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Quick. Write it down. The net box-office impact of the three Khans
since they first hit the big screen is a mind-boggling Rs 1,906
crore.
Yet, will someone tell us why, 15 years after their debut, the tired
Khan-e-Khaas debate still continues? We decided to let the net box-
office impact (that's total collections minus entertainment tax) do
the talking.
The story so far: Shah Rukh is the Badshah and Aamir, the Ikka. And
post 2004's Tere Naam, Salman is the Joker - slip him in anywhere and
he will change the game.
Until three months ago, Shah Rukh Khan led the polls. But then came
two big budget blips - Swades and Paheli. And the 'welcome back
Aamir' wave.
After all, Aamir was on-screen after four years. But the Big Bang
beginning of Mangal Pandey: The Rising fizzled into a whimper by week
three. Meanwhile, the third angle in this triangle, Salman Khan, was
busy consolidating last year's BO booty. The average Lucky: No Time
For Love was followed by a tape scandal linking him to the
underworld. But that didn't stop Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya from hitting
the spot.
His extended guest appearance in No Entry earned debt-ridden producer
Boney Kapoor his first big grosser in seven years. "If you see
Salman's track record for the last two summers, he's the most
successful of the lot," says trade analyst, Taran Adarsh.
Yet, they don't call Salman 'The One'. So, who's the title-holder
then? Not much has changed. "Shah Rukh's brand equity is still the
biggest," says Komal Nahata, editor, Film Information. SRK's biggest
advantage is his unmatched dominance in the overseas market. A
regular SRK film in the UK and the US easily does business worth Rs
17-20 crore. Salman swings Rs 8-10 crore while Aamir's share is fixed
at Rs 5-6 crore. Read on, it's time you heard the numbers speak.
1 Shah Rukh : The Overseas King
Net BO Impact Rs 806,23,07,268
Top Ten
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! Rs 116 crore
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge Rs 88 crore
Raja Hindustani Rs 72 crore
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Rs 56.7 crore
Karan Arjun Rs 56.4 crore
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham Rs 53 crore
Maine Pyar Kiya Rs 47 crore
Dil To Pagal Hai Rs 42 crore
Veer-Zaara Rs 39.7 crore
Kal Ho Naa Ho Rs 39 crore
(All India net. Does not include overseas collections)
SRK had eight mega grossers between 2000-2005 in the domestic
circuit. Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham leads with Rs 53.17
crore, followed by Veer-Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Devdas, Main Hoon Na,
Mohabbatein and Chalte Chalte.
Ironically, while 1997's Pardes started the NRI-friendly genre of
films, Swades had a tepid run in the homeland. NRIs, however, remain
a SRK preserve. Says Adarsh, "SRK is one to 10 overseas. Nobody
before him and nobody after him can even dream of raking it so big."
Sample this: Shah Rukh stars in seven of the top 10 hits in the UK
and six in the US. "A film like Paheli struggled to get an opening
here, but did a business of Rs 11 crore overseas," says Nahata.
Currently, SRK is only shooting for Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
By that standard, around Rs 40 crore - the film's budget - rides on
him. Though he's committed to Farah Khan's Happy New Year and Farhan
Akhtar's Don, these films will only start next year.
2 Salman: Prince of the Heartland
Net BO Impact Rs 715,82,47,724
Salman's tally: Four blockbusters in five years. Sajid Nadiadwala's
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi leads with Rs 28.10 crore. Other A-listers are
Baghbaan, No Entry and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya.
He might be criticised for the same kind of buffoonery but today, a
Salman Khan film gets the best initial. "Salman is the undisputed
hero of the masses. He has marked Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat as exclusively his territories,"
says Adarsh.
Trade pundits say that Salman has started the trend of bumper
openings. "Most of Salman's movies earn their recovery in the first
three weeks itself because of the thumping initial he commands," says
trade analyst, Amod Mehra. That's why Kapoor displayed Khan's mug all
over No Entry's publicity hoardings even though he just had a guest
role. Currently, five Salman-starrers are on the floors - Kyon Ki,
Jaan-E-Man, Marigold, Babul and God Tussi Great Ho. Translated,
that's a cool Rs 125 crore bet on his brawn. The trade buzz is that
he's also been signed on for two Yash Raj films and a Subhash Ghai
venture. Other pending assignments include Rajkumar Santoshi's London
Dreams and Nikhil Advani's next.
3 Aamir: Urban Warrior
Net BO Impact Rs 3,84,27,52,305
Aamir's Lagaan, Mangal Pandey-The Rising and Dil Chahta Hai make the
grade. Lagaan did a business of Rs 35.44 crore. These films also make
it to the ongoing decade's top of the charts.
"An Aamir Khan film is most appreciated by discerning city audiences.
Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad are A-plus for all Aamir
starrers," says Adarsh. Aamir is the intelligent viewer's top star.
Mangal Pandey got a robust opening across the country. "There were
almost 12 shows in multiplexes when the film released; initial hype
saved the film," says Adarsh.
Aamir has always maintained his hiatus was unintentional. These days,
he is on a signing spree. Besides Rakesh Mehra's Rang De Basanti and
Kunal Kohli's Fannah, he has also signed Vishal Bhardwaj's Mr Mehta
and Mrs Singh. Since Bharadwaj's film will roll only next year, Rs 60
crore is at stake on Aamir.
The Verdict
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt spells out the big picture. "Shah Rukh and
Salman play unpretentiously to the gallery, which is why they have
more hits than Aamir." He weighs the three biggies. "If stardom is a
100 metre race, SRK is in front but he can feel Salman's breath on
his neck. Aamir is a close third."
Bhatt feels Aamir can easily fall into the Great Oscar Trap. "Anyone
who goes to the Oscars either hikes his price or waits for the right
project. Taking your work seriously is different from taking yourself
seriously. Aamir should do more light-hearted roles to appeal to the
universal audience." His biggest strength, feels Bhatt, is commitment
to a project.
Salman is the endearing bad boy. "He has a vulnerable charm and
people like his recklessness," says Bhatt. But it's high time Salman
ventured into the unknown. "He should work with different people. How
long can he do the same stuff over and over?"
With regards to SRK, Bhatt fears he works too much. "He's always
driving fast and needs to pause." And why is he still
No.1? "Charisma, charisma, charisma."
since they first hit the big screen is a mind-boggling Rs 1,906
crore.
Yet, will someone tell us why, 15 years after their debut, the tired
Khan-e-Khaas debate still continues? We decided to let the net box-
office impact (that's total collections minus entertainment tax) do
the talking.
The story so far: Shah Rukh is the Badshah and Aamir, the Ikka. And
post 2004's Tere Naam, Salman is the Joker - slip him in anywhere and
he will change the game.
Until three months ago, Shah Rukh Khan led the polls. But then came
two big budget blips - Swades and Paheli. And the 'welcome back
Aamir' wave.
After all, Aamir was on-screen after four years. But the Big Bang
beginning of Mangal Pandey: The Rising fizzled into a whimper by week
three. Meanwhile, the third angle in this triangle, Salman Khan, was
busy consolidating last year's BO booty. The average Lucky: No Time
For Love was followed by a tape scandal linking him to the
underworld. But that didn't stop Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya from hitting
the spot.
His extended guest appearance in No Entry earned debt-ridden producer
Boney Kapoor his first big grosser in seven years. "If you see
Salman's track record for the last two summers, he's the most
successful of the lot," says trade analyst, Taran Adarsh.
Yet, they don't call Salman 'The One'. So, who's the title-holder
then? Not much has changed. "Shah Rukh's brand equity is still the
biggest," says Komal Nahata, editor, Film Information. SRK's biggest
advantage is his unmatched dominance in the overseas market. A
regular SRK film in the UK and the US easily does business worth Rs
17-20 crore. Salman swings Rs 8-10 crore while Aamir's share is fixed
at Rs 5-6 crore. Read on, it's time you heard the numbers speak.
1 Shah Rukh : The Overseas King
Net BO Impact Rs 806,23,07,268
Top Ten
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! Rs 116 crore
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge Rs 88 crore
Raja Hindustani Rs 72 crore
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Rs 56.7 crore
Karan Arjun Rs 56.4 crore
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham Rs 53 crore
Maine Pyar Kiya Rs 47 crore
Dil To Pagal Hai Rs 42 crore
Veer-Zaara Rs 39.7 crore
Kal Ho Naa Ho Rs 39 crore
(All India net. Does not include overseas collections)
SRK had eight mega grossers between 2000-2005 in the domestic
circuit. Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham leads with Rs 53.17
crore, followed by Veer-Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Devdas, Main Hoon Na,
Mohabbatein and Chalte Chalte.
Ironically, while 1997's Pardes started the NRI-friendly genre of
films, Swades had a tepid run in the homeland. NRIs, however, remain
a SRK preserve. Says Adarsh, "SRK is one to 10 overseas. Nobody
before him and nobody after him can even dream of raking it so big."
Sample this: Shah Rukh stars in seven of the top 10 hits in the UK
and six in the US. "A film like Paheli struggled to get an opening
here, but did a business of Rs 11 crore overseas," says Nahata.
Currently, SRK is only shooting for Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
By that standard, around Rs 40 crore - the film's budget - rides on
him. Though he's committed to Farah Khan's Happy New Year and Farhan
Akhtar's Don, these films will only start next year.
2 Salman: Prince of the Heartland
Net BO Impact Rs 715,82,47,724
Salman's tally: Four blockbusters in five years. Sajid Nadiadwala's
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi leads with Rs 28.10 crore. Other A-listers are
Baghbaan, No Entry and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya.
He might be criticised for the same kind of buffoonery but today, a
Salman Khan film gets the best initial. "Salman is the undisputed
hero of the masses. He has marked Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat as exclusively his territories,"
says Adarsh.
Trade pundits say that Salman has started the trend of bumper
openings. "Most of Salman's movies earn their recovery in the first
three weeks itself because of the thumping initial he commands," says
trade analyst, Amod Mehra. That's why Kapoor displayed Khan's mug all
over No Entry's publicity hoardings even though he just had a guest
role. Currently, five Salman-starrers are on the floors - Kyon Ki,
Jaan-E-Man, Marigold, Babul and God Tussi Great Ho. Translated,
that's a cool Rs 125 crore bet on his brawn. The trade buzz is that
he's also been signed on for two Yash Raj films and a Subhash Ghai
venture. Other pending assignments include Rajkumar Santoshi's London
Dreams and Nikhil Advani's next.
3 Aamir: Urban Warrior
Net BO Impact Rs 3,84,27,52,305
Aamir's Lagaan, Mangal Pandey-The Rising and Dil Chahta Hai make the
grade. Lagaan did a business of Rs 35.44 crore. These films also make
it to the ongoing decade's top of the charts.
"An Aamir Khan film is most appreciated by discerning city audiences.
Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad are A-plus for all Aamir
starrers," says Adarsh. Aamir is the intelligent viewer's top star.
Mangal Pandey got a robust opening across the country. "There were
almost 12 shows in multiplexes when the film released; initial hype
saved the film," says Adarsh.
Aamir has always maintained his hiatus was unintentional. These days,
he is on a signing spree. Besides Rakesh Mehra's Rang De Basanti and
Kunal Kohli's Fannah, he has also signed Vishal Bhardwaj's Mr Mehta
and Mrs Singh. Since Bharadwaj's film will roll only next year, Rs 60
crore is at stake on Aamir.
The Verdict
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt spells out the big picture. "Shah Rukh and
Salman play unpretentiously to the gallery, which is why they have
more hits than Aamir." He weighs the three biggies. "If stardom is a
100 metre race, SRK is in front but he can feel Salman's breath on
his neck. Aamir is a close third."
Bhatt feels Aamir can easily fall into the Great Oscar Trap. "Anyone
who goes to the Oscars either hikes his price or waits for the right
project. Taking your work seriously is different from taking yourself
seriously. Aamir should do more light-hearted roles to appeal to the
universal audience." His biggest strength, feels Bhatt, is commitment
to a project.
Salman is the endearing bad boy. "He has a vulnerable charm and
people like his recklessness," says Bhatt. But it's high time Salman
ventured into the unknown. "He should work with different people. How
long can he do the same stuff over and over?"
With regards to SRK, Bhatt fears he works too much. "He's always
driving fast and needs to pause." And why is he still
No.1? "Charisma, charisma, charisma."
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