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49 Responses to “Boxoffice thread Feb 28 to March 5”
If Delhi 6 is 25 plus, I think that is healthy. Anything less put a lot of pressure on it to perform at least reasonably well in the second half.
Meanwhile, Billu has collapsed. I thought it did fair business in the first week with 17 crores, so if second week is anything less than 6-7 crores, that suggests a near washout.
then Abhishek Bachchan can point out the fact that his Delhi 6, despite mixed trade criticism, managed to score a better opening week than Shahrukh Khan’s costarrer-production Billu, Akshay Kumar’s Chandni Chowk to China, and Emran Hashmi starrer Raaz 2 among the releases of 2009 so far.
However to get that solo elusive blockbuster again, Bachchan Jr. may have to wait till later in the year when the Mani Ratnam fare Ravan is slated to hit the theaters, to see if it will do what Delhi 6, the film advocating Hindu-Muslim communal harmony, is not likely to manage to do, ie put up blockbuster figures over sustained periods of time across week 2, 3 and onwards.
The film’s 2nd weekend appears to be showing noticeable drops in centers like Mumbai while faring decently in centers like Noida up in the North.
I don’t follow BO talks all that much so not understanding why first week numbers for D6 are all over the place.
Why no consensus on first week numbers?
Abhishek Bcahchan is gradually honing his skills to become the only leading man who doesn’t need to act with his muscles. A lot of the hostility to Abhishek comes from the fact that he doesn’t open his bedroom doors for news-hounds and his shirt and pants buttons for the television cameras.
I think Delhi 6 is one of the coolest and most compelling clutter-breakers in recent times. Originality is not an overrated virtue. It’s just something most filmmakers don’t have access to.
sandy, i did say that D6 will bomb – it wud not recover its costs 35-40 cr and it is well on its way to do that
Billu has flopeed too…..
I don’t see any HIT either in next 2 months…..but wud keep my fingers crossed for TASVEER….will depend on how they market it…
firstly idea m a huge fan of urs..m also a die hard aamir fan..
and even i had made prediction of 60-65 crore opening for ghajini as an bet with my friends who cudnt believe it…but my inspiration were ur thoughts and predictions t gave me confidence that yup aamir can pull it off.
so wanted ur thoughts on Delhi belly, 3 idiots( can aamir open it again @ 60 crore?)
The film may not impact Abhishek Bachchan much since he has a lot to look forward to in the remainder of the year. Moreover, his career has typically seen a flip-flop of this kind (a flop followed by a hit followed by a flop and so on). Earlier this was seen in 2008 (SARKAR RAJ – Above average, DRONA – DISASTER, DOSTANA – HIT) and now with 2009 beginning on a poor note for him, there could be hopes of a better year ahead.
The biggest loss though would be for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has now given a flop each with Amitabh Bachchan (AKS) and Abhishek. With DELHI 6 hardly resulting in much appreciation gain for Mehra, it would be interesting to see the next project that he kick starts and it’s starcast.
I think 25 crores makes it dicey also Sandy. Any big film that opens at this number or below is in the same situation. SR opened around this number and it kept falling. JA was the same but it remained stable. But D6 is the only one of the three which has completely split reviewers and viewers. SR had far better reviews but still couldn’t survive (here the genre was probably part of the deal). JA’s reviews were fine too and in any case no real negativity here even if it didn’t have much appeal for a younger crowd. So this second weekend is now critical for D6 but I’d be extremely surprised if it stemmed the drops at this point.
1)This is a welcome development. Those moderators are all good ‘men’.
2)I did not intend this blog as a stopgap measure. I am dedicated to it and as such have to maintain it. To be honest I’ve been very happy here. Really doing a mix of things. I’m not in it to compete with anyone and so forth. I’m not in it for hits or whatever. I just want to keep a certain discussion going on cinema. I welcome all the dissent in the world as long as there is positivity. This blog though is not an ‘anti-NG’ or anything. Nor do people who write here or visit here have anything to do with such an aim. There is no conspiracy afoot!
3)This of course does not prevent me from being on two blogs at once but I am adopting a ‘wait and watch’ approach at this point. I want to see how things progress over there.
4)A shout out to theSkeptic, if he/she is reading. I am tempted to keep an SB just for you! However you can comment on my blog without signing up or anything. Hope you can do this without compromising your metaphysics in this matter!
rocky – thanks for the shout out…hope all is well. I surely miss many members there but cannot see myself coming back any time soon. A number of reasons and in fairness, reasons that shouldn’t be made so public. Certainly think Q, aar and som will do a great job and wish the site all the best. And who knows oneday I may return. Never say never eh
Rajen, I don’t know how I could forget to include your name ! You know i love you.
Satyam and Jay- and rajen Hum Intezaar karenge Qyamat tak, Khuda kare Qyamat ya fir Q jaldee aaye !!
“so wanted ur thoughts on Delhi belly, 3 idiots( can aamir open it again @ 60 crore?)”
hi rooney
my gut feeling on:
3 idiots: YES, A VERY BIG YES – if they release it in more than 1200+ prints (i don’t see any reason why they won’t do this unless VVC decides to go out of his mind ) and well, it is coming on 25th Dec’09….it’s gonna the biggest hit of 2009 – forget MNIK and anything else….and YES, it can break GHAJINI’s record…
DHOBI GHAAT: I don’t think they will release it this year…but if they do….50 cr NETT from India is a given and this should be the BIGGEST EVER PROFITABLE venture in the history of BOLLYWOOD if the production cost and revenue generation (theatrical) ratio is concerned….
Sandy so I am the “prediction man” like the “Ice candy man” ?
Jay, honestly no idea about any 3 of them….but I doubt any of them will release this year……DB is meant for international market….wud be interesting to watch how aamir goes abt it…..The Falling? am hearing abt. that one for the first time….is there any official announcement from aamir?
Dhobi Ghat is 90 per cent done, so I would be very surprised if it doesn;t release this year. Same with Delhi Belly – which should release by October at least.
3 Idiots shooting meanwhile is going great guns I hear. Madhvan found the experience ‘orgasmic’ apparently, whatever that means. I have reason to believe that this is turning out to be quite an awesome film.
If I had to bet on a film getting the year’s biggest opening I might put my money on 3 Idiots. Of course hrithik comes once again after a long gap in Kites and while I don’t find the film inspiring at all it could open very big if it has the right stunt/salsa combo. Of course assuming that the skin show here is kept minimal in the previews.
Like all Aamir productions, there have been production hazzles with Dhobi Ghat. Kiran Rao was never a favourite on the TZP unit and I hear there are problems here too.
I think Raavan should have a good opening. I expect a good Rahman soundtrack here. The Abhi-Ash deal is significant, specially in a film that promises a romantic track between the two. there is the Yuva/Guru history, the sense that whenever Rathnam/Abhishek come together it’s a special lead performance.
The film is a solo for the Hindi speaking markets because no one knows Vikram here. In the South Vikram is obviously huge. This includes cities where there is an overlap like Hyderabad (Vikram’s Telugu dubs do very well) or Bangalore. Now having said that this is a bilingual so the Tamil audience will really be interested in the Tamil version where Vikram does the Abhishek (Raavan) role. This leaves a smaller audience that is willing to watch the Hindi version. For this segment again the Vikram factor will probably not override Abhishek/Ash.
Salman can bounce back this year with his multiple releases and huge loyal fan base . Ranbir ,Shahid , Emraan Hashmi & Imran Khan has to carry a big budget movie at his shoulders to come in reckoning for TOP 5 .
It’s hard to argue that those four stars that you have over Abhishek are above him in terms of proven box office returns. One can argue with the order of course though I am very comfortable with Aamir on top.
At the same time I think that we have been seeing a Hollywood-like system develop in India where there is a top bracket of stars and beyond this the precise positions might be more debatable. Akshay for example based on his string of successes (before CCTC) was called the top star by the media most often.
There is a combination of factors. Volume, prestige projects, age factor and so on. In general the extent to which a star can define his terms and gain success doing so is perhaps the best way to gauge these things. Aamir in this sense again emerges on top. But I will concede that the audience is a lot more divided about these things. My own sense is that Aamir has really set himself in a class apart over a period of time. Shahrukh is seen as being offpeak even as he is still a big star on his terrain. Hrithik is obviously one of the big brandnames though very low volume hurts him. Akshay needs to keep the comedy thing going as long as he possibly can. Abhishek always looks to be breaking out but his films are all different, which doesn’t maximize initial, and moreover mostly risky. For every failure or disappointment he seems to double his bets. I think he is definitely accumulating prestige but he needs that breakout hit as he’s had a bit of a drought here.
It’s too late for Salman. I don’t believe he’s going to bounce back in any serious sense. Ranbir I believe it a work in progress. I don’t see Shahid rising much more than he is at present. He’s not major star material. Emraan is less than this. Imran Khan has a genuine fan following. The rest depends on how he shapes his career. I think he has good comic timing at this point.
does anyone think that Aamir will say YES to one of the two GURU DUTT – scripts lying with him? also will he say YES to KISHORE KUMAR film? I wish he does those two films….that will be a riot…..and icing on the cake will be if someone comes up a script for KRISHNA as aamir wants to portray the role…and the project actually materializes……that sud be awesome….
“Kiran Rao was never a favourite on the TZP unit and I hear there are problems here too.” Sandy, I guess this is not true…she was strict but that was for the good of the film…and it worked…..she comes across as a very affable person….I saw one of her rare interviews….
The only thing that might possibly prevent Aamir from taking on a Guru Dutt project is that the latter’s story isn’t really that of a winner. It would be hard to sell that story anywhere in the world. It’s a fairly depressing one. Again with Kishore there is no drama to the biography. Aamir doesn’t mind risks as is rather obvious but he will insist on proper justification for the script with a decent possibility of box office viability.
Last quater will see films like Kites ,MNIK ,3 Idiots etc ……….. do you think RAAVAN will survive because I have a feeling that its another off beat Mani Ratnam movie like Yuva .
“I don’t see Shahid rising much more than he is at present. He’s not major star material.”
Satyam, I beg to differ here – I will put Shahid at no. 5 in the above list – he has given solo hits like Ishq Vishq, JWM, Vivah and his last one was also an average-earner….he is marching slowly but with a noticeable script-sense, his next kaminay has all the chances to be a hit….I’ll any day put him above Jr. B, Ranbir,John etc…..not that I want these people to be there in that list….but seeing the track-record….Shahid is definately there for me…..an actor who can give 3 or more solo hits without giving many duds definately deserves to be there……ok he is still not a big crowd puller like the rest 4….but his movies are getting HIT tags – and that too consistently…..BTW, I am not a Shahid fan but I don’t dislike him either…..
Regarding, Sallu, I agree with you – it is too late for him now…..evenif he may come up with a BB….but his downslide has started…..a wiser thing for him to do now wud be to get married and take a sabbatical for at-least 3-4 yrs and then come back with acting-oriented roles instead of image-oriented roles…..same wud apply to SRK/Akki if they don’t change lanes in next 2-3 yrs…..Hritik is going great guns but a little slow….
Ideaunique: The thing is that hits have to be contextualized. Not just because of pure ‘gross’ (though this is a factor, note how any star who is considered ‘top’ or an aspirant to get to the ‘top’ could never get away with the kinds of grosses that are always considered satisfactory for Shahid) but also because of what those films ‘mean’. This is an unpredictable business so things can change overnight but Shahid is too much the poor man’s Shahrukh (with far less energy, flamboyance and screen presence than SRK had at his peak) and perhaps a little ‘retro’ in some ways (which is why he’s ideal for a Barjatya film). But again and as I always say follow the projects. List prestigious directors in town or projects you would consider desirable on paper and see who ends up with these films. Now Shahid has a good break with Kaminey but I personally consider this miscasting though I have of course yet to see the film.
The other thing is that one must not be too wedded to this top 4 idea or indeed the idea of such a list where you keep going down all the way to # 10 to something. I don’t believe it works like that. Yes there are clearly top bracket stars but within that bracket the positions become a lot less ‘definite’. Increasingly so in a Bollywood that is structurally more and more like Hollywood. But also ‘who’ gets to be in the top bracket is also not a question of hits simply. The box office is ‘necessary’ but how the box office is interpreted might be as crucial.
February 28, 2009 at 5:42 AM
If Delhi 6 is 25 plus, I think that is healthy. Anything less put a lot of pressure on it to perform at least reasonably well in the second half.
Meanwhile, Billu has collapsed. I thought it did fair business in the first week with 17 crores, so if second week is anything less than 6-7 crores, that suggests a near washout.
February 28, 2009 at 5:45 AM
Delhi 6, a let-down?
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/top5/index.html
PS: Taran’s commentary of course has been very suspect in regards to Delhi 6, but then other sources are also not exactly positive about the film.
But the film Taran did support – Billu – he’s called it a flop himself, which means the film has probably done worse.
February 28, 2009 at 6:39 AM
http://www.ibosnetwork.com/newsmanager/templates/template1.aspx?a=21726&z=9
then Abhishek Bachchan can point out the fact that his Delhi 6, despite mixed trade criticism, managed to score a better opening week than Shahrukh Khan’s costarrer-production Billu, Akshay Kumar’s Chandni Chowk to China, and Emran Hashmi starrer Raaz 2 among the releases of 2009 so far.
However to get that solo elusive blockbuster again, Bachchan Jr. may have to wait till later in the year when the Mani Ratnam fare Ravan is slated to hit the theaters, to see if it will do what Delhi 6, the film advocating Hindu-Muslim communal harmony, is not likely to manage to do, ie put up blockbuster figures over sustained periods of time across week 2, 3 and onwards.
The film’s 2nd weekend appears to be showing noticeable drops in centers like Mumbai while faring decently in centers like Noida up in the North.
February 28, 2009 at 7:28 AM
I don’t follow BO talks all that much so not understanding why first week numbers for D6 are all over the place.
Why no consensus on first week numbers?
February 28, 2009 at 7:28 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bollywood/Killing_a_movie/articleshow/4204739.cms
Killing a movie!
Abhishek Bcahchan is gradually honing his skills to become the only leading man who doesn’t need to act with his muscles. A lot of the hostility to Abhishek comes from the fact that he doesn’t open his bedroom doors for news-hounds and his shirt and pants buttons for the television cameras.
I think Delhi 6 is one of the coolest and most compelling clutter-breakers in recent times. Originality is not an overrated virtue. It’s just something most filmmakers don’t have access to.
February 28, 2009 at 7:40 AM
sandy, i did say that D6 will bomb – it wud not recover its costs 35-40 cr and it is well on its way to do that
Billu has flopeed too…..
I don’t see any HIT either in next 2 months…..but wud keep my fingers crossed for TASVEER….will depend on how they market it…
February 28, 2009 at 11:22 AM
firstly idea m a huge fan of urs..m also a die hard aamir fan..
and even i had made prediction of 60-65 crore opening for ghajini as an bet with my friends who cudnt believe it…but my inspiration were ur thoughts and predictions t gave me confidence that yup aamir can pull it off.
so wanted ur thoughts on Delhi belly, 3 idiots( can aamir open it again @ 60 crore?)
February 28, 2009 at 7:57 AM
Idea, you’re the prediction man, I admit!
February 28, 2009 at 8:00 AM
I have a feeling this is a bad year for Akshay. I see all three of films, KI, Blue and Tasveer being dampners….unfortunately
February 28, 2009 at 8:47 AM
DELHI 6 all set to join ’30 Crore Flop Club
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/09/feb/28-delhi-6-all-set-to-join-30-crore-flop-club-020909.asp
The film may not impact Abhishek Bachchan much since he has a lot to look forward to in the remainder of the year. Moreover, his career has typically seen a flip-flop of this kind (a flop followed by a hit followed by a flop and so on). Earlier this was seen in 2008 (SARKAR RAJ – Above average, DRONA – DISASTER, DOSTANA – HIT) and now with 2009 beginning on a poor note for him, there could be hopes of a better year ahead.
The biggest loss though would be for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has now given a flop each with Amitabh Bachchan (AKS) and Abhishek. With DELHI 6 hardly resulting in much appreciation gain for Mehra, it would be interesting to see the next project that he kick starts and it’s starcast.
February 28, 2009 at 9:16 AM
I think 25 crores makes it dicey also Sandy. Any big film that opens at this number or below is in the same situation. SR opened around this number and it kept falling. JA was the same but it remained stable. But D6 is the only one of the three which has completely split reviewers and viewers. SR had far better reviews but still couldn’t survive (here the genre was probably part of the deal). JA’s reviews were fine too and in any case no real negativity here even if it didn’t have much appeal for a younger crowd. So this second weekend is now critical for D6 but I’d be extremely surprised if it stemmed the drops at this point.
February 28, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Hey Satyam and Jay
I hope you are satisfied with the resolutuon of the issues and are coming back to NG -ASAP !!
February 28, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Rocky: A few quick points..
1)This is a welcome development. Those moderators are all good ‘men’.
2)I did not intend this blog as a stopgap measure. I am dedicated to it and as such have to maintain it. To be honest I’ve been very happy here. Really doing a mix of things. I’m not in it to compete with anyone and so forth. I’m not in it for hits or whatever. I just want to keep a certain discussion going on cinema. I welcome all the dissent in the world as long as there is positivity. This blog though is not an ‘anti-NG’ or anything. Nor do people who write here or visit here have anything to do with such an aim. There is no conspiracy afoot!
3)This of course does not prevent me from being on two blogs at once but I am adopting a ‘wait and watch’ approach at this point. I want to see how things progress over there.
4)A shout out to theSkeptic, if he/she is reading. I am tempted to keep an SB just for you! However you can comment on my blog without signing up or anything. Hope you can do this without compromising your metaphysics in this matter!
February 28, 2009 at 11:17 AM
well m happy satyam that u r dedicated to satyamshot..
realyy happy as i can comment and ineract with u people…
between in my opinion i find ur blog superb with two thumbs up!
p.s hopefully ng becomes one happy family again my regards to all ng members
February 28, 2009 at 11:17 AM
interact*
February 28, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Thanks Rooney..
February 28, 2009 at 12:25 PM
rocky – thanks for the shout out…hope all is well. I surely miss many members there but cannot see myself coming back any time soon. A number of reasons and in fairness, reasons that shouldn’t be made so public. Certainly think Q, aar and som will do a great job and wish the site all the best. And who knows oneday I may return. Never say never eh
February 28, 2009 at 1:50 PM
so till then jayshahs weekly column shall b available here right
because m huge follower of ur analysis ..keep going
February 28, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Rajen, I don’t know how I could forget to include your name ! You know i love you.
Satyam and Jay- and rajen Hum Intezaar karenge Qyamat tak, Khuda kare Qyamat ya fir Q jaldee aaye !!
February 28, 2009 at 4:55 PM
Rocky: I appreciate your sentiments very much.. as I’ve said before I have nothing against NG at all..
March 1, 2009 at 4:34 AM
“so wanted ur thoughts on Delhi belly, 3 idiots( can aamir open it again @ 60 crore?)”
hi rooney
) and well, it is coming on 25th Dec’09….it’s gonna the biggest hit of 2009 – forget MNIK and anything else….and YES, it can break GHAJINI’s record…
my gut feeling on:
3 idiots: YES, A VERY BIG YES – if they release it in more than 1200+ prints (i don’t see any reason why they won’t do this unless VVC decides to go out of his mind
DHOBI GHAAT: I don’t think they will release it this year…but if they do….50 cr NETT from India is a given and this should be the BIGGEST EVER PROFITABLE venture in the history of BOLLYWOOD if the production cost and revenue generation (theatrical) ratio is concerned….
Sandy
so I am the “prediction man” like the “Ice candy man” 
?
March 1, 2009 at 4:35 AM
DELHI BELLY: honestly, I don’t have any gut feeling for this as of now….wud like to wait instead of just saying anything….
March 1, 2009 at 6:45 AM
IU – Any idea on when Delhi Belly, Dhobi Ghat and The Falling are releasing?
March 1, 2009 at 7:29 AM
What’s with all the English titles?
March 1, 2009 at 7:36 AM
Well Delhi Belly is English language isn’t it? Not sure about the farmers suicide film (The Falling)
March 1, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Jay, honestly no idea about any 3 of them….but I doubt any of them will release this year……DB is meant for international market….wud be interesting to watch how aamir goes abt it…..The Falling? am hearing abt. that one for the first time….is there any official announcement from aamir?
March 1, 2009 at 9:51 AM
*no idea about any of them*
March 1, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Dhobi Ghat is 90 per cent done, so I would be very surprised if it doesn;t release this year. Same with Delhi Belly – which should release by October at least.
3 Idiots shooting meanwhile is going great guns I hear. Madhvan found the experience ‘orgasmic’ apparently, whatever that means. I have reason to believe that this is turning out to be quite an awesome film.
March 1, 2009 at 10:28 AM
If I had to bet on a film getting the year’s biggest opening I might put my money on 3 Idiots. Of course hrithik comes once again after a long gap in Kites and while I don’t find the film inspiring at all it could open very big if it has the right stunt/salsa combo. Of course assuming that the skin show here is kept minimal in the previews.
March 1, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Like all Aamir productions, there have been production hazzles with Dhobi Ghat. Kiran Rao was never a favourite on the TZP unit and I hear there are problems here too.
March 1, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Not necessarily a bad thing Sandy. Probably a good omen in fact!
March 1, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Following is a link from IBN about west appriciation about D6 and whether it turns into box-office sucess here in US remain to be seen.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/after-slumdog-us-critics-warm-up-to-delhi6/86543-8.html
March 1, 2009 at 12:49 PM
IBOS have the India total at 24.6 crores.
March 1, 2009 at 11:29 PM
@Satyam ji
What kind of opening you think “Raavan ” will have and what will be its fate eventually at BO ?
Should we classify RAAVAN as a solo AB starrer ?
March 2, 2009 at 12:04 AM
I think Raavan should have a good opening. I expect a good Rahman soundtrack here. The Abhi-Ash deal is significant, specially in a film that promises a romantic track between the two. there is the Yuva/Guru history, the sense that whenever Rathnam/Abhishek come together it’s a special lead performance.
The film is a solo for the Hindi speaking markets because no one knows Vikram here. In the South Vikram is obviously huge. This includes cities where there is an overlap like Hyderabad (Vikram’s Telugu dubs do very well) or Bangalore. Now having said that this is a bilingual so the Tamil audience will really be interested in the Tamil version where Vikram does the Abhishek (Raavan) role. This leaves a smaller audience that is willing to watch the Hindi version. For this segment again the Vikram factor will probably not override Abhishek/Ash.
March 2, 2009 at 12:06 AM
Eventual fate is hard to predict. A Rathnam film always remains risky.
March 1, 2009 at 11:33 PM
@all
According to me the current top 5 :
1) Aamir
2) SRK
3) Hrithik Roshan
4) Akshay Kumar
5) Abhishek Bachchan
Salman can bounce back this year with his multiple releases and huge loyal fan base . Ranbir ,Shahid , Emraan Hashmi & Imran Khan has to carry a big budget movie at his shoulders to come in reckoning for TOP 5 .
Please correct me if I am wrong .
March 2, 2009 at 12:14 AM
It’s hard to argue that those four stars that you have over Abhishek are above him in terms of proven box office returns. One can argue with the order of course though I am very comfortable with Aamir on top.
At the same time I think that we have been seeing a Hollywood-like system develop in India where there is a top bracket of stars and beyond this the precise positions might be more debatable. Akshay for example based on his string of successes (before CCTC) was called the top star by the media most often.
There is a combination of factors. Volume, prestige projects, age factor and so on. In general the extent to which a star can define his terms and gain success doing so is perhaps the best way to gauge these things. Aamir in this sense again emerges on top. But I will concede that the audience is a lot more divided about these things. My own sense is that Aamir has really set himself in a class apart over a period of time. Shahrukh is seen as being offpeak even as he is still a big star on his terrain. Hrithik is obviously one of the big brandnames though very low volume hurts him. Akshay needs to keep the comedy thing going as long as he possibly can. Abhishek always looks to be breaking out but his films are all different, which doesn’t maximize initial, and moreover mostly risky. For every failure or disappointment he seems to double his bets. I think he is definitely accumulating prestige but he needs that breakout hit as he’s had a bit of a drought here.
It’s too late for Salman. I don’t believe he’s going to bounce back in any serious sense. Ranbir I believe it a work in progress. I don’t see Shahid rising much more than he is at present. He’s not major star material. Emraan is less than this. Imran Khan has a genuine fan following. The rest depends on how he shapes his career. I think he has good comic timing at this point.
March 1, 2009 at 11:34 PM
does anyone think that Aamir will say YES to one of the two GURU DUTT – scripts lying with him? also will he say YES to KISHORE KUMAR film? I wish he does those two films….that will be a riot…..and icing on the cake will be if someone comes up a script for KRISHNA as aamir wants to portray the role…and the project actually materializes……that sud be awesome….
“Kiran Rao was never a favourite on the TZP unit and I hear there are problems here too.” Sandy, I guess this is not true…she was strict but that was for the good of the film…and it worked…..she comes across as a very affable person….I saw one of her rare interviews….
March 2, 2009 at 12:16 AM
The only thing that might possibly prevent Aamir from taking on a Guru Dutt project is that the latter’s story isn’t really that of a winner. It would be hard to sell that story anywhere in the world. It’s a fairly depressing one. Again with Kishore there is no drama to the biography. Aamir doesn’t mind risks as is rather obvious but he will insist on proper justification for the script with a decent possibility of box office viability.
March 2, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Satyam, when is Raavan releasing?
March 2, 2009 at 12:48 AM
Not sure. I had initially thought summer but Abhishek said in an interview that it would be towards the end of the year.
March 2, 2009 at 1:30 AM
Last quater will see films like Kites ,MNIK ,3 Idiots etc ……….. do you think RAAVAN will survive because I have a feeling that its another off beat Mani Ratnam movie like Yuva .
March 2, 2009 at 9:29 AM
I certainly expect it to be edgier than Guru..
March 2, 2009 at 12:33 AM
Seems to be the audio of a song from 3 idiots. Wonder how it was obtained. Sounds very much like Strings!
March 2, 2009 at 12:52 AM
Latha: The song is nice but not sure if it is from the film.
March 3, 2009 at 3:41 AM
“I don’t see Shahid rising much more than he is at present. He’s not major star material.”
Satyam, I beg to differ here – I will put Shahid at no. 5 in the above list – he has given solo hits like Ishq Vishq, JWM, Vivah and his last one was also an average-earner….he is marching slowly but with a noticeable script-sense, his next kaminay has all the chances to be a hit….I’ll any day put him above Jr. B, Ranbir,John etc…..not that I want these people to be there in that list….but seeing the track-record….Shahid is definately there for me…..an actor who can give 3 or more solo hits without giving many duds definately deserves to be there……ok he is still not a big crowd puller like the rest 4….but his movies are getting HIT tags – and that too consistently…..BTW, I am not a Shahid fan
but I don’t dislike him either…..
Regarding, Sallu, I agree with you – it is too late for him now…..evenif he may come up with a BB….but his downslide has started…..a wiser thing for him to do now wud be to get married and take a sabbatical for at-least 3-4 yrs and then come back with acting-oriented roles instead of image-oriented roles…..same wud apply to SRK/Akki if they don’t change lanes in next 2-3 yrs…..Hritik is going great guns but a little slow….
March 3, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Ideaunique: The thing is that hits have to be contextualized. Not just because of pure ‘gross’ (though this is a factor, note how any star who is considered ‘top’ or an aspirant to get to the ‘top’ could never get away with the kinds of grosses that are always considered satisfactory for Shahid) but also because of what those films ‘mean’. This is an unpredictable business so things can change overnight but Shahid is too much the poor man’s Shahrukh (with far less energy, flamboyance and screen presence than SRK had at his peak) and perhaps a little ‘retro’ in some ways (which is why he’s ideal for a Barjatya film). But again and as I always say follow the projects. List prestigious directors in town or projects you would consider desirable on paper and see who ends up with these films. Now Shahid has a good break with Kaminey but I personally consider this miscasting though I have of course yet to see the film.
The other thing is that one must not be too wedded to this top 4 idea or indeed the idea of such a list where you keep going down all the way to # 10 to something. I don’t believe it works like that. Yes there are clearly top bracket stars but within that bracket the positions become a lot less ‘definite’. Increasingly so in a Bollywood that is structurally more and more like Hollywood. But also ‘who’ gets to be in the top bracket is also not a question of hits simply. The box office is ‘necessary’ but how the box office is interpreted might be as crucial.
March 3, 2009 at 3:43 AM
*not that I don’t want these people to be there in that list*