the biggest of family entertainers, opted for a urban-flick which failed badly. Not only did it fail badly, it wasn’t even watched by 20% of the number of audience that watched any of his previous films. Karan Johar films too are only catering to Tier 1 (metro cities) and at best Tier-2. These were our big ‘family drama’ directors. They seem to have moved on.

It needs not necessarily be elaborate family drama either. It can be family films with human emotions. That’s one of the reason why Aamir and Salman are dominating the industry, not only are they big stars, but they are also making films that every member of the film from 8 - 80, can watch and have a good time in theatre.

That’s it for today. 28 questions were answered in over 2 and a half hours. We cannot be answering all of them, but we’ll be looking at answering a few questions through the week in more detailed, full articles. Thank you for join us and apologies to those who posted their question but did not get an answer.