By: Amit KumaR Agarwal
2022 has seen three ₹250+ crore earners within a span of a month; The Kashmir Files, RRR and KGF:Chapter 2. Trade-experts that wrote obituaries of Cinema had to eat their words. Ironically, OTT's bore the brunt with all platforms showing a reduction in their subscriber-base.
Interestingly, Bollywood was on a bullish note when the lockdown happened in 2020. The first two-and-a-half months saw two solid hits Tanhaji & Baaghi 3 with Sooryavanshi all set for a blockbuster status when Covid-19 forced shut cinemas. Interestingly, the cinemas opened with Sooryavanshi in November and it was a blockbuster hit.
Though, are the cinemas, really on a bullish run? A question that needs to be probed.
More so, when the two releases this Friday (April 22, 2022) Jersey and Operation Romeo hardly have any collections. Interestingly, both are remakes of south-films that were hits and well-appreciated.
What is it that Hindi filmmakers fail to achieve. Their southern-counterparts seem to have perfected the formula. One of the factors is unrealistic star-prices, second is obviously failure to accept the failure of their films and 'celebrating' their success with a sustained media-campaign.
Talking of unrealistic star-prices, reportedly, a Shahid Kapoor charges 40 crores, the opening day collection of Jersey 3.75 crores. How will the film recover it's investment, if it weren't for OTT's. There was another film Hurdang, it didn't even get a proper release and the lead actress reportedly charges 1.5 to 2 crores.
There is no doubt that Hindi film-producers are themselves to blame for the mess they have created, by making films in unrealistic budgets. Three things that ought to be corrected in Hindi films are: the script, the star prices and the acceptance of a films' failure. Case in point: While the media hailed 'Gangs of Wasseypur' as a hit, it was only in a tweet dated 19th July 2020 that Anurag admitted that for the studio the film was a flop. It is another matter that the false perception of 'hit' helped the filmmaker make Bombay Velvet with Ranbir Kapoor and almost ended Ranbir's career!
If filmmaker's take care of these three aspects, it will only be time, 'the elusive hit' that seems to bother ninety-percent of filmmakers will again be a child's play!