December 18 is just round the corner and movie buffs are eagerly awaiting two of the biggest films of this year to be released on that day — Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani. The big clash that will definitely happen when both these films release on the same day is leaving a lot of people anxious of the result at the box office. Will it be Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale, starring SRK and Kajol, or Sanjay leela Bhansali’s historic saga Bajirao Mastani, with Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles, which will attract the masses and earn the maximum revenueIJ
Deepika Padukone does not feel that the clash is really a clash. At a promotional event in Delhi, she said that she is well aware of the kind of films Rohit Shetty makes, having worked on his last project. But Bajirao... is a different genre and both will attract viewers. Instead she is excited that we’ll get to watch the best from Bollywood marking a great closure of 2015.
According to industry insiders, Bajirao Mastani has an edge over Dilwale in northern UP. However, this has nothing to do with mass appeal or content of the film. Film exhibitor and distributor Brijesh Tandon says: “Bajirao... is being released by Eros, which had booked the single screens across UP back when they signed the deal for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. So basically, Dilwale doesn’t have any single screens there. Ranveer Singh’s popularity in those areas could also contribute to a great deal of revenue.”
It is evident that the collision of two films made on such huge budgets will definitely result in loss of revenue for both, regardless of the appeal and star power that each of them carries. This is not the first time that two big films are releasing on the same date. In fact, clashes with SRK movies have happened many times and the results show that his films end up making more profit than the other. Some examples which come to mind are Mohabbatein vs Mission Kashmir; Veer Zara vs Aitraaz; Om Shanti Om vs Saawariya, Chennai Express vs Once Upon A Time In Mumbai 2; and the much publicised public clash that even reached the authorities, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (JTHJ) vs Son Of Sardar (SOS). In the last of these cases, after a huge hue and cry, SOS finally pushed its release date to a week later. But analysts say that it was not that far behind JTHJ in its earnings.
In places where both Bajirao... and Dilwale is being screened, the inclination will probably be more towards the latter. Suleman Mobhani, co-founder and director of BollywoodHungama.com, says, “Dilwale will definitely be the first choice of cinegoer’s as the combination of SRK, Rohit Shetty and Red Chillies has a good recall value from the entertainment perspective. However Sanjay leela Bhansali’s magnum opus vision and grandeur makes Bajirao Mastani a healthy competitor, even if competition may be uneven.”
It is a common enough fact that Rohit Shetty’s films as well as those starring SRK-Kajol are meant for the larger masses with tons of action, comedy and romance. Bhansali’s films are almost a different genre, made on an equally large scale but with subjects that are not entirely for the masses. However, given the latter’s stellar star cast, no one can actually predict how things will turn out after the release.
But there is one thing that one can predict. The real clash will be limited to the first weekend. As it happens with any other film, it is the content that will rule after the initial word-of-mouth gets out. RK Mehrotra, general manager of Delite Cinemas, says: “It is only good content that works ultimately. Both films are huge and they are coming around Christmas holidays. It is not as if either one has more mass appeal than the other because both kinds of films have their own fan following.”