The trade is sure it won’t, puts its money on Sultan continuing golden run in Hindi-speaking areas
Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 22, 2016)

Can Rajinikanth’s Kabali finally break Salman Khan’s Sultan spell at the box-office?’ It’s not a million-dollar question, for sure, say trade experts. Not in the Hindi-speaking states at least.

A top-ranking executive from a multiplex chain feels there isn’t much for Sultan to feel threatened by. “Traditionally, Rajinikanth’s films have never done well in their dubbed Hindi versions. Even Shankar’s Robot was only a moderate success in Hindi. It’s doubtful that Kabali would make any dent in the collections of Sultan.”

Apparently, Fox Star India, who are distributing the dubbed Hindi version of Kabali have paid a mere Rs15 crores for the rights.

Says a source in the know, “The producers of Kabali asked Fox Star for a figure close to Rs30 crores for the Hindi rights. Fox Star argued that Rajini doesn’t really sell that well in Hindi and paid Rs 15 crores. The film is not getting a very wide release in Hindi.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan feels,“By the time Kabali arrives (this Friday), Sultan will attain the maximum sales of its lifetime. Rajini Sir has a huge following down South. But Hindi audiences would love to see him in sci-fi films like Robot. The hype surrounding Kabali is great, but not comparable to Robot. But still, the film is likely to score well in the Hindi belt. It will all depend on how the product is. But trust me, the business down South will be crazy and unheard of; and overseas as well.”