Yash Chopra was one of the greatest directors of Indian cinema. He managed to connect with audiences from both older generations and from the newer generation. His films that connected to the older generation included films with many different actors, some of them even failing at the box office as they were considered to be ahead of their time, but then going on to become cult classics (Silsila and Lamhe come to mind). Of course, he also had iconic box office successes, such as Deewar. The younger generation would remember Chopra's works with SRK fondly, with some major hits such as Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer Zaara.
In 1969, Yash Chopra directed a suspense-thriller named Ittefaq, starring Rajesh Khanna. The film didn't do any huge wonders at the box office, but was well-appreciated.
48 years later, the film has been remade! This time, the film is being directed by Abhay Chopra, and has heavyweight producers Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan. Sidharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha, and Akshaye Khanna form the starcast.
The theatrical trailer of the film was well-appreciated...but that's where it all ends. It's a songless film, which has resulted in less promotions, and, less buzz. To be honest, I think it would have been great if the makers released the theatrical trailer with one of the Diwali releases (either Golmaal Again or Secret Superstar) as a two-week window was enough for this type of film with limited promotion to create buzz! Sadly, the trailer got released too early, and there wasn't much to follow, except for small things like a promotional song (which won't be included in the film).
I feel that there is a possibility for the film to receive some critical acclaim, but I also get this feeling that somehow, the ending (whatever it may be) will play a spoilsport, and lead to disappointment amongst viewers, as usually happens with such films. Cutting to the chase in terms of box office, let me get straight to it: when a songless thriller Fan, a film starring one of the biggest stars in the country (Shah Rukh Khan) failed at the box office, how do you expect a songless thriller with stars of much lower level to work at the box office? No offence to the stars of the film when I say that, but it's the truth. After all, it's no Ittefaq that the original film in 1969, which was also a songless thriller, did not work wonders at the box office either!
Films that are too dark/intense rarely work in India. Songless Hindi films rarely work in India. Films that have a thriller aspect, with the key to the film being to avoid spoilers, lack repeat value in India. The film holds little appeal for the masses, as staple ingredients like songs and comedy will be largely absent. Sidharth, Sonakshi, and Akshaye have not been having any sort of strong run at the box office lately. Also important to note, films released between Diwali and Christmas period rarely work either at the box office. There is a holiday in North India on Saturday for Guru Nanak Jayanti to provide a small boost in collections, but that won't be enough. In short, Ittefaq will have a rough, bumpy ride at the box office!
My Box Office Predictions for Ittefaq:
Opening Day: 5 crore nett
Opening Weekend: 17 crore nett
Lifetime Collections: 27 crore nett
Overall Verdict: Flop
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Music Corner
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