'Magnanimous' Akshay Kumar leaves the field for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat
8:30 AM
The actor pushes his Pad Man to February 9, saying Padmaavat needs the Republic Day weekend more, Sanjay Leela Bhansali responds that he will be indebted to him for a lifetime
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 20, 2018)
On Friday, Akshay Kumar took everyone by surprise by announcing that he was taking his home production, Pad Man, forward to February 9, leaving the Republic Day weekend clear for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama, Padmaavat, that has been mired in controversy since missing out its December 1 date with the box-office. Now, Pad Man will come up against Neeraj Pandey’s, Sidharth Malhotra-Manoj Bajpayee’s thriller, Aiyaary and the Luv Ranjan’s romcom Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.
The actor-producer reasoned that the clash was pointless and magnanimously declared, “I can completely understand that his need is more for this date than mine so I will just go ahead. I am grateful to my studio Sony and KriArj for accepting the whole thing because unke bhi paise lage hue hain.”
He was quick to add however that both films could have come on the same day with 4500 to 5000 theatres offering more than enough screens to the duo but, he reiterated, at the moment, the stakes were higher for Padmaavat. Describing Bhansali as a “very personal, dear friend of mine”, Akshay informed, “he asked it and I went for it”. When asked why SLB shouldn’t move his release date, Akshay quipped, “It’s very essential for them to release it as quickly as possible.”
Bhansali’s reaction to his friend’s largess was an uncharacteristically humble, “I will be grateful to him for a lifetime for what he has done.” Adding that the film industry, the world as a whole, will understand that this is the way to stand by each other, respect each other, he asserted, “The fraternity will be proud of what Akshay has done today because it is a gesture which I think would otherwise seem quite impossible in this industry.”
Reacting to the sudden change in plan, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, “It’s a compliment to Padmaavat that Pad Man is avoiding competition. The film is special to Akshay so they want to avoid any kind of risk. They don’t want the film’s message to be drowned in the Padmaavat controversy. It’s a bold but wise move in the current circumstances. This is the way clashes can be avoided. Akshay is a big star and if he can be gracious to see the writing on the wall, why can’t Shah Rukh (Khan) or anyone else shift?”
Komal Nahta, another trade analyst, echoed Mehra’s views, lauding it as an “intelligent decision” given that the hugely anticipated Padmaavat is a bigger film after all the controversy. “Any which way, it will get more theatres and more shows as well as a bigger audience at least initially. This does not mean Pad Man will not work but between the two, Padmaavat will become the first choice. There will be people saying Pad Man darr gaya, but that’s not the case. It’s about being practical and thinking about not just the films but the industry as a whole,” he argued, adding that after both films announced that they were coming together, there was a lot of heartburn among the exhibitors who have not had a great year in 2017 and were hoping these two big films would come in separate weeks. “Everyone is thrilled now, Akshay and R Balki have taken a decision in the larger interest of the industry.”
Manoj Desai, the owner of Gaiety and Galaxy while surprised by Akshay’s move is happy that Bhansali will benefit from the change of date. “I will give Padmaavat both my theatres,” he beams.
Murli Chhatwani, an all-India distributor, agrees that by avoiding the clash, both films will benefit individually because the audience won’t be confused and there’s more scope to recover money. “But Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Aiyaary which are coming up may now have to look at shifting dates, which will create confusion and suffer losses because of their decision. It’s becoming a trend for producers to decide among themselves and settle issues without ego hassles, which is great,” he exults.
Akshaye Rathi, a Central India exhibitor, compliments Akshay for being an astute businessman who has given Padmaavat the release it deserves, after the testing times it has been through, making it the movie of the week. “All the exhibitors had sorted out the screens, show timings and bookings. Now we will have to start working from scratch again,” he sighs.
But P V Sunil of the Carnival chain of cinemas reveals that they had been in a dilemma over distribution of screens as both were equally important and Carnival was distributing both Pad Man and Padmaavat in Singapore. “Now we can give both the best screens and expect double revenue,” he smiles.
------------------------------
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 20, 2018)
At a time when most filmmakers refuse to budge from their release date — box- office clashes and the impending losses be damned — Akshay Kumar showed that there can be place for empathy instead of ego. In a press conference that saw both Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali in attendance, the actor announced that he was postponing the release of Pad Man to avert locking horns with Padmaavat. While the Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor-starrer will release on January 25 as scheduled, Pad Man will now clash with Aiyaary and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety on February 9.
Kumar revealed that Bhansali met him last morning and requested him to bow out of the race. Explaining his reason behind the change in date, Kumar said that the filmmaker has “much more at stake” than him. “Our films can release on the same day and the business would be great, but there is no point clashing. They have already gone through a lot. I can completely understand that his need for this date is more than mine. So, I can wait,” said Kumar.
Bhansali, who has backed Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore (2012) and Gabbar Is Back (2015) in the past, expressed his gratitude to the actor. “As soon as I requested him to postpone his film, he told me that he was completely with me. I will be grateful to him for a lifetime, for what he has done today. The fraternity will be proud of what Akshay has done.”
The trade industry too welcomed the move. Terming Kumar’s call a “mature decision”, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, “Akshay has not let his ego come in the way and has allowed Padmaavat to have a clear release. This is a healthy sign.”
Mehra added that Pad Man’s release on the second Friday of February wouldn’t necessarily affect the collections of Sidharth Malhotra’s Aiyaary. “People like to watch content-driven films and both of them boast of solid story. But with these two films coming in, Sonu Ke Tittu Ki Sweety doesn’t stand a chance.”
Trade expert Komal Nahta reiterated that the makers of the Kartik Aaryan film should reconsider their release date. “I am sure they will look for another date now. As far as Pad Man getting postponed is concerned, I think it’s an intelligent business decision.”
On Friday, Akshay Kumar took everyone by surprise by announcing that he was taking his home production, Pad Man, forward to February 9, leaving the Republic Day weekend clear for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama, Padmaavat, that has been mired in controversy since missing out its December 1 date with the box-office. Now, Pad Man will come up against Neeraj Pandey’s, Sidharth Malhotra-Manoj Bajpayee’s thriller, Aiyaary and the Luv Ranjan’s romcom Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.
The actor-producer reasoned that the clash was pointless and magnanimously declared, “I can completely understand that his need is more for this date than mine so I will just go ahead. I am grateful to my studio Sony and KriArj for accepting the whole thing because unke bhi paise lage hue hain.”
He was quick to add however that both films could have come on the same day with 4500 to 5000 theatres offering more than enough screens to the duo but, he reiterated, at the moment, the stakes were higher for Padmaavat. Describing Bhansali as a “very personal, dear friend of mine”, Akshay informed, “he asked it and I went for it”. When asked why SLB shouldn’t move his release date, Akshay quipped, “It’s very essential for them to release it as quickly as possible.”
Bhansali’s reaction to his friend’s largess was an uncharacteristically humble, “I will be grateful to him for a lifetime for what he has done.” Adding that the film industry, the world as a whole, will understand that this is the way to stand by each other, respect each other, he asserted, “The fraternity will be proud of what Akshay has done today because it is a gesture which I think would otherwise seem quite impossible in this industry.”
Reacting to the sudden change in plan, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, “It’s a compliment to Padmaavat that Pad Man is avoiding competition. The film is special to Akshay so they want to avoid any kind of risk. They don’t want the film’s message to be drowned in the Padmaavat controversy. It’s a bold but wise move in the current circumstances. This is the way clashes can be avoided. Akshay is a big star and if he can be gracious to see the writing on the wall, why can’t Shah Rukh (Khan) or anyone else shift?”
Komal Nahta, another trade analyst, echoed Mehra’s views, lauding it as an “intelligent decision” given that the hugely anticipated Padmaavat is a bigger film after all the controversy. “Any which way, it will get more theatres and more shows as well as a bigger audience at least initially. This does not mean Pad Man will not work but between the two, Padmaavat will become the first choice. There will be people saying Pad Man darr gaya, but that’s not the case. It’s about being practical and thinking about not just the films but the industry as a whole,” he argued, adding that after both films announced that they were coming together, there was a lot of heartburn among the exhibitors who have not had a great year in 2017 and were hoping these two big films would come in separate weeks. “Everyone is thrilled now, Akshay and R Balki have taken a decision in the larger interest of the industry.”
Manoj Desai, the owner of Gaiety and Galaxy while surprised by Akshay’s move is happy that Bhansali will benefit from the change of date. “I will give Padmaavat both my theatres,” he beams.
Murli Chhatwani, an all-India distributor, agrees that by avoiding the clash, both films will benefit individually because the audience won’t be confused and there’s more scope to recover money. “But Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Aiyaary which are coming up may now have to look at shifting dates, which will create confusion and suffer losses because of their decision. It’s becoming a trend for producers to decide among themselves and settle issues without ego hassles, which is great,” he exults.
Akshaye Rathi, a Central India exhibitor, compliments Akshay for being an astute businessman who has given Padmaavat the release it deserves, after the testing times it has been through, making it the movie of the week. “All the exhibitors had sorted out the screens, show timings and bookings. Now we will have to start working from scratch again,” he sighs.
But P V Sunil of the Carnival chain of cinemas reveals that they had been in a dilemma over distribution of screens as both were equally important and Carnival was distributing both Pad Man and Padmaavat in Singapore. “Now we can give both the best screens and expect double revenue,” he smiles.
------------------------------
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 20, 2018)
At a time when most filmmakers refuse to budge from their release date — box- office clashes and the impending losses be damned — Akshay Kumar showed that there can be place for empathy instead of ego. In a press conference that saw both Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali in attendance, the actor announced that he was postponing the release of Pad Man to avert locking horns with Padmaavat. While the Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor-starrer will release on January 25 as scheduled, Pad Man will now clash with Aiyaary and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety on February 9.
Kumar revealed that Bhansali met him last morning and requested him to bow out of the race. Explaining his reason behind the change in date, Kumar said that the filmmaker has “much more at stake” than him. “Our films can release on the same day and the business would be great, but there is no point clashing. They have already gone through a lot. I can completely understand that his need for this date is more than mine. So, I can wait,” said Kumar.
Bhansali, who has backed Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore (2012) and Gabbar Is Back (2015) in the past, expressed his gratitude to the actor. “As soon as I requested him to postpone his film, he told me that he was completely with me. I will be grateful to him for a lifetime, for what he has done today. The fraternity will be proud of what Akshay has done.”
The trade industry too welcomed the move. Terming Kumar’s call a “mature decision”, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, “Akshay has not let his ego come in the way and has allowed Padmaavat to have a clear release. This is a healthy sign.”
Mehra added that Pad Man’s release on the second Friday of February wouldn’t necessarily affect the collections of Sidharth Malhotra’s Aiyaary. “People like to watch content-driven films and both of them boast of solid story. But with these two films coming in, Sonu Ke Tittu Ki Sweety doesn’t stand a chance.”
Trade expert Komal Nahta reiterated that the makers of the Kartik Aaryan film should reconsider their release date. “I am sure they will look for another date now. As far as Pad Man getting postponed is concerned, I think it’s an intelligent business decision.”
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