Reasons why Raavan floped

The 100 Crore Lemons



The janta review of Kites and Raavan was swift and cruel. F-L-O-P. Flop. That's real bad news for the common producer of both films – Reliance Big Pictures. Sources say the company has lost upwards of Rs 100 crore on these films. By its current scale of performance, Raavan looks to sink lower than the other mega-budget dud – Kites.

Both films had extensive pre-launch promotions. Alas – promotions ensure that a film has a good opening over the weekend. That's it. After that, it is the content of the film itself which will make it swim or sink. Beating poor reviews and word-of-mouth ratings, Kites managed a good opening weekend, netting in Rs 30 crore.

Raavan has collected less than Rs 20 crore at the close of its opening weekend. This week onwards, Raavan has a clear run with no competing releases. Yet, analysts predict it will sink further. Nothing can salvage Raavan with its below average opening of 50% across the country.

Kites and Raavan were expected to follow Raajneeti's rocking show at the box office. Instead, the films have become Bollywood ki Aag. That's something, even by Bollywood standards of expecting the most unexpected.

Was it the actors? Raavan is Abhishek Bacchan's third film with Mani Ratnam. After Yuva and Guru, expectations were sky-high from Abhishek Bachchan. (We tend to dismiss Delhi 6). What the janta saw was largely dismissed as hamming and posturing, amateurish and naive. Questions raised on faking the much-vaunted dive didn't help.

Hrithik was appreciated in Kites for his good looks (which the camera made love to, framing him in tight close-ups and bare torso scenes). Jai faltered, Hrithik didn't.

Scintillating Barbara Mori looked pretty in Kites. So does Aishwarya in Raavan. Luminous, floating around in the forest, long curly drenched hairpiece and carefully crafted no make up look. So we've heard of the chemistry between the stand-in Sita and the shrieking baddie. We think back to the mock fight when the same pair landed on a bed in Guru and phuuuuuus- zilch. Aishwarya, I suspect, still looks hottest with Hrithik. Hrithik and Barbara's crackling chemistry and smouldering looks kept Kites ticking.

Both films are richly crafted and produced – sweeping shots, stunning locales, jungles, waterfalls, but where is the story? So Kites was painful and downright silly in the second half. With Raavan and its confusing plot (Beera is Raavan, Robin Hood or Veerappan), why does Vikram wear aviator glasses in the jungle (he's a cop, they cost a lot, no?) and run slo-mo, etc, etc. The plot rests mostly in Mani Ratnam's head.

To sum up, here's what I am saying other filmmakers should avoid like the plague:

Avoid bumbling actors who ham for the camera
If your film is titled Raavan, don't hope that Sita will see it through
Get a lead pair who look hot together
Let the story out of the director's head and out there for the audience
Acknowledge the use of stuntmen/women
Don't get Ma and Pa to defend your film
Think of a strategy to counter word-of-mouth ratings and reviews
Don't let others in Bollywood poke fun at your expense and ask RGV and KJo to take their tweet battles offline

http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/22/the-100-crore-lemons/

This year has been bad for the big filmmakers and big stars. 2010 seems to be the awakening year for the Indian audience. About time, if this has happened before we wouldn't have to endure being taken for granted by these hotshot filmmakers. Funny part is both failed commercially and critically.

Neither Raavan nor Kites were movies worthy of being called hits in any way. So I think it's well deserved and that's not harsh. Superstars don't guarantee super movies nowadays, and I am glad Bollywood's finally reached that stage now. Hard work aside, yes agreed they must have worked hard in both movies, but which actor wants his movie to be flop and does not work hard anyway?

I loved the last comment! LOL! Superb...

Just something I don't agree with - "Take a lead pair that look hot together."

So many movies would have come out hits if that could be true. Mayvbe 5 years earlier yeah, but I don't think this stands true now. Get us something marvelous to watch, actors that CAN act, characters that look comfortable together and believable and can carry a storyline and you'll get a hit.

havent seen Raavan, but Kites deserved to flop..i am a hrithik fan, but complete disappointment...there was no story line, so predictable

yah kites deserved to be a flop, in any case i guess ravan will be better than kites bcz kites has nothing than chasing .....atleast hoping in ravan there will be some story even though it'll be slow, dark, bad acted or whatever

and hope now big banners will concentrate on story rather than Stars ...and i dont want Ranbir to fall into this big banner chakkers , he shld choose movies on the base of stories only, like he did till now.......

I have not seen Raavan, but this is pretty shocking coming from Mani Ratnam. His films usually have substance and are successful critically, if not commercially (like Dil Se). Here, in this case, it seems that the films has failed both commercially and critically. I never expected a top-notch performance by Ash, or even Abhi, but at least the film should have a decent script (which I hear is the main reason for the movie's downfall). Mani makes excellent movies in Tamil, but the time he tries to make one in Hindi - most of the time they don't go well. :$

Originally posted by: PhoeniXof_Hades

I have not seen Raavan, but this is pretty shocking coming from Mani Ratnam. His films usually have substance and are successful critically, if not commercially (like Dil Se). Here, in this case, it seems that the films has failed both commercially and critically. I never expected a top-notch performance by Ash, or even Abhi, but at least the film should have a decent script (which I hear is the main reason for the movie's downfall). Mani makes excellent movies in Tamil, but the time he tries to make one in Hindi - most of the time they don't go well. :$

well

he does say..he has more control in tamil because he understands the dialogues better.. the dialogues are the trademark of his tamil movie

so in hindi..others hold a bigger rein than he himself...


actually the tamil raavanan is working very well in TN😊