Opinion | Bollywood: Why A Lot Is At Stake This Year

Bollywood is seesawing between optimism and disappointment. There is hope in the air before the release of any new film. Most films fail. A hit is a rarity. An all-time blockbuster like Siddharth Anand’s big-budget action thriller Pathaan or a sleeper hit like Sudipto Sen’s small-budget social drama The Kerala Story are instances of success that upcoming releases will hope to emulate.

AKSHAY KUMAR NEEDS GOOD RESULTS

The industry’s inability to produce the desired number of hits has resulted in setbacks for many stars. Akshay Kumar, Bollywood’s Mr. Prolific, has experienced a number of failures, including Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s historical drama Samrat Prithviraj (2022) and Farhad Samji’s action comedy Bachchhan Paandey (2022). The actor needs successful theatrical releases to regain lost ground soon.

Can Kumar deliver a good result with Amit Rai’s comedy-drama OMG 2 (date of release: August 11), the spiritual sequel to Umesh Shukla’s well-liked comedy-drama OMG – Oh My God (2012)? OMG 2 should attract viewers at the start — partly because of the popularity of its prequel — but Kumar’s fans must be hoping that the film will become a long-distance runner at the box office. Tinu Suresh Desai’s survival thriller The Great Indian Rescue (date of release: October 5) revolves around the daredevilry of mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill (Kumar). Gill had rescued 64 miners trapped during the Raniganj Coalfields collapse in 1989.  If Desai treats the subject well, TGIR can be a good and popular film, a verdict of the kind Kumar would like.

NEAR-CERTAIN BLOCKBUSTERS

Describing any film as a tent-pole film is becoming riskier by the day. However, no industry observer will be surprised if Atlee’s action thriller Jawan (date of release: September 7) becomes a bigger success story than Pathaan. Another near-certain blockbuster is Maneesh Sharma’s action thriller Tiger 3 (date of release: November 10), the third film in the Tiger franchise and the fifth film in the YRF Spy Universe. The first two films in the Tiger franchise, Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Ali Abbas Zafar’s Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) were huge successes. Salman Khan would have liked a couple of great results at the box office before the release of Tiger 3, but he and his fans also know that the film has already generated enormous excitement and curiosity. A great start, in other words, is a guarantee, with the strong likelihood of one more success for the money-minting franchise.

CAN AYUSHMANN MAKE A COMEBACK?

Ayushmann Khurrana’s off-screen appeal in urban centres is undeniable, but he has not had a great time at the box office lately. Abhishek Kapoor’s romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), was a commercial disappointment. Anubhav Sinha’s action thriller Anek (2022) bombed. Anubhuti Kashyap’s medical drama Doctor G (2022) managed modest returns. Anirudh Iyer’s action drama An Action Hero (2022) crashed.

Can Khurrana produce a big hit with Raaj Shaandilyaa’s upcoming comedy-drama Dream Girl 2 (date of release: August 25), the spiritual sequel to Shaandilya’s Dream Girl (2019)?  Dream Girl, a laugh riot with an in-form Khurrana at the centre of the plot, was a big success. Will history repeat itself?

NEW RELEASES OF SUNNY AND RANVEER

Karan Johar’s romantic family drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (date of release: July 28) is a crucial film for its male lead Ranveer Singh, who needs a hit soon. Anil Sharma’s action drama Gadar 2 (date of release: August 11), the sequel to the much-loved blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), features the reunion of Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel after 22 years. The response to Gadar 2’s trailer has been positive. While how the masses react to the film may not be a turning point in the careers of its leads, memories of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha might propel it to success — and impact the box-office score of OMG 2 that is releasing on the same day.

AND, HOPEFUL OTHERS…

Tiger Shroff can score perfect tens as a dancer and in action sequences. His screen presence and gifts were ridiculously misutilised in Heropanti 2 (2022), an Ahmed Khan directorial and the sequel to the commercially successful Heropanti (2014) helmed by Sabbir Khan. After Heropanti 2’s failure, Shroff’s next film is Vikas Bahl’s action drama Ganapath: Part 1 (date of release: October 20), which must justify its reported budget of Rs 150 crore with a solid performance at the box office.

In the list of Kangana Ranaut’s recent failures is Panga (2020), a much-acclaimed sports drama helmed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari that failed to draw audiences. AL Vijay’s biographical drama Thalaivii (2021), in which she played the former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, was a box-office bomb. Razneesh Ghai’s action film Dhaakad (2022) found few viewers. Ranaut’s upcoming release is Emergency, a self-directed and written political drama in which she is playing the former prime minister Indira Gandhi. A film on the Emergency is a great idea, but it will be interesting to observe how Ranaut has shown the 21-month phase between June 25, 1975, and March 21, 1977, a dark period of modern Indian history.

Having played Vijay Deverakonda’s love interest in Puri Jagannadh’s sports drama Liger – Saala Crossbreed (2022), a hyped disaster, Dream Girl 2’s female lead Ananya Panday will be a beneficiary if the film succeeds. Because of Khurrana’s recent lack of success, it might not be able to attract the desired number of viewers in the initial days. But, if the treatment, idea, and performances are appreciated, it can work for sure.

After the failure of Rohit Dhawan’s action drama Shehzada and a rather ordinary performance in Om Raut’s mythological Adipurush, both 2023 releases, the prolific Kriti Sanon needs a meaty role — and success — with Ganapath: Part I.

A lot is in store in the coming months. Let us see if Bollywood can deliver some blockbusters, spring a few surprises and regain its ability to attract viewers more frequently — once more.

The author, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Among his books are ‘MSD: The Man, The Leader’, the bestselling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, and the ‘Hall of Fame’ series of film star biographies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.