After Ronnie Screwvala opens a dialogue about inflated box-office figures, trade gurus put the onus on producers; assert the need for 'transparency'
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 31, 2019)

In recent years, box-office collection has become the barometer of a film's success. No sooner does a big-ticket project hit screens than the conversation steers towards its opening weekend collection and whether it will find a place in the Rs 100-crore club. On Tuesday, filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala criticised trade analysts for sharing inflated figures, thus sparking a debate on Bollywood's obsession with box-office records.

Trade expert Amod Mehra acknowledges that the practice of inflating collections isn't new. "Everyone is in the race to prove that they have the highest collection on a particular day as this justifies the actor's remuneration and builds his credibility. But it's high time that we have a central agency that records the exact collection," says Mehra.

He cites the example of Housefull 4 that reportedly earned Rs 24 crore on Tuesday, thus taking the five-day tally to approximately Rs 111 crore. "According to my source, the first day collection of Housefull 4 was in the range of Rs 13-14 crore whereas the official figure given out was Rs 19 crore. There was also a difference of Rs 6 crore between my estimate and the official number given out for the fourth day [Monday] collections. So, the question of who is right and who is wrong arises."

When mid-day reached out to Taran Adarsh, the trade analyst emphasised the need for "transparency". "I wouldn't like to comment on Ronnie's tweet, nor would I like to point a finger at anyone, but there has to be transparency. It is important for the four wheels of the industry — producers, distributors, exhibitors and actors — to have access to the correct numbers. The question arises whether makers are bold enough to admit when a film fails."