By Vinod Mirani People have a tendency to not go to cinemas.This change in attitude was evident recently when a small number of people did not turn in to watch Akshay Kumar’s ‘Raksha Bhanhan or Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Chaddha’.
A week later the same attitude was evident for the smaller film”Do Baaraa”.
“Raksha Bandhan” and ‘Laal Singh Chaddha both came out in the same week in order to make money in profits from the long holiday time that begins with the celebration of Raksha Bandhan on the 11th of August which will lead to Independence Day, and ending with the Parsi New Year on August 16.Two high-profile films were launched in the same week, at different dates, they have usually been successful, and there’s no reason to believe that they shouldn’t have made the most of this extended weekend to profit from the opportunity.Unfortunately, there were not buyers for neither!
If a film fails there are many reasons to be able to draw from and, until recently it was the public’s fear of going to the cinemas after the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the expansion of OTT platforms in the wake of the lockdown.
But then “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2′ did well and so did The Kashmir Files, despite these dissuasive factors.Both did excellent business.
Beginning with Laal Singh Chaddha and ‘Raksha bandhan’, we now have a new excuse to boycott! The truth is that neither of these two films was not boycotted by any religious group or other group.There was never a boycott of any kind! There were several films against which a boycott appeal was made, like “PK” and “Dangal”.
The film ‘PK’, in fact, was under the protection of police initially, but was later one of the biggest box office grossers.The boycotts don’t work.
The boycott is a game that users use on social media to play.The majority of the time film stars whose work is scheduled to release either support these gimmicks and other things, or even encourage them.
They consider of it as way to promote their films!
Kareena Kapoor was reported to have posted remarks on social media, which prompted people to stop her movie (‘Laal Singh Chaddha’).No boycott was imposed, yet the film was an absolute disaster.
What now? She must be feeling so foolish.
Are people avoiding going to the cinema or watching movies? It doesn’t appear that it’s happening.If it were what is the reason why films that are based on language in Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Marathi and Gujarati appear to be performing well.Of course regional cinema is not without its problems However, the people have not abandoned it.
The issue with Punjabi films is that there is a shortage.The money likely comes from all over the world making the business thriving.
If seven or eight films fail then they are followed by one major hit that gives new life to the business.
The Bhojpuri industry has grown to be huge and not just delivering a lot of successes, but also having superstars with large fan followings (three of them are even members of the parliament).
However, the region doesn’t have an image of fair dealing.Producers invest money to create films however, the cinemas take the profits.
Their greed has stifled the Bhojpuri industry however, the good news is the emergence of the Chhattisgarhi cinema.There aren’t many films made there, but it’s a start.
Marathi films have seen many downs and ups and have not been subject to the same fate that was happening to Hindi films.Marathi is a distinct unique culture and collection of talent, and is the home of many of the finest writing.
If their reach has been restricted at the box-office, it’s solely because Marathi cinema is not given fair playtime and is not a part of the purchasing power of Bollywood.
Then there’s the revival of the Gujarati film industry.
At one time it produced regular music films, but the producers were mostly outsiders, making the best use of the subsidy and tax exemption policies of the state government.The content was mostly folk-based and the overall quality of the movies was deplorable at best.
The films targeted the most disadvantaged members of society, and never attracted a typical middle class or upper class audiences.
The fresh-look Gujarati films are now geared towards the young.
They are produced with a premium quality and are well worth the time.Indeed, the newest release”Fakt Mahilao Mate” (Only for Ladies) is on the way to becoming a blockbuster.
In addition to these regional films that are thriving in the region, it must be a harrowing experience to the Hindi stars that these dubs of South Indian films are setting records in the Hindi belt!
There’s this actress, Tapsee Pannu, whose recent film, ‘Shabaash Mithu was a huge success, bringing in around two crores and ‘Do Baraa’ in the range of Rs 3 crore at the box office.Do Baaraa’s film received no audience, which led to the cancellation of shows.
She is requesting that her film be snubbed.In this way, she would appear in the same category like Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar.
She stated that she felt excluded! She was left out of what?
You must be accepted, which you aren’t and the odds are low of this happening.You ask people to not boycott you but who are they? There is no one in the theaters.Our film stars aren’t accused of being smart but that’s not a reason to show the absence of it.
Regional cinema is booming due to the inability of Hindi cinema to provide what audiences want.They aren’t able to identify with what Hindi makers have been putting out over the past few years.
Also, there was the issue of Ajay Devgn getting involved in a Twitter dispute with the Kannada star Kichcha Sudeep on dubbing South films into Hindi.
It was a bit imprudent of him to bring up this issue when a few of the blockbusters he has made are remakes of south-based films! This is also the case with several other Bollywood actors.
Many of these problems These issues make Hindi film stars appear small in the eyes of their followers.They’ve lost their esteem and status.They do things that are not expected of idols.
I have previously mentioned occasions of where these stars did not meet the standards of the expectations of them, such as the instances of Sushant Singh Rajput, KanganaRanaut, and so on.
How can Kareena or Tapsee become so arrogant enough to advise people to avoid her film, when it’s not her own film? Many others have invested in the film.What happens to the hundreds of people who worked behind the scenes to make the film? As a celebrity you are the main character of the film and are you are entrusted with the pleasure of fulfilling the dreams of thousands of people in the background.You fail and vent your disappointment to the viewers who make your films successful.
Somewhere along the way somewhere, it appears that the Hindi film industry has lost its way.The stars are shown where they shouldn’t be (in absurd ads) and they speak at inappropriate times.They must learn that without a fan base it is impossible to achieve fame.
vinod/srb
