Screen count of Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani?

Quick answers to the following questions, stay tuned and refresh the page after 10 minutes.

Q. Who has best line up in next year? – Shaggy

A. Our pick would be Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar. Fan and Raees look interesting. Akshay is mixing it up like 2015. Airlift, Housefull 3, Rustom and Namaste England are his four films for 2016.

Q. Will Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo remain 2015’s Top 2 grossers? – Kalia

A. Bajrangi Bhaijaan will remain the highest grosser of 2015. Dilwale could be the second highest grosser, but for that it has to find appreciation.

Q. Almost all big films are facing clash, is it fair to say 300 crore is impossible for 2016? So overall profit for industry is expected to increase or decrease with clashes? Your 2016 overall business prediction please? – Bhushan

Q. Scheduled clashes are not certain clashes. They can still be averted. The result of Bajirao Mastani vs Dilwale, could give us an answer. If both films do well, expect more clashes. If Dilwale wins by a huge margin, others will think twice before taking on SRK or Khans. If the margin isn’t too big, then Shah Rukh / Excel might rethink their decision of clashing with Sultan.

Q. Doesn’t FAN have the highest chances of becoming the highest grosser of 2016 as it is the biggest film having solo release, as all others are clashing? Sohom Pramanick

A. The insider reports for FAN is terrific, some say the film has shaped up really well. But like we said in the previous question, holiday releases are not certain to clash. They might be averted.

Q. General public watches movies for relaxation and entertainment. Then now days why everybody is so obsessed with box office collections rather than the films quality and content? – Riju Basu

A. Who doesn’t love numbers? It isn’t just about box office. Aren’t we all curious about who the richest men in the world are, how much they are worth? Or which phone has the highest sales. Even in sport, numbers of Tendulkar or Roger Federer are discussed and compared with others in their sport. For the normal audience who are not interested in fan wars, a higher earning film is one that is watched by more people, which also means a entertaining or ‘liked’ film. For fans, when a film starring their favourite actor breaks records or does well, it’s a feeling that makes them proud and happy. Can’t think of a better way to explain the obsession with numbers.

Q. What is the screen count of Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani?

A. It will be around 3200 – 3500 for Dilwale and 2000-2200 odd for Bajirao Mastani. Final number will be known only on the Tuesday / Wednesday before release. Screens are still getting booked. Multiplexes have not allotted shows / screens.

Q. Can Hrithik’s Mohenjodaro cross the 300 crore in India? This movie has tremendous buzz. What do you think? – Khushee Radhakrishnan

A. Depends on the trailer. 300 crore is still very difficult if the word-of-mouth is not excellent and if there is a clash.

Q. Is Hrithik capable to give highest grosser like before? – Mishal

A. Hrithik is one of the biggest crowd pullers in the industry, he has already delivered a 35 crore single day at the box office. So it’s about getting the content, genre and release date right.

Q. What are upcoming films of Salman after Sultan? Which genre appeals most Raees type or Sultan type?

A. Salman will be working in a film produced by Atul Agnihotri after Sultan. Can’t take a pick between Raees and Sultan at this point in time. The director of Sultan has said it’s a commercial film, but we need to see the trailer / teaser before commenting.

Q. What would it take for non Khan films to consistently release on major festivals as they are the best period to release a film. Would it have to be consistently outperforming Khan films for sometime? Could Bajirao Mastani be the beignning in that direction? Its sort of unfair for only Khan films to release during festive periods. A film like Bahibali 2 deserves a big festival release! – Lisa

A. The first step would be to match upto them and not get decimated. Even when the genre was in favour of Son Of Sardaar, it couldn’t outgross Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Overseas, there was no comparison whatsoever. So Bajirao Mastani performing reasonably well, will give others who are willing to take up the fight, some confidence. The other point is, it’s not just the Khans who want festive release, but the trade also wants them to release their films during Eid, Diwali and Christmas. If a film like Bajirao Mastani gets a solo release on Christmas, it won’t be able to generate the kind of ticket sales that a Khan film can or has.

Q. Will Emraan Hashmi be able to make a comeback? – Sridhar

A. Raaz 4 is his space, should do well. But whether he can make an impact outside the ‘erotic thriller with good songs’ genre, is something that remains to be seen. So far it hasn’t worked.

Q. I’m asking you again, Is there any possibility of Dilwale to touch 300cr with extremely positive word-of-mouth? Bicky

A. Box office is unpredictable, but it’s highly unlikely. If it does 250 crore, it’ll be huge, considering the clash factor.

Q. What will happen to Shahid Kapoor’s career if his movies Udta Punjab and Rangoon get critical acclaim next year and his acting also? What can be box office collection of these movies if liked by public and critics? Please answer this time please? – Anshi Goel

A. Critical acclaim alone, unfortunately, isn’t good enough. A film needs to be successful at the box office for investors to have the confidence to invest in Shahid Kapoor films. Since no Shahid film has even crossed the 80 crore mark, producers are unwilling to invest more than 30-40 crore on his films. And with that budget, it’s almost impossible to produce commercial entertainers. He desperately needs a big 100 crore grosser. Udta Punjab and Rangoon are unlikely to achieve those kind of numbers.

Q. Can Akshay Kumar win Best Actor of The Year for his Best Performance in Baby? – Aatif

A. He hasn’t even been nominated by Stardust this year, which is a shame. Akshay is a terrific actor, arguably the most versatile among superstars. He can slip into any role and do justice to it. But for some strange reason, almost every award show has ignored him over the years. Social media is probably one of the best ways to protest and let the organisers know that Akshay deserves better at award functions. Even Ajay Devgn has been ignored by Stardust this year. As for our pick for the best actor (popular) this year, it has to be Salman Khan for Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

That ends our QnA session today. It’s been a long one, nearly 25 questions were answered. And Sunday is supposed to be a holiday? Thankless job.