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During the course of the year, there comes a time when everything else takes a backseat, as far as Bollywood is concerned. This phase lasts for a few months, from the time the shoot of a Salman Khan film commences, till a few days after it hits the theatres. This year, the film that almost all Hindi film lovers have their eyes set on is Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
The trailer of the Kabir Khan directorial hit the web on June 18, and has already managed to break the internet pretty much. After all, Salman's innumerable fans have been waiting for a year to see their hero on screen. And many of his detractors have been waiting with even more enthusiasm to see him on screen.
From what is known about Bajrangi Bhaijaan as of now, the story is based on a little Pakistani girl who is lost in India. Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman), better known as Bajrangi, takes it on himself to reunite Munni, the child, with her parents in Pakistan. And of course, there's the enigmatic Kareena Kapoor Khan, who plays Rasika, Pavan's love interest in the film.
RELATED: Watch Salman Khan in the Bajrangi Bhaijaan trailer
Now that the teaser and the trailer are both out, numerous heads are busy seeing, praising, criticising, ripping into, conducting post-mortems of the two. The trailer is fresh out of the Salman Khan Films oven, and has enough meat to ensure it sets theatres on fire, come Eid 2015. Sticking to just the metaphorical (and not the literal) interpretation of the 'setting theatres on fire' as of now, we list out five reasons why Bajrangi Bhaijaan can be the highest Bollywood box office grosser ever. (Rs 500 crore, do we put our bets on?)
India-Pakistan
Have you ever come across anybody from either India or Pakistan being able to keep their heads cool when the words 'India' and 'Pakistan' are mentioned in the same line? Remember how two countries stop doing everything else when there's an India-Pakistan cricket match on? Or that time at the SAARC meet when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's frosty lack-of-greeting had sent the two countries into a frenzy for an entire week? Or the time when that Google India-Pakistan advertisement sent tears down two nations' cheeks? The examples don't end. And Kabir Khan and his team have judged the pulse of both the countries pretty well. The result of the same is that he's got his audience's attention all on Bajrangi Bhaijaan right from Frame 1.
The little damsel in distress, and her Gada-dhari Knight
If Bollywood has successfully cashed in on something all these years, it is the trope of the damsel in distress. While the damsel has changed from a ladylove at times to the country at others, the theme has always worked for the Indian audience. There's something about the sight of the gullible and docile woman in trouble, saved by the bicep-/gun-wielding hero, which draws the masses to the theatres in hordes. This time around, the 'damsel' in question is a little girl Munni, who is mute, and Salman's Bajrangi has the job of taking her to her parents in Pakistan. Child, mute, from another country: The epitome of the damsel in distress.
Hindu-Muslim equations
A film called Bajrangi Bhaijaan releasing on Eid. A Muslim superstar playing the role of a Hanuman-bhakt. As far as bringing Hindus and Muslims together is concerned, Kabir Khan is doing his bit to make sure the secular flavour of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is un-meddled with. Kabir's last film with Salman Khan was Ek Tha Tiger, which, too, tapped into the unending potential of this treasure trove that is Hindu-Muslim relations in movies.
Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor together
The last time Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were seen together on the silver screen, the film smashed several box office records. Bodyguard, the 2011 Eid release, saw the two actors paired on 70mm. The chemistry made many headlines, and Salman-Kareena scorched the screen. Bajrangi Bhaijaan sees the two alongside each other again. And that they'll be a riot on screen this time too, is pretty evident from the trailer.
Salman Khan
All said and done, no matter who says what, that Bajrangi Bhaijaan has Salman Khan in it outdoes everything else pretty much. The star will be seen on screen after one entire year, and he's got a good story to be a part, of, too, or so it seems. A joke that had been doing the rounds of the internet for a while now summarises the Salmania quite aptly. People have said, "If the Bajrangi Bhaijaan makers had released the trailer in theatres and issued tickets to watch the same, the film would have earned Rs 500 crore from that alone." Well, if you're in India, there's no escaping the Salman wave. What makes you think Bajrangi Bhaijaan can't earn Rs 500 crore!
The trailer of the Kabir Khan directorial hit the web on June 18, and has already managed to break the internet pretty much. After all, Salman's innumerable fans have been waiting for a year to see their hero on screen. And many of his detractors have been waiting with even more enthusiasm to see him on screen.
From what is known about Bajrangi Bhaijaan as of now, the story is based on a little Pakistani girl who is lost in India. Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman), better known as Bajrangi, takes it on himself to reunite Munni, the child, with her parents in Pakistan. And of course, there's the enigmatic Kareena Kapoor Khan, who plays Rasika, Pavan's love interest in the film.
RELATED: Watch Salman Khan in the Bajrangi Bhaijaan trailer
Now that the teaser and the trailer are both out, numerous heads are busy seeing, praising, criticising, ripping into, conducting post-mortems of the two. The trailer is fresh out of the Salman Khan Films oven, and has enough meat to ensure it sets theatres on fire, come Eid 2015. Sticking to just the metaphorical (and not the literal) interpretation of the 'setting theatres on fire' as of now, we list out five reasons why Bajrangi Bhaijaan can be the highest Bollywood box office grosser ever. (Rs 500 crore, do we put our bets on?)
India-Pakistan
Have you ever come across anybody from either India or Pakistan being able to keep their heads cool when the words 'India' and 'Pakistan' are mentioned in the same line? Remember how two countries stop doing everything else when there's an India-Pakistan cricket match on? Or that time at the SAARC meet when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's frosty lack-of-greeting had sent the two countries into a frenzy for an entire week? Or the time when that Google India-Pakistan advertisement sent tears down two nations' cheeks? The examples don't end. And Kabir Khan and his team have judged the pulse of both the countries pretty well. The result of the same is that he's got his audience's attention all on Bajrangi Bhaijaan right from Frame 1.
The little damsel in distress, and her Gada-dhari Knight
If Bollywood has successfully cashed in on something all these years, it is the trope of the damsel in distress. While the damsel has changed from a ladylove at times to the country at others, the theme has always worked for the Indian audience. There's something about the sight of the gullible and docile woman in trouble, saved by the bicep-/gun-wielding hero, which draws the masses to the theatres in hordes. This time around, the 'damsel' in question is a little girl Munni, who is mute, and Salman's Bajrangi has the job of taking her to her parents in Pakistan. Child, mute, from another country: The epitome of the damsel in distress.
Hindu-Muslim equations
A film called Bajrangi Bhaijaan releasing on Eid. A Muslim superstar playing the role of a Hanuman-bhakt. As far as bringing Hindus and Muslims together is concerned, Kabir Khan is doing his bit to make sure the secular flavour of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is un-meddled with. Kabir's last film with Salman Khan was Ek Tha Tiger, which, too, tapped into the unending potential of this treasure trove that is Hindu-Muslim relations in movies.
Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor together
The last time Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were seen together on the silver screen, the film smashed several box office records. Bodyguard, the 2011 Eid release, saw the two actors paired on 70mm. The chemistry made many headlines, and Salman-Kareena scorched the screen. Bajrangi Bhaijaan sees the two alongside each other again. And that they'll be a riot on screen this time too, is pretty evident from the trailer.
Salman Khan
All said and done, no matter who says what, that Bajrangi Bhaijaan has Salman Khan in it outdoes everything else pretty much. The star will be seen on screen after one entire year, and he's got a good story to be a part, of, too, or so it seems. A joke that had been doing the rounds of the internet for a while now summarises the Salmania quite aptly. People have said, "If the Bajrangi Bhaijaan makers had released the trailer in theatres and issued tickets to watch the same, the film would have earned Rs 500 crore from that alone." Well, if you're in India, there's no escaping the Salman wave. What makes you think Bajrangi Bhaijaan can't earn Rs 500 crore!
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