Q.Why is the trade reluctant to accept Black's success?
A.The trade is right because Black is not a major success; it’s just the media trying to make it a hit as they had praised the film a lot. What shows Black's non success is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is struggling to find producers for his next film,if Black had made money there would be producers at his door step.
Q.Hi Sir, now that Kaal has taken good opening, who do you think is responsible for the opening? Shahukh/Karan or the stars of Kaal ?
A. The music and presence of SRK are the reasons for Kaal's big opening.
Q.What is term TAX FREE used in film trade and how does a film become tax free?
A.Tax Free is when Entertainment Tax is not applied to a ticket sold so the ticket is much cheaper. It’s the state governments which make films tax free.
Q.I have gone through the grosses of all films at your site. There are only three films - Devdas, KHNH and MHN - which have grossed more than 35 cr but still are
not declared SUPER HIT by you, and surprisingly, all the films happen to be SRKs. Are you not being unfair to SRK ?
A.SRK is the biggest star so it’s natural that his films get the best prices so therefore they have to gross more. The 35 crore mark is no big deal compared to the audience that is out there. Major hits were hitting this mark 10 years ago, it was a big deal then but not now. A good film should be looking at 45-50-60 crore.
Q. I had read in 'Bangalore Times' that Main Hoon Naa made 75 lakhs in the first week in bangalore from 13 theatres. Is it true ? What is the first week record
for Hindi movie in Bangalore ?
A.Main Hoon Na is the record holder with a nett collection of 68 lakhs.
Q.Can Paheli get a 8 cr opening ? Do you think it will make 18cr+ at the BO ?
A.Unlikely, It is releasing in very limited prints so if the film can make more than 10 crore it would be good.
Q.Which salman starer do you think will be a big grosser this year....after lucky? i think i will be david dawan's film? any thoughts?
A.Lucky should remain Salman's biggest grosser of 2005. If any film has a chance of beating it then it will be David Dhawan's Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya.
Q.Why are srk films given a push. kal ho na ho was actually a huge flop in b,c centres and in small towns but its given every where that kal ho... was a blockbuster. same
applies for main hoon na.
A.The media is metro based so a film doing great in metroes is pushed by them. The trade does not have Kal Ho Na Ho or Main Hoon Na as blockbusters but hits. A big plus for SRK is that he does not need the small centers because his films do huge business in the metros. The metro business pulls his films through and when his films like Veer Zaara do decent in small centers as well then you have a clean universal big hit.
Q.Why is SRK rated no: 1 in India when he is not having all India popularity. His films never do well in small centers. While salman's and hrithik's films open to fabulous response all over India (as well as in small centers). I think u people should stop promoting SRK as no: 1. I think Hrithik or Salman deserves that.
A.SRK may not be very hot in small centers but he is ahead of Hrithik in small centers. Salman is better in some small centers but the gap between him and SRK in the metros is too big for the small centers to make up. The scenario today is that if someone says that SRK and Hrithik are the biggest draws it means they are fans of Hrithik and if someone says SRK and Salman are biggest draws then they are Salman fans. SRK can't be grouped with another star today he is too far ahead.
Q.If Bunty and Babli does business of 50-60 crore then will Abhishek be a contender for the top slot?
A.Of course, even if a Dino Moreo film does business of 50-60 crore then even Dino will be contender but it’s easier said than done. Bunty Aur Babli will not do 50 crore Nett business and nor will any Dino film. These figures are no jokes.
Q.Its really hard to believe that Bewafaa and Black have roughly the same budget considering Bewafaa has foreign shootings and Black is made on one set.
A.Black has some the best technicians in the country behind it, these technicians may not charge large sums but you have to provide the best facilities to get the best from them and this costs money. The starcast of Black was cheaper but the director took a cool 3 crore home also Black saw some damage to its sets which put it back 5 crore. Sometimes foreign shoots are cheaper than India.
Q.Is it true that if Bunty Aur Bablis proves to be a hit, Rani will be hailed as the best actress, beating Aishwariya Rai and Priety?
A.No, she still needs to give a big grosser as solo heroine, in her major hits she is always the second heroine be it KKHH or Veer Zaara. Her biggest grosser as main lead heroine is Black and its business is just 22 crore. Today Preity Zinta has the major hits. Kareena has the highest fee per film and Aishwarya despite flops galore and not working with big male stars still has her posters selling twice as much as any other heroine.
Q.There are many reports in the media that Lucky has not opened well but you say it has, what is true? why this always happens in india?
A.Lucky's weekend percentages are Friday 95% Saturday 75% Sunday 90%,the film has dropped again today and will probably drop further tomorrow again due to the cricket. But for the prices it has been sold for the opening is excellent. Its best business is coming from Mumbai and Rajasthan with Delhi and Punjab lagging. As for media reports it always happens even Veer Zaara was supposed to have not opened well. The media has a problem with the more commercial films be it Veer Zaara, Bewafaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi or Lucky and tends to favour the more off beat Swades, Page 3 and Black type of films.
Q.What is the final result for "Mughal e Azam" in Bihar territory? Has it crossed Veer-Zaara in Patna?What about Overseas
A.Mughal E Azam did average business, mainly due to the fact some distributors paid too much money. In Bihar it did A(Semi Hit) business. In Patna its business was 8 lakhs compared to the 11 lakh of Veer Zaara. Overseas remains to be seen.
Q.Will Shahrukh Khan remain No1 this year without any major releases?
A.Most probably unless some other hero can give that 50 crore plus film this year.
Q.Hi i have heard that Lucky has cost only 12 crore so this means a low price and good for Salman Khan as it will be easy to achieve hit status
A.Low costs are good for producers but for stars it’s all about gross figures. If Lucky grosses 15 crore and is a success then questions get asked why did a Salman Khan starrer fetch a low price. For Salman Khan it would be good if the film is sold high and then succeeds.
Q.A lot of makers in India like Yash Chopra, David Dhawan, Aamir Khan etc say a good film can never flop which i just don't agree on, whats your take on that.
A.Thats true a good film will not flop no matter what all excuses like exams, cricket matches by makers are just cover ups. If your film is good it will eventually find an audience. The saying in India is a bad film can become a hit but a good film can never flop.
Q.Is there any chance for Paheli recovery or is it a flop?
A.If the film drops 70% again in third week then it’s gone but if it can hold up better and show 40-50% drop then it will get there from an economic point of view but it will still be called flop by the majority as the film is well below expectations for a SRK starrer.
Q.You has given the budget, total gross, net gross and distributor's share for various films. For certain big budget films like K3G, the distributor's share is less than that of the budget of the film, in that case how can it be considered a hit film? Could you please clarify?
A.The verdict is given with the distributor share put against the All India Cost and not the budget. The big budget films have many income sources like music, overseas and DVD/Satellite rights to make up the budget.
Q.My question is, will doing small films like "Paheli" affect Shahrukh khan's image? Because, in future he may not get this great opening for small budgeted films and suffer losses.
A.It will not really affect him but doing the likes of Swades and Paheli will always be a losing battle for him because he may get good critics and reviews but as he is the biggest draw in the country it will always come down to box office. Stars who are not box office forces can get away doing off beat films because nobody talks about their box office but with SRK the bottom line will be always box office.
Q.When was the golden period and the worst peroiod for hindi cinema?
A.From a box office point of view the best period was from around 1963 when most major films started being made in colour until 1983.The worst period started from 2000 and is still going on.
Q.Which film will take a better opening Dus or Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya?
A.Its too hard to call, possibly Dus because of the action factor.
Q.Why is some of the trade calling Paheli a loser?
A.Because it’s a film with a biggest star and films with biggest star being just coverage are called flops because of expectations. There is a big list of films which have recovered their costs but are called flops and Paheli will be another addition to the list. Shaan, The Burning Train and Shakti to recent films like Ek Aur Ek Gyarah. The Hero, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Lakshya. All these films are regarded as flops but did recover their costs as far as most distributors were concerned.
Q.What will be final gross of Paheli of India and will it be hit?
A.Around 12-14 crore, it will recover its costs but will not be a hit.
Q.You changed the rating of Veer Zaara from hit to super hit, will you do the same for Bunty Aur Babli.
A.Out of the six trade journals, 4 had VZ as a super hit, 1 a blockbuster and 1 hit so a super hit verdict is the midpoint. If this is the case with Bunty Aur Babli then it will be moved accordingly.
Q.You say Dus will take a bumper opening but Sanjay Dutt is going through a bad phase so the opening may not be there.
A.The last few films have not been showing Dutt in his image. Dus has hit music and promos showing Dutt with a gun in hand and that means great opening. Examples are Musafir, Kaante, Jung , Khauff etc. Whether the film sustains is a different matter but the first day opening is certain.
Q.I think you are wrong when you say that Don can beat Kank, opening, Kank will always get the bigger opening.
A.A question was asked and an opinion given, if it is wrong, so be it.
Q.What is the price of Paheli in India and Overseas?
A.In India the prices range with Mumbai going for 3.5 crore including prints and circuits like CP and CI going for 20 lakhs. Overall the film has fetched 7.5 crore from India (not including print and publicity costs) and the same from Overseas.
Q.Will Sanjay Dutt and Sunny Deol ever reach the top 3 again, and what will their future be?
A.Both are 45+ so obviously the best days are behind them but both have had great innings of 25 years as main leads and look how far behind their contemporaries like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Kumar Gaurav are. As they both have rock solid images and strong fan base they should be around for next 5 years as main leads. But if they start going against their images the fan base will start decreasing rapidly. Both should keep way from playing second fiddle to smaller stars in films like Khel, Lakeer, Parineeta etc.
Q.What will be the All India Cost of Paheli and considering its price,is this film not an easy hit?
A.The cost will be around 5.5 crores if released on 200 prints. But going by reports of the film,it is not going to be easy to recover this amount, let alone be a hit. Hopefully we are proven wrong when the film releases. The film has one massive plus and that is SRK but even he is against his image. Business over 10 crore nett in India would be a pleasant surprise.
Q.Hi,i know your classifications are very strict but is there any actor who has given superhits in a row going by your classifcations that you can recall? Thanks
A.First all our classifications are not strict they are much less strict than Film Information and Box Office.As for superhits the only person who comes to mind is Manoj Kumar with Roti Kapada Aur Makaan.Sanyasi and Dus Numbri.All big grossers for their time as well as blockbusters.He followed up with an even bigger one in Kranti but there was one or two films in between.
Q.I wanted to know the budget of paheli and parineeta?
A.Paheli is 13 crore and Parineeta 25 crore.
Q.As SRK does not sell in interiors is it possible that he may not give that big film that can do more than 50 crore, say 55 or 60 crore anymore because his films are all doing roughly same and not getting more.
A.SRK not selling in interiors is just a myth created by certain sections of the media. Obviously he does not sell as well as the big action heroes but he sells better than the rest. Not doing out an out actions films since Josh also affected SRK’s following in interiors as action films have more takers in smaller towns. Main Hoon Na did excellent in interiors while Veer Zaara did pretty well. As for big grosser it depends on universal appeal and how good a film is, if your film is excellent and entertaining it will get a big gross all over.
Q.You said Paheli has been sold cheap so how much will it need to gross to be safe in India?
A.That depends on how many prints are released, if released on 200 prints, around 8 crore Nett will see it to recovery.
Q.Now that the biggies have gone, whats the next release which will open well?
A.Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya
Q.Do you think your top three heroes places will change this year, will Aamir be in it?
A.Only if The Rising is a big hit. SRK and Salman are practically nailed on to be top two. The other actor who may get there is Akshay but it will depend on Dosti and Garam Masala. If both get good openings and with Akshay asking for 4 crore and getting 3-3.25, he will be there.
Q.I think you got it wrong with Bunty and Babli looking at collections it seems a big blockbuster. You should change your verdict as well.
A.A film does not become a blockbuster in one week. If we are wrong than the whole trade is wrong and so be it. For every single film we go by the trade and can't suddenly change sources for one film. In the last 12 years the trade has been wrong on just 2 occasions, HAHK and Border both films were written off but went on to be huge hits, lets see if Bunty and Babli can be the third. As for verdict it can only be given after 4/5 weeks, we have given no verdict yet only trade predictions.
Q.You have a big SRK bias, there are other stars out there as well you know and they deserve a mention okay.
A.There is no bias; it just looks it as SRK is doing well. It’s not our fault he is doing well, what can we do say he is not doing well when he is. There may be another actor who is doing well in a few years time and then you will say we have bias towards him. We will change as the market changes.
Q.Hi, when will your filmographies be updated, and please tell who has the best success ratio?
A.It will take around six months to get it all complete. As for success ratio it’s Dilip Kumar with about 70% films succeeding and around 40% being outright hits. He also has more super hits than anybody else, its mainly because he has only done 57 films since 1944.
Q.I see you have Don as number one in your hot films. Do you really think it can do better than Karan Johar's film which looks like an outright blockbuster and SRK can’t give hit in urban action film.
A.That list is for initials. It’s unlikely that Don will be a big hit because Farhan Akhtar has a metro thinking in his films which don't have universal appeal. But with the action feel and Shahrukh's presence the film will take a bumper opening all over. Maybe even top Veer Zaara. The opening should be better than Karan Johar's film unless it’s a big clash.
Q.Whats your take on the box office of Parineeta and Paheli?
A.Parineeta has the disadvantage of high budget and Sanjay Dutt going against his image. The film will have to do well all over to recover its high costs. Paheli is the opposite, this film has already fetched 8 crore from Overseas and music rights and the rumors are that SRK is selling the film at a discount in India, they say as low as 75 lakhs per major territory. May be it’s a very niche film or makers think film is very bad.
Q.Hi,i really like your site,do you think that Hrithik can get to No1 in the next few years?
A.There is but two things have to happen, SRK has to start giving back to back flops and Hrithik needs hits outside Filmkcraft.
Q.Dus looks a great action film,do you think it can work at the box office?
A.It has chances as long as Sanjay Dutt is the main lead and if promos focus on Dutt rather than the other smaller stars it should get a good opening.
Q.According to some sources, Hrithik Roshan was approached for the role of Bunty. However, recalling the disastrous Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002), he put a condition that he would do the film if it was directed by either Yash Chopra or Aditya Chopra. Abhishek Bachchan was approached next and he accepted the role. To Abhishek's luck the film received a bumper opening and will recover its costs and even go into to making profits. Do you think Hrithik lost out and should not be big headed?
A.It does not look like that Hrithik lost out as though the opening is great. The big projects from Yashraj are directed by the Chopra's while the cheaper products by others so Hrithik obviously wanted to be associated with the big projects.
Q.Although Jnr Bachchan has not had much success do you think he is a lambi race ka godha with a career which may be like Sanjay Dutt's?
A.Its hard to say if he is long runner but he is definitely no Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt had a personality even in his earlier days and also gave one the biggest hits of the 80's in Vidhaata while Abhishek is lacking in personality and also does not have a Vidhaata behind him.
Q.Hi, what do you think are the chances for Hrithik's next 2 films, Krrish and Dhoom 2 being a success. And what about Jodha Akbar? If he signs this film, then do you think it will be successful? If all three turn out to be hits, will Hrithik career take a big jump?
A.Both Krrish and Dhoom 2 have great chances as the setups are excellent and content is universal. Hrithik is almost certain to do Jodha Akbar and if this film works it will definitely boost Hrithik a lot.
