WILL MUBARAKAN END THE SPELL OF FLOP FILMS?
The second half of the year hasn’t started on a good note. All major releases have flopped. Mom sustained well but due to high costs, it will be hailed as a Flop or at best, Below Average grosser. Jagga Jasoos, too, was quite costly and moreover, the word of mouth was never positive. A lot was expected from Munna Michael, but even this dance action musical didn’t impress the audiences. The only saving grace was Lipstick Under My Burkha, that is doing better on weekdays than Friday. But sadly, it’s a niche film and not expected to cross 20 or 25 crore lifetime. Now the final week of July has 3 major releases and it remains to be seen how they fare. My analysis:
MUBARAKAN: It is directed by popular director of comedy films, Anees Bazmee. It stars Arjun Kapoor in a double role and also joining him is his chachu Anil Kapoor, Ileana DCruz and Athiya Shetty. The film looks grand and centered around families and weddings. Also, it looks like a clean entertainer. Such films can work big time and hence, in that regard, Mubarakan has a huge chance. Sadly, the trailers haven’t been exciting. Hawa Hawa is the only song that has worked but hasn’t become a chartbuster. Also, as seen since last few years, comedy films are having a tough time to sustain. They open well but after viewers learn that there’s nothing exciting or new, these films tend to fall. It happened last year with Housefull 3, which barely crossed the lifetime of Housefull 2. Even Welcome Back, sequel to Welcome and directed by Anees himself, didn’t sustain despite a huge weekend. The costs of Mubarakan are too high and it has to have a bumper opening and do well in the days to come. Or else, it might prove detrimental to its prospects.
INDU SARKAR: It is inspired from the 1975 Emergency and is directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. Kirti Kulhari plays the lead while Neil Nitin Mukesh supposedly plays Sanjay Gandhi. Anupam Kher and Tota Roy Chowdhury also feature in pivotal roles. The trailer was highly impactful especially since Madhur’s last film Calendar Girls had tanked badly and was a bad product. The film got into controversies when Congress protested that this film shows a wrong version of history. They prevented Madhur and his team from promoting it at Pune and Nagpur. On the other hand, the Censor Board asked Madhur to remove references to leaders at that point. Ultimately, the film was passed, with few cuts. Despite the great trailers and controversies, Indu Sarkar carries very little buzz. The budget, as per reports, is controlled, but even to break even, it has to open on an average note. Even that won’t be easy. But if reports are positive, the film can grow.
RAAG DESH: It is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and is based on the significant INA trials that happened just before Independence. It is a rare film that’s produced by Rajya Sabha TV and no wonder that the makers got access to shoot at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor and Mohit Marwah play leading roles. The trailer seems interesting and the trial scenes can make for a nice watch. But it is unlikely that most of the viewers would be interested to see it in theatres. Raag Desh is all set for one of the worst openings of the year.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ANY OF THESE FILMS AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!