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They are back! Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol, the combo that caused all kinds of destruction at the box office with the highest-grossing (at the time) All Time Blockbuster GADAR, are back. They did have a few movies together after GADAR (HERO and APNE), but this time it is really being promoted as the GADAR team re-uniting!
Of course, things have changed a lot since GADAR released. Sunny Deol, who was the number one star in Bollywood in 2001, beating even SRK and Aamir Khan at the time, has been on a downward spiral after that year with tons of flop films. It's almost a similar case with Anil Sharma, who's APNE did reasonably well at the box office, but HERO dissapointed and both VEER/AB TUMHARE HAWALE WATON SAATHIYO bombed badly at the box office!
It is almost do-or-die for both Sunny Deol and Anil Sharma. This one has to work for them. Will it work? That's the question!
The teaser and trailer both came out a while back of SINGH SAHAB THE GREAT and what was evident was how much it was being promoted that the GADAR team is back. Things like "Sunny Deol and Anil Sharma are back to create more GADAR" has been promoted on the posters.
Anil Sharma said approximately 2 years ago that this would be another landmark film in his career after GADAR and HAKUMAT. That must surely mean that Anil Sharma has HUGE confidence in his film.
Unfortunately, things have been going the other direction. The film has managed to create almost zero buzz. The songs have not been talked about either.
The film has almost zero buzz, but given Anil Sharma's immense confidence in the film, I think that the film's collections may pick up due to word of mouth publicity if the content is strong. However, it remains to be seen if the content is actually strong or not. The promos seem out-dated. Sunny Deol is wearing a turban yet again (don't take this offensively, I am Punjabi myself!) as he has been wearing it in his last few films. Prakash Raj is villian in yet another mass film. Some of the songs seem like they were supposed to be released 10 years ago.
I feel that this movie would have had chances of doing better if it was released 2 years ago when the masala genre was piping hot. However, after one masala film after another, the audience has gotten bored. Prakash Raj as villain in flop masala flms like ZANJEER and POLICEGIRI doesn't help matters.
Honestly, in 2011 if this film came, the Sunny Deol-Prakash Raj confrontations would feel like they have the power of Ajay Devgan-Prakash Raj scenes from SINGHAM. But in 2013, after some of those flop masala films (especially a film like POLICEGIRI), the Sunny Deol-Prakash Raj scenes now seem like flop Sanjay Dutt-Prakash Raj scenes of POLICEGIRI!
It also appears from the theatrical trailer that Sunny Deol might be having his first on-screen kiss (if I am correct it will be his first). The fact that he is kissing a girl 30 years younger than him will put some off. It seems as if Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol have copied what Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan did last year for JAB TAK HAI JAAN, because their are similarities: the re-uniting of the big director-actor pairing, the on-screen kiss (SRK-Katrina in JTHJ), and even a song called Heer is also in SINGH SAHAB THE GREAT 😆
HOWEVER, and this is a big HOWEVER, Sunny Deol and Anil Sharma have not yet gone wrong together at the box office. At worst, their film HERO earned Average verdict. So, that is definitely something to take into consideration!
Opening wise, the opening on an All-India level will be on the lower side due to lack of buzz. But, the opening will be good in North India (obvious, due to Sunny's presence), and opening will also be atleast decent in mass centers.
After the opening weekend (which could be decent if the film grows with possible good word of mouth), I think the film may remain steady in North India and mass centers if these sections of the audience like the film, which is quite possible. I don't think this film will do too well in the big cities, except for some like perhaps Delhi city and others in North India. The film will not do well in South India.
My Box Office Predictions for SINGH SAHAB THE GREAT:
Opening Day: Approx. 5 crores net
Opening Weekend: Approx. 20 crores net
Lifetime Collections: 40+ crores net
Overall Box Office Verdict: Average
Anupamaa
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