Barely a few days after the tragic November 2008 bomb blasts that held Mumbai hostage, Shah Rukh Khan’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi released. The film successfully managed to get people out of their homes to congregate in public spaces, which at the time were the least preferred destination for most. At the end of its theatrical run, the film — made on a budget of Rs. 22 crore — amassed a staggering Rs. 84.68 crore net at the box office (according to boxofficeindia.com). The success was credited to Khan and his star power’s hold over the country. Another film, released around the same time, didn’t do so well. “ Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye ! got outstanding reviews, but people didn’t go see the film in theatres,” says Vajir Singh, editor at Box Office India .
Eight years later, it seems Khan has managed a similar feat with Dear Zindagi . Thankfully, the threat of terror is not looming over the country this time, but the recent demonetisation has led to a critical cash crunch. It’s severely affected the way people spend their money and cinema figures far, far down the priority list. Since its release, Gauri Shinde’s sophomore effort has earned Rs. 44.7 crore net domestic (Ormax Media) on its sixth day, surpassing her debut English Vinglish (2012), which made approximately Rs. 40 crore (boxofficeindia.com) in its entire lifetime in cinema halls.
So far, Dear Zindagi ’s run has been hailed as fulfilling by all. Some experts have praised Bhatt’s extraordinary performance, others attribute the success to Shinde’s story. And yet, there are those who insist it’s all because of Khan. Perhaps it’s a combination of all these factors, but there’s no denying the fact that a strategically planned release has really helped matters. The film has seen a limited release in 800 locations across 1,250 screens nationwide. “I know for a fact that the film didn’t release in Hyderabad, where SRK has a tremendous market, for a simple reason that it wouldn’t work there,” says Amul Mohan, trade expert and editor-in-chief of Super Cinema . “The collections would have dipped.” Closer home in Mumbai, the strategy continued with no shows screened at any Bandra cinema. Instead, [the producers] added shows in Juhu and Andheri, says Mohan, adding that the film capitalised on the fact that the exclusivity helped increase the buzz. “They wanted the film to work in all the 800 places it released, and so the team worked backwards [to ensure that],” says Mohan.
Of course, there would be no point in releasing the niche film in single-screen, non-urban areas where ticket transactions are cash heavy. “The film was essentially released only in multiplexes, so it (Rs. 44.7 crore) is a fairly decent number,” says Shailesh Kapoor, founder and CEO, Ormax Media Pvt. Ltd, a firm specialising in trade insights.
Plus, box office trackers will also have to see how Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, which releases this Friday, will affect Dear Zindagi’s figures. After all, the Vidya Balan-starrer is a also non-commercial effort that will resonate with urban audiences.
“To see whether [ Dear Zindagi ] is a complete success, we will have to wait for the next two weeks,” says Kapoor, who thinks that Rs. 30 crore (net domestic) over the weekend is a good opening, but it’s clearly not a Dilwale (2015) or a Chennai Express (2013) in terms of a big SRK film. “ Fan (2016) opened at Rs. 18 or 19 crore and didn’t reach Rs. 100 crore,” says Kapoor. “If Dear … does as much — between Rs. 70 to 75 crore — then it will be a bigger success.”
Trade analyst Amod Mehra, too, thinks it’s a tad early to declare the film a hit. “Based on the budget, the earnings have been satisfying, but not mindblowing. SRK films are supposed to do this, and it’s a happy situation for everybody, but there’s a long way to go for the film.” Mehra continues that Shinde’s feature has zero repeat value owing to a lack of a romantic angle and low entertainment quotient.
Whether or not the film has been declared a success, Dear Zindagi has strategically catered to urban multiplexes to ensure sure-fire ticket sales After all, where else would cashless transactions be as effective? It has ensured that the Bhatt-SRK starrer has avoided the demonetisation hullabaloo. “The impact has been smaller: not more than 10 to 20 per cent for Dear Zindagi ,” concludes Kapoor setting the record straight.
