#why salman termed mega star

[salmankhanholics]

★ 12 blockbusters in the first 21 years: Why is Salman Khan termed a Mega-Star only now?!

Jun 18, 2018 

It’s all in the stars—of the astrological kind. Or so it seems. As Race 3, despite the negative buzz and reviews, romps home past Rs 100 crore in 3 days flat in India alone, and Salman Khan gets his 13th consecutive member of the club as leading man (plus two more—Son Of Sardaar and Judwaa 2 in cameos!) and is touted as a Mega-Star, let us look back at his career.

Of those 12 films, Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard (all home productions), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (which he co-produced), Ek Tha Tiger, Kick, Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai were super-hits, while Jai Ho! broke even, Tubelight did not get back investment and Dabangg 2 and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo were hits. All these films released in the 2010 and afterwards phase.

Net result: A smash record indeed in nine years.

But Salman Khan started out in 1988 with a second lead in the average Biwi Ho To Aisi, getting his first solo lead in Maine Pyar Kiya, released in December 1989. And while he gave eight blockbusters 22 to 30 years into his career, he did give huge hits in the earlier phase as well.

Here, then, is the list of 12 Salman Khan blockbusters in the first 21 years:

1. Maine Pyar Kiya-Biggest hit of the entire 1980s.

2. Saajan-Biggest hit of 1991.

3. Hum Aapke Hain Koun!…-Biggest hit of 1994.

4. Karan Arjun-The second biggest hit of 1995. When the film released, Salman Khan had a huge head-start in popularity over co-star Shah Rukh Khan, who had had super-hits only in Baazigar and Darr as anti-hero.

5. Judwaa-This David Dhawan film that had Salman Khan’s first dual role ranked then respectably among the top 10 films of the year, but over the decades, it has outclassed most of the the bigger hits of that year to become a high-recall cult entertainer. So much so that David Dhawan, the director, actually remade it with son Varun Dhawan for a 2017 audience. The updated film, Judwaa 2, also was a hit and had a cameo by the ‘two’ Salman Khans in the post-climax!

6. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai-The biggest hit of 1998 was essentially a Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol musical, but Salman Khan, in a long special appearance, walked away with a lot of sympathy for his character, who loves but loses Kajol.

7. Biwi No. 1-The top hit of 1999 saw Salman Khan in the central role as the philandering husband. Though the film was very melodramatic and kitschy, he pulled it off, supported by Karisma Kapur and Sushmita Sen, with Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khanand Tabu in “parallel” roles.

8. Hum Saath Saath Hain-A typically Rajshri production not only in content but its thrifty production, this was the second biggest hit of that year with its ensemble cast. Like any multi-star Dharmendra film, it was essentially top-lined by Salman! It ranked next only to Biwi No. 1 that year.

9. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam-The most celebrated romance of 1999 completed the triad that made Salman rule that year with all its top three hits, a feat that had only one precedent-Amitabh Bachchan with Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Don and Trishul in 1978! It made, in the pre-100 crore days, Rs. 52 crore on a Rs. 16 crore budget!

10. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi-Also starring Akshay Kumar, this 2004 film earned over Rs 55 crore for a Rs. 19 crore budget. This was the third hit Salman got with David Dhawan, with whom he has worked the most in his long career.

11. No Entry-The biggest hit of 2005 remains another cult comedy and has another distinction: it is the only film with an adult theme that appeals even to children with its “universal”, earthy and uproarious humour!

12. Partner-Salman Khan’s 2007 home production was among the top five hits of that year. It is loved to this day.

Same phase blockbusters

Let us now look at blockbusters from the other market leaders in the same phase (1988-2009), though Shah Rukh Khan started out only in 1992,  Aamir Khan had Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Dil, Rangeela, Raja Hindustani, Ishq, Taare Zameen Par, Ghajini and 3 Idiots. Four more films—Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti and Fanaa— romp in only if worldwide collections are included and not their India performance, which did not match up.

Shah Rukh Khan had Baazigar, Darr, Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Om Shanti Om and Chak De! India. Again Pardes, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… and Veer-Zaara come in only if and when worldwide collections are included.

So, Salman Khan has had 12 blockbusters in India alone, while Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan had 8 each, with 4 and 3 more films added only because of NRI appreciation.

In the post Rs. 100 crore era, Aamir Khan has added PK and Dangal to his blockbuster list, whereas Dhoom 3, also, comes in only with its faring at the international box-office. Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan has added My Name Is Khan, Chennai Express and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi only because of their worldwide box-office.

In conclusion, given Salman Khan’s consistently better and more luminous box-office record (as per facts and figures supported by the trade) throughtout the last three decades, we wonder why he is considered a mega-star only now?

As we said at the beginning, it is all in the stars of the star!

[theliterateape]

Cancellation is Now an Equal Opportunity Equation

by Don Hall

Holy Shit.

The hysteria. The hand-wringing. The hair-shirt rending.

Everyone is now in danger. Not from police violence (although that certainly affects approximately two percent of the American population). Not from mass shootings (likewise affecting slightly less than one percent in 2021). Not even from mosquitos (which annually kill about five percent of the population).

Everyone is now in danger...of cancellation.

Here is the distinction that saves the term cancellation from uselessness and hypocrisy: Cancellation is not criticism; cancellation is the absence of criticism. It is the replacement of criticism with a summary punishment. The punishment ranges in seriousness and could include withdrawal of a job or just an invitation, but the salient point is that it is meted out instantly and without deliberation, often as the result of a mob action. When this switcheroo becomes a habit, the normal way of doing things, we can call that “cancel culture,” and it is indeed a sign of intellectual and institutional rot. The failure to distinguish cancellation from criticism is the source of the humor in V. S. Naipaul’s quip after the Ayatollah Khomeini dispatched assassins to kill Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses. Naipaul called Khomeini’s fatwa “a most extreme form of literary criticism.”

SOURCE

Gina Carano—Fired by Disney after posting on social media that being a Republican in 2021 was similar to being Jewish during Nazi Germany. Her Hollywood agent dropped her, and Hasbro scrapped her Star Wars action figure.

Emily Wilder—The AP Reporter with pro-Palestine inclinations was fired from the AP Arizona beat over tweets during the latest version of the Middle East "let's fight to the death for some fictionalized holy ground" skirmish.

Antonio Garcia Martinez—Hired by Apple. Company knew all about his tech memoir. 2,000 out 250,000 Apple employees signed a petition claiming his book made them feel “unsafe”. He was fired three weeks later.

Al Franken—Probably the earliest example of the right mobbing up to cancel a sitting Senator with massive Progressive street cred, Franken was taken down by the very people he was aggressively working for.

The Right was always a fan of cancellation in whatever forms they could create and use. The Right has been cancelling and mobbing people and companies for as long as I can remember—public shame is a chapter heading in the How to Be a Republican playbook for generations. The Left is now wielding it with a vengeance, citing the bold statement "When they go low, we do exactly what they do because it works". 

Everyone is a victim. Everyone is being held accountable by the neighborhood watch, various Karens, and those cancelled are left with no jobs, soiled reputations, and a bitter anger at the moralistic pinings of hypocrites have one other thing in common: their full story is never explored because to look more deeply would reveal the ugly high school mechanations of the practice as a whole.

If asked, most people in and around Chicago would parrot one of my close friend's answers when asked why I moved to the desert: "He burned too many bridges." Others, including my Literate ApeCast co-host, will skate around it but confirm that I was, indeed, cancelled by an online storyteller mob of about fifty. Due to the very nature of cancellation, it doesn't matter if any of this is true.

Does it matter that the storytelling behemoth organization didn't fire me but asked me to take a five-month break so things could die down and I refused? Does it matter that the situation at the public radio station had been strained a full year before the caustic, opportunistic chihuahua went lunatic? Does it matter that Dana and I had been talking about our "been here, done that, and fuck, I'm tired of the cold" yearning to leave Chicago for at least a solid six months before the ugly reputation burning began?

Nope.

See, that's not in the nature of the thing. "...the salient point is that it is meted out instantly and without deliberation, often as the result of a mob action." Once the mob is satisfied, it moves on to the next shiny object like the seagulls in Finding Nemo.

This was [throat clear] problematic when the Far Left decided it was a grand new weapon against the phantom enemies of the lived experience narrative but the Far Right has caught up. Both sides of this ideological culture war are cancelling people like a Whack-a-Mole game. The argument that this is simply about holding people accountable is a leaky boat with no oars.

This is about revenge and power. Revenge in the case of individuals publicly called out by other individuals; power in the case of groups going after institutions and corporations. Further, it is not up to individuals to effectively reign it in—this is entirely up to the institutions and corporate boards allowing the cancelling its teeth.

In the 90s, I ran a theater company. Started as a sketch comedy group, fell apart, and my response was to apply and secure nonprofit corporation status. I was the Executive Director on paper, the only Producer in reality. I was also a director, a performer, the chief marketer, the public relations guy, and the janitor. When there were personnel issues, I was the HR department.

At one point, three of the women in the company came to me and threatened to leave if a single individual, whom they accused of being a sexual predator, was allowed to stay. On the most microscopic of levels, this was a cancelling. Small group demanding the ouster of an individual on moral grounds or else.

I took their accusations seriously. I listened. No specifics of behavior that would be considered illegal or without the possibility of misunderstanding were presented. The dude was creepy. He hugged ladies a tad too long for comfort. He gave unsolicited back rubs. He said things to the women that they felt were inappropriate. He complimented them too much.

"Look," I told them. "I'm not one to negotiate with demands. Ultimatums are a bad faith approach so I won't cave to yours. That said, I'd like you to give me a chance to talk to him and try to instruct him on his behavior. If it doesn't improve in a month, I'll dump him."

They didn't like it, they bitched some more, but they agreed. I spoke with him, allowed him to explain himself, gave him the new rules governing his behavior, and he towed that line. I'd check in with the women every six weeks or so (I marked a reminder on my calendar) and each time for nearly a year, they indicated that he had changed his ways and that it was good.

When AP is confronted by a bunch of FOX News retards calling for Emily Wilder to be fired for her anti-Israel politicking? "Thanks for your concern. We'll take a look into it and if we deem it necessary to discuss the matter with our employee, we'll take care of it. If that's unacceptable, don't read our award-winning shit, fuck-os."

When Disney gets hit with people completely apoplectic about one of their Star Wars actors comparing her existence with Holocaust survivors? "Thanks for your concerns. While a completely stupid thing to tweet as Holocaust survivors rarely got million-dollar contracts to play a space ranger, we think we'll just yell at her some for being a public dipshit and leave it at that."

Being unpopular is not fatal (unless you were born after 1995). Mega-corporations losing the support of a slice of their consuming public because they believe they wield some magical Twitter power that Coca Cola or the NFL can't outspend by trillions of dollars isn't really worth the time it takes to fire someone.

Does this mean Matt Lauer shouldn't have been fired? No, the dude had a secret lock on his office door to trap chicks in there! Kevin Spacey? Yo, buyer beware. The Pharma Boy? Fuck that guy.

It means that, Christ, everyone has a beef and everyone is looking for power and most people haven't crossed the line from harmless offense to Third Reich Activity Club. Dispassionately understanding the difference between dumping toxic waste in the river that poisons a town and culturally appropriating yoga seems pretty obvious but what do I know? I'm an adult who refuses to play the game set forth.

The best outcome for this whole new (old, really old, been going on this way for centuries) cancellation thing is that the most histrionic on both sides of Crazy Town manage to cancel each other.

[salmankhanholics]

★ Why doesn't Salman Khan fulfill his potential as a superstar?!

31 January 2020

December 29, 1989. Rajshri Productions' 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' hits the screens and scorches the Box Office. The newcomers, Salman Khan and Bhagyashree, become nation-wide heart-throbs. The critics laud film and the female lead, but aren’t so kind to Salman. ‘Another flash in the pan like Kumar Gaurav’ is the common refrain. But destiny and the audience have different plans.

Thirty years later, in 2020, Bhagyashree has long vanished into the wide blue yonder, while Salman is still shimmering as the brightest star in the firmament.

In the last 30 years, Salman witnessed periods of untrammelled domination at the turnstiles where his presence alone turned films into blockbusters. He holds most of the Box Office records of the last three decades — such as the most number of highest grossers of the year, the most blockbusters and many more.

Still, a section of critics continued to dismiss him as a 'non-actor' and gave credit to other actors/factors for the success of his films. But Salman kept marching on, even as his co-stars — from Bhagyashree to Madhuri Dixit — succumbed to the vagaries of time. A slew of flaming controversies and spells of flops threatened to halt his strides, but the paying public continued to endorse and celebrate him unwaveringly. But, as is the case with many supremely successful people, Salman is possessed of a self-destructive streak, which rears up from time to time. It is apparent that only Salman can fell Salman. Call it paradoxical or ironical, but the superstar who has had the best connect with the audience across the length and breadth of the country is also the one who takes his audience for granted the most.Be it unabashedly promoting nepotism or choosing to work with sycophants, who willingly dance to his tunes — rather than with proficient directors — Salman's whimsical attitude is directly proportional to the loyalty of his fans.The abundant, and often blind, love of his hordes of fans gives him the safety net to become complacent and lackadaisical. After all, at present, even his under-performers such as 'Race 3' and 'Dabangg 3' rake in more money than the super-hits of mere mortal stars.Recently, Salman chose to opt out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Inshallah' and gave his nod to Prabhu Deva for 'Radhe'. That's because Bhansali is a prodigiously skilful and visionary director who doesn't kowtow to the whims of stars. While 'Bhai' mostly likes to work with directors he can arm-twist and get his way with regard to casting, music and screenplay.That's the reason, Salman merrily antagonises self-respecting, sterling directors and patronises ciphers such as Remo D'Souza and Prabhu Deva.Of course, in between come directors such as Kabir Khan and Ali Abbas Zafar who work their way around Salman’s ego and manage to conjure up 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and 'Sultan', but even they eventually get browned off by his petulance. Kabir, in fact, has gone on the record to say that he didn't want Sohail Khan, Salman's brother, in ‘Tubelight', but the superstar put his foot down. The outcome was disastrous. The director of the classic 'Bajarangi Bhaijaan' eked out a dud like 'Tubelight' and chose to work with Ranveer Singh for his next film.His propensity to swamp films with his acolytes, instead of stellar actors, in side-roles also dilutes the impact of his films. ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, although a super-hit, is a shining example. ‘Jai Ho’ suffered massively on this count where he shoehorned an army of discrads such as Yash Tonk, Ashmit Patel and Mukul Dev. Earlier, the late Inder Kumar and Mahek Chahal were regular beneficiaries of his misplaced benevolence.'Veer', 'Tubelight', 'Garv', 'Hello Brother', 'Race 3', 'Tumko Na Bhool Payenge', ‘God Tussi Great Ho’, ‘Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaye’ — the list of movies wrecked by Salman's rabid interference is a long one.Make no mistake. In the past, Salman worked with some fabulous directors in his career - Sooraj Barjatya, Rakesh Roshan, David Dhawan and Raj Kumar Santoshi, to name a few - and that’s why he attained the stardom he did. But many a time, he blatantly promoted grovelling filmmakers such as Punit Issar (‘Garv’) Rumi Jaffery (‘God Tussi Great Ho’) and his own brother Sohail Khan. That always prevented him to go full steam and measure up to his true potential.The other two Khans - Aamir and Shah Rukh - have been far more prudent, conscientious and wiser than him in this matter. Even when they promote a director or an actor, they do it on merit.He has just witnessed perhaps the best phase (2010-2017) ever enjoyed by a mainstream superstar in terms of Box Office returns. Every eminent director wants to work with him. From Bhansali, Rohit Shetty and Farhan Akhtar to SS Rajamouli, all have expressed their desire many times to work with him, but are antagonised and shunned by him, simply because they aren’t going to pander to his whims and fancies.

As a result, the sheen seems to be wearing off. 'Tubelight', 'Race 3' and 'Dabangg 3' have under-performed at the ticket counters in successive years. In fact, they made more money than they actually deserved. Only a self-destructive megalomaniac can squander his mega stardom and misuse the loyalty of his fans in such a slapdash manner.

This isn't the first time in his career when his mercurial and blase attitude has come to the fore. He has got away with it thus far. But now he's in his 50s and no longer a spring chicken. He no longer has the age on his side. Moreover, his fans also seem to be cheesed off and are no longer in the mood to cut him more slack. Some of them will perhaps still stick around and wait for him to do the right films. He may stay afloat for next few years but will not dominate the landscape like he has. To be treated like a mere mortal after decades of being worshipped would be a stinging blow to Salman.

If one objectively looks at his enviable and an unusually long career as a leading man, there are a host of blockbusters and classics. But given the kind of unconditional and frenzied adulation he has been bestowed upon by the audience, the lingering sentiment is that he hasn't fulfilled the potential of his stardom. While his place among the pantheon of all-time Box Office greats is firmly ensconced, the potential is still waiting to be fully realised.

[salmankhanholics]

★Marketers expecting big money from ‘Bharat’ & Brand Salman!

May 20, 2019

All eyes are on the launch of Salman Khan's ‘Bharat’ and if predictions from film trade analysts are anything to go by, the Eid release is expected to be another blockbuster with a mass appeal.

It is just not the producers who are looking to rake in the moolah, brands and market influencers too are also excited to tag along.

From being partners for promotional initiatives to in-film branding, brands are trying out all formats to associate with ‘Bharat’. The craze, however, is being mostly driven by Brand Salman Khan.

But what do brands see in the star? We asked a few industry experts for an explanation.

“Salman Khan is among the few global faces of Bollywood with a mass appeal. He is known for massy hits while his movie releases on Eid have been strategically planned for the last few years and have always proved worthwhile. Bharat too is another mega movie that is up for release and we wish Salman along with the entire production crew another success story,” said Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, Woodland. Singh strongly supports in-film branding and Woodland has been heavily investing in the proposition for the many years now.

“Salman is a mass brand. He has proved himself in multiple profiles or characters and his macho looks are an added advantage that goes in-line with the profile of Woodland. We look forward to working with him,” Singh added.

Charminar, the flagship roofing solution brand from the house of HIL Ltd, has already announced its brand association with Salman Khan’s upcoming movie. But what could a roofing solution brand get out of a Bollywood film? Explaining the intent behind the association, Dhirup Roy Choudhary, MD & CEO, HIL said, “We strive to explore new and innovative opportunities to connect with our customers and take these virtues of our brand ahead. Salman Khan is Bollywood’s leading actor. He is as dependable on Box Office as our products. Through our association with ‘Bharat’, we hope to engage our customers, increase brand awareness and provide a fresh take to evolve the market for Charminar.” Trade experts are confident about the Eid and Salman Khan combination proving to be a hit again.

“Salman Khan’s mass appeal commands connect with both single screen and multiplex audiences. The release of ‘Bharat’ on Eid is surely expected to pull audiences to the screen. The entertainment quotient of Salman Khan has proven to bond with the audience and conversion in terms of Box Office collection. On a festival, people normally go for their favourite superstar’s movie with family and friends and hence the occupancy is bound to be higher,” said Rajee M Shinde, President, Epic TV Network.

Brand experts also consider Salman a safe bet with his Eid releases. Saurabh Uboweja, international brand expert and CEO, Brands of Desire, said, “Bharat is the annual Salman Khan pilgrimage for his fans. There are no expectations or surprises in store. Almost all his movies over the years follow the ‘Hero’s Journey’, a common template of a broad category of tales that involves a hero who goes on an adventure and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home transformed. With so much experience, Salman is effortless in playing this template role. He is also intelligent not to divert away from it. Why change the recipe if your food is loved by all?”

Advertising experts, however, have a slightly different take on the matter. According to them, the star must be backed by good content too. “No doubt that Salman’s appeal guarantees a grand opening but for that to sustain it needs good content if not great. The audience of today is maturing (if not completely matured) and would need something beyond Salman too. Having said that, it still has a mass following which the brands would like to tag on as the chances of it cracking gold are quite high,” said Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.

Roma Balwani, Senior Advisor, Brand and Group Corporate Communications, Vedanta, opined, "Brand Salman has been an enigma for the masses! His persona has a fair share of humanism that appeals to the millennial audiences, and controversy contributes to his mass appeal as that fuels his celebrity stature. Bharat with an emotive title, with the right mix of patriotism, is potent and the Eid release of his film aptly titled Bharat just when the country is waiting with bated breath on the outcome of the polls! For the audience of yesteryears, Salman essaying the role of a man who has seen life from the time of Independence is intriguing. Enough masala for the ‘Being Human’ star to hit the box office with an Eid release!"

Film trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “The last two quarters have been good for the cinema industry, and the next push will come from ‘Bharat’. The movie is expected to do well in single screens and multiplexes across segments and should bring in nothing less than Rs 300 crore as Box Office collections. Ali Abbas Zafar and Salman have been a hit pair and have given Bollywood blockbuster hits like ‘Sultan’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’. There is no doubt that the magic will work again. Salman here is playing everything from a romantic hero to an old man to a patriot giving the audience enough treat. With high occupancy at the theatres, Bharat will only add to the popularity of Brand Salman Khan.”

Vinod Bhanushali, President, Marketing, Media and Publishing, T-Series, said: “As producers of the film, we see Bharat smashing Salman Khan’s previous box office records. My prediction is that the film will cross Rs 400 crore and set a new benchmark in box office collections. As far as the perception of Brand Salman is concerned, it remains to be strong and Bharat is definitely going to prove that.”

[salmankhanholics]

★ Tubelight Aftermath - The Director At Fault !

Thursday 29 June 2017 

Tubelight has come and is almost gone with the film struggling to be even the biggest grosser of the first half of year if we exclude the dubbed Bahubali. The film is not a box office financial disaster like a Broken Horses, Bombay Velvet, Rock On 2 as the profits in the producers book far outweigh the loss of the distributors. The film was made for 61 crore production budget without fee of male lead Salman Khan and 22 promotion and advertising costs. But the huge problem is the expectations from the film and the prices paid by the all India distributors who will loose around 70% of their investments. The prices paid are crazy as this sort of money is a huge risk with any film and not just Tubelight. The film reminds of Mrityudaata (1997) which also fetched record prices and then lost 70% of its investment. That film was a box office disaster as there was no back up from television and digital rights at that time.  

The difference between Mritydaata and Tubelight is that when Mrityudaata had released the male lead Amitabh Bachchan came back after a five year break and although the super stardom remained within the industry, the public had moved on to younger stars like Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan but here Salman Khan is the superstar of the day so something like this should just not happen with Tubelight.  The director has gone wrong and how, probably like no other before. The Eid factor and star power of Salman Khan has hid the directors mess up so far but in the second week there will be no hiding place.

Just two years back Bajrangi Bhaijaan with Salman Khan and the same director Kabir Khan had come and if we take out Bahubali - The Conclusion (2017) which is a dubbed film and Gadar Ek Prem Katha (2001) as that sort of chest pumping adrealin rush cinema is near impossible for any present filmaker, then Bajrangi Bhaijaan is actually the greatest film this century. Dangal has done more business and even footfalls have gone 20 lakh higher but these things depend on circumstances. Dangal had a three week open run and then when competition did come it was a nothing film like Ok Jaanu. Bajrangi Bhaijaan came in the second week of Bahubali - The Beginning when that film had started to work in Hindi markets and then in week three and four there was Drishyam with Ajay Devgn and Brothers with Akshay Kumar respectively. All things equal its pretty much certain that Bajrangi Bhaijaan would easily add those 20 lakh extra footfalls and more, and on equal ticket pricing the box office number also goes higher.

So basically you have give the greatest film in modern Hindi cinema and then this low of Tubelight. When there is nothing wrong with Bajrangi Bhaijaan why change the treatment of your next film so much in terms of the screenplay. The scenes written are so slow and long that the emotional impact that the film was trying to ride on is irrelevant as the audience is so bored that they are not bothered and feel for no one in the film. It is possible that the screenplay and story of Bajrangi Bhaijaan was by the writer of the Bahubali films and here the director and his team were left to their own devices and the audience got a film which had the pace of Kabul Express, New York and Phantom. These are generally non cast films especially as far as male leads are concerned so you can even get away with it sometimes but its not going to happen with Salman Khan. This same sort of think of happened to Rakesh Omprakash Mehra who made a solid Hindi motion picture with Bhaag Milha Bhaag which was far superior than any of his work prior to that but then slips back to typical foreign cinema of his previous films with Mirzya.

The industry is in a bad state as far as box office collections go and after Tubelight a a big HIT is the order of the day. But there is a silver lining with digital which is the golden egg at this moment. Amazon and Netflix have come in such a way to India that even a mega disaster like Noor is close to recovery thanks to digital. A Tubelight picks up a huge 85 crore for digital rights which is more than its budget including PA. The box office fate of Tubelight could have repercussions on that but the fact they were prepared to pay the huge amount means they believe big films can convert into large subscriptions.

Amazon and Netflix have come to India to convert the huge Indian audience into their subscribers. They are even throwing money at even web series and small films but in time they will find out this does not work in India as the larger audience which they want does not care as we have seen with television numbers of small films. Its big films that have to keep this digital story alive and for that you can't have directors like Kabir Khan and others making such huge mistakes. This digital story has come as a life saver for the industry and to kick this in the teeth could spell doom considering the way the theatre going audience for Hindi films is going down.

BOI