Ranveer, Deepika throw down gauntlet to SRK, Kajol: An industry analysis into Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale.
When Today's Chanakya is seen to have faltered at psephology, any precision on box-office collection of a Bollywood film is far from being absolute. However, the fevered debate about which of two massive films " Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale, albeit of different genres, comes out on top will come to an end when they release on 18 December.
Stills from Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani. Screen grabs from YouTube.
For now, the Bajirao Mastani trailer has awed people and industry experts alike and social media is already abuzz. In addition, there are already murmurings that that Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone film is set to give the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol-starrer Dilwale a tough challenge. The Bajirao Mastani trailer released on Friday evening and throughout Saturday, #DargayeDilwale trending on Twitter.
"Initially, the upper hand is with Bajirao Mastani. It's too early to say whether it will translate into success over Dilwale. Dilwale will have to come up with some more innovative stuff than the routine airing of songs," says Amod Mehra, trade analyst.
Here the consensus has been fairly unanimous across the films, says film critic Mayank Shekhar. "The buzz is certainly higher for Bajirao Mastani because it looks like a much better film or at least, the better-looking film between the two," says Shekhar.
Dilwale is Kajol's comeback film, and the first casting of Bollywood's most celebrated romantic pairing in, not to mention it's directed by the renowned blockbuster-maker Rohit Shetty. So, why it lost steam to the trailer release of a film featuring a considerably younger onscreen (perhaps even off-screen) couple " Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone " is no mystery.
Mehra argues that (to youngsters), it's embarrassing to see two older people romancing'.
"Dilwale has not created the kind of buzz it should have. The trailer shows cars being blown up, which we have seen before. There is nothing new there. When you have a 20-year-old pair, it doesn't make that very exciting. They might have started their journey 20 years ago in a massive way, but they are not as exciting to today's youngsters. It's embarrassing to see two older people romancing. Here (in Bajirao Mastani), the trailer looks gigantic. It's a Mughal-E-Azam of modern times. What happened in the 1960s is being repeated in 2015. After 55 years, we can finally see this sort of grandeur," says Mehra.
Industry analysts also feels that it's great that two "stellar releases" will take place on the same weekend, as it will provide the audience with choice, in terms of which one they wish to watch (at all, if not first). "Of late, what's happening is one massive budget film releases and that takes away all the screens. The audience doesn't have a choice. They will have to watch a Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, even if the film is not that great. The weekend collection is bumper in any case. Here, there will be a real competition. If the buzz around one film is not that great as the buzz around the second, the viewer have the choice to catch the second one. Of course, most people watch both regardless, but at least they have a choice. If word of mouth for one is not that great, then certainly the other has an edge," says Shekhar.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh partly seconds Mayank's view, as he is certain that there will be a tough fight for the screens, a tough fight for the shows and a tough fight for the audience footfall. He however assumes that screen distribution is yet to be decided, however Mehra reveals that Bajirao Mastani will have a much larger number of screens than Dilwale. "Bajirao Mastani has many more screens Dilwale, which will have problems with theatres. The single screens are all with Bajirao Mastani, says Mehra.
Akshaye Rathi, a film distributor and exhibitor however tried striking a balance and is certain that 50 percent of theatre-goers in India will watch both the films, which will give a huge impetus to trade in the weeks after the release. "Both are full-blown, hardcore commercial films. Bajirao will have more critical acclaim along with numbers, but the business for both films will be phenomenal. I certainly see both the films doing well, earning money for everyone involved and giving lots of milage to trade. Half the country will be watching both. It looks like both are compulsive viewership movies," says Rathi.
Meanwhile, he is also under the impression that as two huge films are releasing on the same day, the intial collecion will be subdued' for both the film. He argues Mehra's comment and says, "Eros (Distributor of Bajirao Mastani) has a better relation with the exhibitors of the country, but multiplexes will make sure that the merit of both films is rewarded by the number of shows and timings that they get. In the current scenario, two big films have survived in the past, but the initial numbers might be a bit subdued for both because of the capacity limitations," says Rathi.
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