By D N Singh
Regardless of the language, region and timings, it is content, quality and a depth of theme that drives a film through many tests and not merely the timing always.
This year’s outcome has placed the South better, which has virtually swept the Oscar tags with ‘Natu Natu’ and ‘Elephant Whispers’ leaving behind a bludgeoning impact of complex on Bollywood cinema, still searching for its vanishing footprints of days of glory.
Even in the National Film Award the South has thrown the hat in the ring daring some Bollywood blockbusters.
Some of the biggest hits were released during one of these periods and it is universal knowledge that Hindi cinema's historical blockbuster, 'Sholay', was released on August 15, 1975.
Actors have their favourite release slots like the Eid week is Salman Khan's. Shah Rukh Khan chose January 26 this year for 'Pathaan'.
If the holiday for any of these special days falls on a Friday, it assures a film of a decent opening and the rest depends on its merits. But for any film, if the holiday for one of these occasions comes mid-week, it works as a booster dose adding to its weekend collections.
Independence Day was on a Tuesday this past week and one can't ask for a better weekend than this. Because, out of the four films released on August 11, three have opened well, though OMG2 was a slow starter.
The four films are Sunny Deol's 'Gadar 2', Akshay Kumar’s 'OMG 2', Rajinikanth's 'Jailer' and Chiranjeevi's 'Bholaa Shankar'.
Let us call this a week of the seniors because three of the four stars credited for these films are senior citizens. Sunny Deol is 66, Rajinikanth 72 and Chiranjeevi 68. Akshay Kumar at 55 isn't a senior citizen yet, but is a senior-enough artiste who has been doing films for almost 33 years.
What these four have done this past week is set the box office on fire all over. These films were released on August 11 and Independence Day, which fell on the fifth day of their release, only added to their glory.
As far as the initial draw went, “Akshay Kumar's 'OMG 2' suffered because of the whimsical ways of the Censor Board” tipped some critics. The exhibitors felt the film's release was uncertain because the Censors had raised some silly issues about the film's content. So, rather than not having a new release for the Independence Day week, most theaters opted for 'Gadar 2', leaving fewer cinemas for 'OMG 2' than the film merited.
Worst still was that this film, dealing with the sensitive issue of sex and young adults on the verge of entering the teens, was granted an adult-only certificate! Imagine, at age 12, a boy is going through his initial urges and seeking a solution, and the film can be seen only by an 18-plus. That 12-year-old and million such young adults needed to watch this movie!
With such setbacks, the film still managed to open with Rs 10 crore but the headlines were hogged by 'Gadar 2' grossing Rs 41 crore.
'OMG 2' picked up as the week progressed and it looks like it has overcome the initial setback.
One-man army Sunny Deol
Coming back to 'Gadar 2', though the sequel comes after a gap of 22 years, the fact is, the film would have done well even if it was not a sequel. Quite a few of the generation today may not have watched 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' and for those who did, the gap is too huge.
The reason is, the theme in the original and the sequel is the same, the cause is just incidental. And Sunny Deol's one-man army running roughshod over the Pakistanis and whatever represents power there.
What is more, for those who are familiar with the original, 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha', it was a nostalgia trip with Sunny and Ameesha Patel still continuing their romance like a couple freshly in love and, best of all, this gives the makers an opportunity to replay old melodies from the original. Today, when music and melody in films are extinct, that is an inherent advantage the film enjoys.
'Gadar 2' has the advantage of complying with the national mood today. The nation exudes patriotism and nationalism with Indians being deeply immersed in these sentiments. In such a situation, no better villain to humiliate than the neighbouring country.
'Gadar 2' had shown a drop after bountiful first three days, but the film still had the Independence Day holiday and Parsi New Year the following day to regain its ground. The film ended its first week scoring Rs 284.6 crore.
The approach of course can be in keeping with the times we live in. If the story has a mother, sister, sahelis and other such familiar elements around, the more the fun.
Now, all we need is a few writers with ideas and a few music composers to match the melodies of the bygone era. Maybe it is asking for too much in today's scenario, but it is not impossible.
Meanwhile, folks on social media are having a field day going ga-ga over 'Gadar 2'. Most are predicting the film's collections will go beyond the figures claimed by 'Pathaan'! Juggling of figures and tall claims despite empty cinema theatres has been a practice much in use by filmmakers. But, in the age of social media, people know what the real picture is. You may throw up big figures, but people don't counter you. They only take them with a pinch of salt, or a bagful of salt, depending on the claims.
Not saying that this is done by all filmmakers, but when two out of three do it, people become sceptical.
While of the subject of the box-office race between 'Pathaan' and 'Gadar 2', and of inflated figures, this does not seem to be happening in the Hindi film industry alone.
About the Author: DN Singh is a Bhubaneswar-based senior journalist.
DISCLAIMER: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
