Achi news desk-
Rajesh A Krishnan’s heist comedy ‘Crew’, starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon, is a good example of a successful film featuring female stars. (Image: PTI/File)
Bollywood has put on a good show with a great mix of films since the beginning of the year. What is missing is the blockbuster of all time
Two Bollywood biggies from different genres came to the marquee recently. Ali Abbas Zafar’s sci-fi thriller Bad Miyan Chote Miyan, which stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff as court martial soldiers who reunite for a mission in one of them. The other is Amit Ravindernath Sharma’s biographical sports drama field stars Ajay Devgan as Syed Abdul Rahim, a football coach who became an iconic figure in Indian sports history. It is possible to argue that the conflict could have been avoided in order to ensure better commercial results for both films, though Maidan’s paid previews reached a limited number of viewers a day earlier. Not either BMCM neither field has excelled at the box office, and a change seems highly unlikely. However, their release is a reminder that Bollywood has been offering a variety of films since the beginning of the year.
Maidan’s lack of success will not change the fact that Ajay Devgn remains a reliable star. A good result for me BMCM, however, it would have helped Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, who need a big hit or two soon. Another disappointment from 2024 is Siddharth Anand’s air action drama A fightera big-budget Hrithik Roshan film that failed to deliver the kind of big returns the industry had expected. Fighters its failure to become a significant success was surprising, in part because most critics liked the film. Roshan’s fans also shared their disappointment on social media, and others were quick to point it out A fighter failed to simulate magic Pathananother Anand film starring Shah Rukh Khan, whose spectacular success became the first great story of 2023.
Although Bollywood has not given a big boost to the budget this year, the industry has managed to give the viewer a good mix of films. Some have been mediocre and even worse, but it’s still heartening to see the wide range of films that the average attendee has either chosen to watch – or rejected. Among the small and medium-sized films that have been released theatrically so far, a few have managed to attract audiences in good numbers.
Bollywood has a long history of successful horror films. The latest addition to the list is Vikas Bahl’s supernatural horror film Satan, a moderately budgeted film also starring Devgn along with R Madhavan has emerged as a hit. Rajesh A Krishnan’s heist comedy Crew, starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon, is a good example of a successful film featuring female stars. Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah’s sci-fi comedy There is so much confusion in my body starring Shahid Kapoor and Sanon has also worked, mainly because the theme of the film and the chemistry of the lead pair appealed to audiences.
One film attracted eyeballs because of the choice of subject: Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s fast-paced political thriller Article 370. Revolving around events that led to the abrogation of the controversial Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, one of the highlights of the small budget film which became a huge hit was the good performances led by Yami Gautam in the role of an intelligence officer. Some makers have recently revealed their desire to make films with politically relevant subjects. If they identify appropriate subjects and make good films on them, viewers will move to the theaters in future as well.
So what if Bollywood has been searching for the elusive all-time blockbuster this year? The message conveyed by several other success stories of a smaller variety is that films can do much better than break even if the subject and its treatment are right.
The success of a film without big stars is good news, especially for those producers and filmmakers who wish to make films with offbeat subjects. Kiran Rao comedy drama Laapataa Ladies, an odd film revolving around a mix-up after marriage which at the same time conveys a progressive social message, has impressed critics and is finding its share of audiences. A fun ride with plenty of LOL moments, Kunal Kemmu’s Madgaon Express has also achieved a decent result, partly due to its small budget.
A couple of biopics made headlines before their release. There is one of them Swatantya Veer Savarkar based on the life and times of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and directed, co-produced and co-written by Randeep Hooda, who also made a strong statement of his acting prowess in the title role. Ravi Jadhav helm Chief Prevention Hoon, a biographical drama whose highlight is Pankaj Tripathi’s performance as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Those who loved these films may insist that they should have done better at the box office. Moreover, moviegoers who did not appreciate these movies mostly agreed that Hooda and Tripathi performed wonderfully as the two protagonists.
A promising film failed, partly because its director Sriram Raghavan could not match his best. That neo-noir thriller was Merry Christmas starring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif, a well scripted offering with solid performances from the two leads that didn’t deserve such apathy from movie goers. Merry Christmas however, is going to join the list of cult films that have become popular after failing to attract viewers to the theatres.
A big success or two in the coming months will not surprise anyone. Until that happens, it is safe to say that at least a few moviegoers who have been spending their precious money to go to the theaters regularly since the beginning of the year must be fairly happy. A few films from different genres have been watchable or better, which is not a bad thing.
(The writer, who has been a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and those of the author alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions News18)
