Shivaay vs Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Choose your pick with the help of this simple core study
This Diwali will see the Box-Office clash of Ajay Devgn's Shivaay and Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Ever since the two films have been announced, the trade opinion has been that this is one of those rare clashes in the industry which makes sense.
While one expected a healthy battle between the two, things got ugly when Ajay Devgn accused Karan Johar of bribing Kamal R Khan to spread negativity about his film. The makers of both the films have released their promotional material and the response, so far, has been mixed for both the parties.
Who out of the two has the upper hand? Let's analyse:
Shivaay:
The theatrical trailer of Shivaay received appreciation from all quarters of the industry especially for the scale and breath-taking action sequences.
As a follow up to the trailer, Devgn came up with two songs; however, none of them managed to get the desired response from the audiences, mellowing down the hype surrounding the film.Shivaay belongs to a genre that is more palatable to the mass audience. However, given the scale and magnitude of the action sequences, it might just manage to find takers at multiplexes as well.
There have been instances in the past wherein films riding high on action don't have much to offer in terms of content which resulted in failure. For Shivaay to succeed, it is essential to have a strong storyline alongside action sequences.
Though it is too early to comment on the screen count, early predictions say Shivaay might just edge past Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in this aspect.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil:
After a lukewarm response to the teaser of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, both its songs i.e. the title track and Bulleya managed to generate a lot of curiosity about the content.
As a follow up to the songs, Karan Johar launched the theatrical trailer which gives an insight into the storyline. Given the promotional material of the film, one can assume that the content would merely appeal to the urban audience.
The target audience of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is similar to that of My Name Is Khan and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna - Johar's two directorial ventures which failed to get any sort of acceptance from the mass audience.
To its advantage, the film rides on a formidable ensemble cast comprising Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai, and Fawad Khan as against Shivaay which majorly relies on Ajay Devgn.
Also read: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil might be just another typical Bollywood love story. But, how is this a problem?
The big opening day gamble?
Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil are releasing on 28 October 2016 i.e. the pre-Diwali phase which is considered to be a dull business period for films. The movies would reap the benefit of the holidays -- Monday (Day 4) onwards and by then the audience word-of-mouth would be quite clear.
Both films appeal to a different set of audience and are expected to open at a similar level. WhileAe Dil Hai Mushkil would be the first choice of youngsters, Shivaay would be keenly awaited at mass circuits.
But what about families? Monday will be the day when families will turn out in big numbers for the film that has the best word-of-mouth.
Expected opening day collections:
- Shivaay: Rs 13 crore
- ADHM: Rs 12 crore
A lot also depends on the songs and trailers that will release from here on and things might take a big turn too.
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