His films, including directorial debut Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012), Kapoor & Sons (2016) and now Gehraiyaan, have all had one thing in common — they revolve around family. And director Shakun Batra explains why the subject is close to his heart: “Family equation — the internal dynamics between people — provide a great fodder for storytelling. There’s always a past history. When you make stories about people who have recently met, there is no history. I’ve always enjoyed characters that share a common past, as it makes for interesting viewing.”

Starring actors Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, the film was anticipated to release on the big screen. But, the makers decided to go ahead with an OTT release for the project. “I grew up on films I absolutely loved and admired, which made me want to become a filmmaker. I watched all of them on TV, DVDs or laptop. I feel a good story will always connect, regardless of how and where you watch it,” says the 39-year-old.

And the pandemic played a role in this decision, too. “Given the current Coronavirus situation, people need to be safe. I didn’t want to keep holding this film for long. It was ready and I felt the need to put it out. I always set out to make this film for a mature audience, and it’s already there on OTT platforms,” says Batra.

Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 12, 2020)

Since his debut with Ishaqzaade in 2012, actor Arjun Kapoor is set to complete eight years in Bollywood this year. And evidently, it has been one roller-coaster ride — professionally and personally. The actor readily admits that “a lot has transpired in the last seven to eight years”.

“I think I have changed. Even my outlook (towards life) has changed. I have seen quite a few things in these seven to eight years. Now, I think I can easily write a book on these experiences, which were quite a roller coaster (ride). The priorities as well as the understanding of life have changed. Now, the blacks and whites have become greys,” says the 34-year-old.

The 2 States (2014) actor quips that initially, “life was all about work” but “now, it’s a bit more about finding the balance”. He says, “Earlier, it was all about doing what you wanted. But now you have to look at the bigger picture. All said and done, I’d like to say the core values remain the same.”

However, that doesn’t mean Kapoor dislikes change. After delving into the historical space with Panipat last year, he is now poised to enter a “lighter” world, thanks to Nikkhil Advani-Kaashvie Nair’s yet-untitled next. “Kaashvie is my first female director and I am very excited. It is a nice, full-on happy family comedy,” says the actor, who will be playing a Sikh character again, after Mubarakan (2017).

“But the film, on its own, is not in the Mubarakan space of comedy. This is more like a slice-of-life drama, which is in a very feel-good, warm space, akin to something like Kapoor & Sons (2016) and Badhaai Ho (2018). I play a sardar who comes back home from America, and (the plot revolves around) what all happens,” he says.

Also, Kapoor is set to work on the Hindi adaptation of the Tamil film Comali (2019). “Yes, that is something we have acquired and are working on. But it’s still getting written as of now. When we get closer to making it, we will figure who the director will be. There are no concrete dates yet,” says the actor, who also has Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar coming up for release.

Times are changing and more and more novel and unconventional topics are being tackled in our films. But homosexuality is one such subject where we have slightly lagged behind. Here, we are not talking about caricature gay characters inserted in films for cheap laughs but realistic depiction of such people. Interestingly, Hollywood and many of our web series too are based on this idea. Even regional films on homosexuality have thrived. However, a handful of Hindi films have had protagonists playing gays.

So what’s stopping Bollywood for getting into it full throttle like its contemporaries? The biggest problem is that despite Supreme Court decriminalizing homosexuality and increase in awareness, it’s something that still remains a taboo. And films made on taboo topics can be detrimental. Akshay Kumar’s film on sanitation, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, worked very well as this was a still a topic that can be discussed. But when he attempted to spread awareness about sanitary pads in Pad Man, the desired result was not achieved. Toilet – Ek Prem Katha earned Rs. 132.07 crore while Pad Man, despite having better word of mouth, could reach only till Rs. 78.22 crore.

Shockingly, none of the LGBT film of Bollywood has even seen a commercial success. Fire was the first such film in this genre. However, it was met with violent protests due to which the film was withdrawn. Sometime later, it was re-released after the Censor Board imposed cuts. Though it ran without any problem, the earnings were paltry.

Then, Split Wide Open, Rahul Bose-starrer, came next in this genre. But it was so niche that it went unnoticed. Karan Razdan’s 2004 flick, Girlfriend, was a story of an obsessive lesbian. It had immediately come after Murder, which popularized the idea of films with intimate scenes. It had loads of steamy and sleazy scenes and hence, it didn’t do much for the LGBT movement. And it was an average grosser at the ticket window.

Many other films then came up but were mostly small-budget. My Brother Nikhil, Onir’s first directorial, came all of a sudden, and as expected sank without a trace. Margarita With A Straw got a bit noticed but didn’t have any commercial trappings. Same happened with Aligarh. Angry Indian Goddesses was a fine piece of cinema and had an unexpected lesbian angle but viewers couldn’t give it a chance because of its very elite feel. Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyun, meanwhile, is considered to be a success story, and even has a sequel. But those who have seen it call it shoddy piece of cinema. And in cinemas, it was a big time disaster.

Karan Johar made two films and both have done a lot to make homosexuality mainstream. His 2008 flick Dostana was an average grosser and many even criticized for being cheap. However, homosexuals call this film a blessing as it at least ignited the conversation. During 10th anniversary of Dostana, prominent LGBTQ rights activist Harrish Iyer had told this writer, “Dostana broke the taboo. It was a landmark film as it mainstreamed the issue. It brought the conversation to the dining table. Dostana almost became a word for gays. People would say ‘Yeh log dono Dostana karte hai’ instead of saying ‘Yeh dono gay hai’!” He futher adds, “Karan Johar has done a lot of service to the homosexual community by bringing the conversation out from the closet into the open.” 8 years later, Karan Johar produced Kapoor & Sons. This was a hit film but homosexuality formed a very small part of the flick.

Last year, a lot of expectations were rested on Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. It featured a mainstream actor like Sonam K Ahuja in the role of a lesbian. What’s more, her real life father Anil Kapoor played the part of her dad, and there was also Rajkummar Rao and two popular songs too add to the impact. Sadly, the film received mixed response. On top of that, the taboo topic obviously and also the serious nature of the film kept audiences away.

But now, we have a film that can finally emerge as the first box office success in this space - Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. It stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar as the lovers with Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Manu Rishi Chadha and Maanvi Gagroo playing supporting parts. The trailer was unveiled few days back and has been loved for its clever writing and the feel good mood of the film. What’s great is that someone like Ayushmann Khurrana has backed it and that too at this stage of his career. Right now, he’s on a roll and how. He has had 6 back-to-back hits, and it all started with the first part of this film, called Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, which was based on performance anxiety. Ayushmann is known to take up such topics in his films like sperm donation, late pregnancy etc in his films and these movies are family entertainers, without too many embarrassing moments for the traditional audiences.

Due to these reasons, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has a very high chance of becoming a hit at the box office. The costs also seem limited and even if it does a business of around Rs. 55-60 crore, it’ll be in the safe zone. One might argue that a value of a film should not be judged by the amount of money it makes. After all, films like My Brother Nikhil, Fire etc also have been significant films of this movement, notwithstanding their box office outcome. But when a film on gays becomes a hit and gets whole-hearted acceptance, it’ll encourage more and more producers and even mainstream actors to back such projects. And this, in turn, will serve the larger cause and bring social acceptance to LGBT in a small but significant way. Hence, here’s hoping that Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan turns out to be a great fare and that it gets the success it deserves!

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; January 2, 2019)

They say that the handsome never go hungry. Sidharth Malhotra has had a tough time at the movies, but he’s kept his chin up and has taken life lessons from the experiences of working in movies like Ittefaq (2017) and Aiyaary (2018). In a heart-to-heart with BT, the young actor talks about dealing with life’s curve balls, his struggling days as a newcomer and how he has tried not to fall into the trappings of the industry. Excerpts...

You were a rank outsider in Bollywood when you made your debut with Student of the Year (2012). Since then, you have been seen in nine films. Looking back, what is your understanding of the film industry? Tell us about some of your learnings and revelations.
I have learned more from the films that didn’t go my way. The ones which didn’t work helped me understand that what works at the script level might not necessarily work on screen. With experience, I have also been able to understand what kind of roles interest me. I like doing roles that challenge my craft. I have always mixed up the roles I have chosen — from playing aggressive characters in Ek Villain (2014) and Brothers (2015) to playing the boy-next-door in Kapoor & Sons (2016). There have been good films and bad films, but growing with each film has been an enriching experience. I have also learned a lot, having worked with a variety of filmmakers. I am still equally excited about every film I embark on, as I have never repeated my roles on screen and that is a tough thing to follow.

You have two big releases in 2019, these roles appealed to you because they made you come out of your comfort zone?
I am currently shooting for Marjavaan and have wrapped up the shoot of Jabariya Jodi. Both these films will see me in avatars that the audience has not seen me in before. In Jabariya Jodi, the audience will see me playing a rustic character for the first time. He is a Patna boy, who carries out pakadua vivaah (forced marriages). I was aware of forced marriages taking place in Bihar. I did my own research on the subject as well and came across a large number of such incidents that also happen in UP. Come to think of it, these are only the cases that were reported. When I heard the story, I was excited about it and took it to Ekta Kapoor (producer), she loved the concept and even added to the humour quotient of the film by bringing in some writers on board. When we narrated the script to Parineeti (Chopra), she loved it and quickly came on board. Marjavaan’s backdrop is the underbelly of Mumbai. It is an intense action film, which revolves around a love story. I haven’t done massy and masala films before, so this was a new experience.

You were supposed to start shooting for the Vikram Batra (Kargil War hero) biopic after Aiyaary. Has there been a change of plans?
Vikram Batra’s family approached me for the film two-and-a-half years back. They wanted to talk about their son and his story. According to them, there was a physical similarity between their son and me. He has a twin brother, who was also actively involved in the process. I met the family and was touched by the story. We didn’t have a bound script because there was a lot that we had to incorporate. He was heroic in his professional as well as his personal life. It took time for the script to be penned and also to rope in a director. South director Vishnuvardhan, who is helming the project, has a lot of experience in the action films genre. I also approached Karan Johar for the film; he bought in to the script and added his own inputs.

Actors, who enter the industry, want to certainly be known as good actors, but they also keenly look forward to their brush with stardom. What were your aspirations and how much of that have you been able to achieve?
I just wanted to get recognised so I could impress the ladies (laughs!). Honestly, the first exciting bit is to be a recognisable face. One hopes that people will watch your film, scream out your dialogues and dance to your songs. I have experienced all of that and I think I have been lucky. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of following a template of what actors have done in the past. One of the biggest challenges for me as a newcomer and as an outsider was to figure out how I could stand out.

You made your debut with a big banner, yet, as an outsider, it must have taken you a while to ease into this space. In this industry, often egos are big and relationships fragile. Did you have to be careful about what you said, or what you didn’t say to the filmi folks?
Yes, initially I was careful about what I said because people in the industry can get easily offended. In my early days, I felt that silence was my best friend, but today, I have spent enough time in the industry and have forged relationships with people. Our friends and colleagues keep changing every few months because we are working on different films, but sometimes you remain friends even after you have wrapped up the shoot of a film. The perception could be that I am quiet, but actually I put my point across to people when I think I need to and people get the message.

India’s Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality in a landmark judgement in 2018. In fact, your film Kapoor & Sons had one of the lead actors Fawad Khan play a gay character. Now, do you think more mainstream actors will be open to essaying such roles on screen?
Playing a gay or lesbian character on screen is a personal choice and we need good writers to portray characters with different shades. Shakun Batra was trying to make Kapoor & Sons for a year. Many actors were refusing the role, which was eventually played by Fawad. The fact that there was a character who was gay, overshadowed other aspects of the film, which spoke about a dysfunctional family. But that’s how close minded we are about a subject like this. I am aware of certain films being made on that topic in the industry with both male as well as female actors at the centre of it. I am keen to see how the audience responds to it.

The #MeToo movement was a watershed moment this year and led to many well-known names being named and shamed. How did you respond to it?
The #MeToo movement was important to set norms right. Taking advantage of somebody for work or in exchange of work is appalling. The movement has led to a clean-up and it will create a better space for women working in the industry. People will fear being defamed and also fear being in the limelight for the wrong reason. It will stop people from doing this. I am hoping that all the cases that have spoken about are genuine. The ones who have been accused will hopefully learn their lesson. The industry has taken a strong stand against perpetrators of the crime and that’s a welcome move.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; February 12, 2018)

It’s hard to ignore Karan Johar. When the filmmaker is not directing movies, he is producing films across various genres, judging a talent show on television, and doling out love advice on the radio. As he manages to sneak out some time from his frenetic schedule, we catch up with him at his plush office. Over the next half hour, Karan discusses how his definition of love has evolved in his films, breaking stereotypes on celluloid and making peace with people not taking him seriously anymore. Read on...

Very few filmmakers like Yash Chopra had their own language of love. You make love stories a certain way. Did you take after him?
I’m not too sure whether I have ever made a film with a certain thought. Eventually, the movies that you write are a reflection of your own emotions, thoughts and ideologies — whether in love or in any other aspect of life. When I penned Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was my directorial debut, it was more of an innocent take on a commercial cinema. I was adding all the elements — be it songs, comedy, emotions, manipulations as well as the scale and drama. At the same time, I was trying to be clever and saying things that I felt strongly about at that time, as an innocent bystander at 24. So, I was balancing the mainstream elements of films with my aesthetics and feelings. I believed in things like, ‘Ki hum ek baar jeete hain, ek hi baar marte hain aur pyaar ek hi baar hota hai, shaadi bhi ek hi baar hoti hai.’ Though within the movie, it’s contradictory (smiles). But it was just what I thought. The next story that I wrote was Kal Ho Naa Ho, but it was more about love, loss and living your life to the fullest. The third one was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM) which was again a one-sided love story. It’s about what everyone has been through in life. Even I have faced these bouts of unrequited love. I felt it was a relatable and heartfelt film as nobody had taken it as a topic right through. I don’t know if I’m trying to change the language of love but my cinema has certainly evolved as per my life.

Even the definition of love has changed over the years, vis-a-vis your movies...
(Cuts in) So, from innocence, it has gone into a proper evolution to cynical, which is Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) and now, it’s into like abandon.

Is it because your perspective on love, too, has changed over the years?
Yes, it has. And it will always reflect in my films. I went through deep innocence to ‘yaar, nahin hone wala kuch’ to cynicism. Then, it was ‘So what if I didn’t get my love? Let me celebrate the feeling I have,’ which is what ADHM was about.

Talking about KANK, it was a bold move on your part. Do you think it was way ahead of its times?
I don’t agree that films are way ahead of their times. They are just reflections of a filmmaker’s soul at that moment. Today, I don’t feel like I would have wanted to make it. I made it then and I was happy. Yes, people had diverse opinions on the films but who knows, maybe even today people won’t accept a movie like that. After all, it’s not that moralities have changed, just the time has.

Would you attempt at making something like that again given that the audience is accepting different films today?
Is it? Really? (Smiles) I don’t think so. I think we are still very deep-rooted and judgmental about most things. Don’t go by what you read on Twitter or what’s posted on social media about evolution and progression. Even today, we are an exceptionally traditional country and brush emotions under the carpet. We are rather hypocritical by nature when it comes to admitting our flaws. It also comes to a stereotypical version of a perfect household, no matter what the chinks in our armour or grey areas in our life are. I don’t think we’re still ready to accept infidelity, homosexuality, or even anything which we immediately get judgmental about.

The way homosexual characters have been portrayed in your films recently, like Kapoor & Sons (K&S) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, they aren’t caricatures anymore...
I think it’s an extremely bold move by our filmmakers to put it out there. I’m proud of Kapoor & Sons and how Shakun Batra handled the entire story. I think it was told beautifully. But anything in your face, which is extreme like I mentioned, is going to meet with a storm in our enormous teacup. Everyone’s running afraid of putting things out there. Because then they become ‘less commercial’. K&S was also understated for a reason because we were afraid that if it’s too in your face, then it would bother an audience, which I find, is quite unfortunate. I feel as a filmmaker, we must tell stories with abandon. It was liberating for me to direct the first Bombay Talkies short because I spoke about repression in a marriage and homosexuality.

Sometimes, you succumb to societal pressures, get married and end up ruining lives. It was an important story to address. Like the second omnibus film, which I’m making for Ronnie Screwvala, is called Love and Lust. Again for that, a bunch of filmmakers are helming different films on diverse issues. It’s liberating to make such movies in that format. But will one make a multi-star cast big-length feature film on any of these topics? I’m not sure if anybody is interested in it.

So many actors turned down Fawad Khan’s role in K&S. Do you believe it has to do with image?
Yes, I had offered Fawad’s part to six different actors and no one did it. No matter what reasons they gave, I felt they were afraid of playing a homosexual man on screen. Having said that, they had a reason and I didn’t judge them for it.

When an actor refuses a film, do you take it to heart?
No, because I think an actor is a creative entity. Whenever you go onto a film set, you need to have complete love for what you’re about to do. So, if you’re going to succumb to a film because of all the external pressure or strategies, it’s going to affect your performance. I’ve approached many actors a couple of times who have refused, but I would still go back to them if I feel the need. I never take it personally because it’s professional.

But today, you have created a brand of your own and everyone wants to work with you. What’s your first reaction when they decline your offer?
It’s disappointment but never anger. I never hold it against anybody. I think most lead actors in the country have said no to me at some point of time, but eventually, I’ve worked with all of them. When they refused a role, they just didn’t connect to the material at that point.

Everyone expects a certain kind of entertainment from you and your films. Does it bother you?
Absolutely! I think I’m a victim of perception and I pay the price for it as well. It’s unfortunate that just because I’m in your living space on a daily basis, I’m not taken as seriously as I should be and the fault is mine. I’m so accessible, affable and amiable that everybody thinks they can take me for granted — say and do what they want and I’m supposed to take it rightly because I’m this jolly fellow who is happily around. So what should I do? Distance myself from everyone, get stuck up in a room and pretend to be arrogant in order to be taken seriously? I can’t do that because that’s not who I am.

I don’t carry the Karan Johar tag with me anywhere I go. Because it’s not who I was raised to be. I was brought up to be someone who would be loving, accepting, affable and respectful of the environment. I cannot be this uppity filmmaker who just sits on his laurels. If I’m at 300 events in a year and on television, it’s because I like it.

Today, I judge a talent show, I host a talk show and give love advice on a radio show. I don’t mind it. So, are you going to take me less seriously as a filmmaker because I do all this? Then, that’s your problem. Am I going to get upset about it? I used to but now, I take it with a pinch of salt. I don’t get taken as seriously as Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Rajkumar Hirani because they’re intense filmmakers who just do their work and nothing else.

Is it also more about being too honest and unabashed?
No, I don’t think it’s about honesty. It’s about perception and I can play act perception. All I need to do is stop going out of my house for a year, living in my office, screaming about five times a month, going off social media and giving intense close-ups when the paparazzi arrives to click pictures of me in a driving car. Then, I’ll be taken seriously. But if I wear my Gucci jumpers, high heel shiny shoes, and I’m grabbing headlines on Twitter or on the newspaper every day, how will you take me seriously? I’m all over the place and don’t blame anyone for that.

Perhaps, sometimes I don’t take myself so seriously. But at some point, it pinches. I’m like, ‘S**t ya, I have done this. So, give me credit for it.’ But I won’t get it because my last name is Johar!

Purvaja Sawant (BOMBAY TIMES; July 7, 2017)

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; July 2, 2017)

After Fawad Khan’s role in Kapoor & Sons and Randeep Hooda’s in Bombay Talkies before that, it may seem like Bollywood has become more receptive to playing homosexuals on screen. However, director Onir staunchly disagrees that much has changed since he made My Brother... Nikhil in 2005. “These films are too few to even count. Bollywood still portrays the LGBT community in the same stereotypical way, and that’s disgusting. It’s so regressive,” says Onir who has no qualms about being open about his sexual preference, and has been fighting to remove the social stigma attached with the LGBT community.

The director, whose Shab with Raveena Tandon will soon release, admits that he went through the same wringer as the makers of Kapoor & Sons did to cast for the role of Rahul Kapoor in the film. Before Fawad was finalised, the part was turned down by as many as six A-listers, including Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, and Farhan Akhtar. “For Purab Kohli’s role in My Brother Nikhil, I had approached a few A-list stars who I don’t wish to name. They blatantly refused to play a gay character on screen. This has happened to me, too, so I know. There are very few actors who would be willing to portray such characters on screen. I have immense respect for them. But that again is a rare quality,” he signs off.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2017)

Films are often accused of teaching the wrong things to the impressionable minds in society. But we fail to realize that films teach some important lessons too. 2016 came up with some great films that left viewers with a lot and not just entertainment. Here’s the list of such films and the lessons from it:

Chalk N Duster: Remember Your Teachers
We pass out from school and then never look back at our teachers who educated us and played a very important role in our lives. Chalk N Duster tells us to not forget these people of the noble profession, especially when they are not getting deserving pay and their respect in the society is slightly dwindling.

Airlift: Never Give Up
Airlift’s Ranjit Katyal had an impossible task in hand – he had to get back 170,000 Indians from Kuwait, during Saddam Hussein’s invasion. How he tries every trick in the book assertively, insisting the officials, sometimes even smartly getting them to agree to him is something that’s not just entertaining but also enlightening.

Neerja: Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai
Fear Gave Her Courage: The tagline said it all. Head Purser Neerja Bhanot could have easily chickened out and done nothing as the hijackers’ wreaked havoc. But she refused to be a mute spectator. That doesn’t mean she fought with them. Rather, she took control as much as she can. She saved the American passengers by hiding their passports. And that’s not all. She also took the bold step of walking out of an abusive marriage

Kapoor & Sons: It's All About Understanding Your Children
There are lots of lessons in the film but the most important being that parents should understand where they are going wrong in treating the children, sometimes unintentionally. Ratna Pathak Shah’s quest to ensure that Fawad is a ‘perfect baccha’ turns out to be a sword dangling over his head. Sidharth Malhotra’s unsuccessful attempts in being a writer was also somewhere due to his mother’s action going wrong (for Sidharth but for Fawad, it worked). Even the children however falter and it’s neatly shown and balanced out. The million-dollar lesson of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Har family mein problem hai, par woh khushnaseeb hai jinki family hoti hai, suits the film very well.

Ki & Ka: Being A House Hubby Is No Big Deal
The man in the society is pressurized from the start to earn degrees and later, lots of money. After all, who’ll marry him is the argument put forward. But not all men are ambitious. Some simply doesn’t want to work and instead, want to be a homemaker. Ki & Ka tells that it’s completely all right to do so. At a time when gender equality is being practiced and gender roles are being reversed, Ki & Ka couldn’t have come at a better time

Fan: Being Crazily Obsessed With Your Star Is Not Love
The film might not have been loved but the lesson it says makes a lot of sense. There’s no harm in loving a celebrity, putting up his posters and sometimes, even fighting for him on social media. But being obsessed about him/her, stalking the celebrity, going all lengths to meet that person and worse of all, harming that celebrity when he/she doesn’t reciprocate is just not justified. You are not in love then, you need help

Nil Battey Sannata: Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
A maid’s daughter is not destined to be a maid. Through education, she can become anyone she wants. Nil Battey Sannata is a must for all those who don’t take schooling seriously and feel that it will not help, especially when you have a girl child. The manner in which the mother (Swara Bhaskar) in the film goes to so many lengths to get her daughter (Ria Shukla) pass in Class 10, including become a student herself, is quite heartening and motivating.

Sultan: It’s Never Too Late
When a man in his 40s with a paunch and burdened with guilt can transform himself and fight the world’s most ferocious fighters, what’s stopping you? Sultan Ali Khan gives it all to fight in the championship although he has a reason to do so. But he was passionate enough to give it his 100% and that too at a point where he didn’t really hope for a change. But that’s what life is – it changes for the better when you least expect it

Baar Baar Dekho: Family Is As Important As Work
The film was panned but it tells that one should not be totally consumed by work and ignore our loved ones. In fact, we should be grateful for our family. Jai (Sidharth Malhotra) learns the lesson when he time travels in the future. While he gets a chance to go back in time and correct things before they go wrong, in reality that doesn’t really happen. Hence, a work-life balance is very important and it should be done on an immediate basis

Pink: No Means No
Perhaps the most powerful lesson taught by a film in 2016! The girls in Pink are shown partying, going out late at night, wearing glamorous clothes, befriending men and even going to their hotel rooms. Yet, that doesn’t give a man the right to exploit them especially when they made it clear that they are not interested. Moreover, the prosecutor slyly tries to prove that the girls were offering sex for money. But the defence lawyer (Amitabh Bachchan) beautifully justifies that the woman can be anyone – a friend, girlfriend, wife, family member, colleague or even a sex worker – but if she says No, then it means No. In an industry which has been riddled with the idea that ‘A Girl Saying No Means Yes’, Pink comes and slams all such myths.

M S Dhoni - The Untold Story: Your Favourite Personality Doesn't Solely Deserve All The Credit
We appreciate our favourite sportsperson but don’t realize how many people rallied behind him/her to make him/her successful. M S Dhoni – The Untold Story is a homage to not just Dhoni but his friends, family and all others who realized his potential early on. Imagine if Bannerji sir would not have asked Dhoni to play cricket in school, would he have even realized his potential? Moreover, the manner in which Dhoni’s friends chip in money so that he can make it to Dum Dum airport is quite a touching scene. Another lesson to learn from Dhoni’s TC episode is – if you are not interested in your job, get out of it. Life is too short to be wasted on something you don’t like

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Dosti Mein Sukoon Hai
So what if the girl you love doesn’t reciprocate your feelings? Sometimes, you should not run away or declare that you can see her only as your girlfriend. There’s a possibility that you can be her friend as well. It’s difficult but not impossible – after all the person is important, not the kind of relationship you have with her. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil explains this idea beautifully. That it became successful shows that audiences accepted this notion.

Dear Zindagi: Let It Go, Let It Go…
Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi explains how the shocking experiences of childhood can cause problems later in adulthood, especially when its repressed. Kaira (Alia Bhatt) breaks hearts of some genuinely nice men, is confused and shows her weird side by buying a candy floss machine but never using it. It’s only when she lets go of her childhood shocks that she is able to breathe again. Additionally, it also subtly tells how the girl child is still not given her due, even in high class societies. A family friend degrading Kaira at any giving opportunity is absolutely sickening and sadly, very relatable.

Dangal: Girls Can Be As Good Or Better Than Boys
A father has 4 daughters. He stays in Haryana, which has the lowest sex ratio in the country. But the father here is not concerned about marrying them off, dowry etc. Instead, he’s worried about training them well and that too in the sport of wrestling. And voila, his efforts pay off. While daughter wins a silver medal, the one wins gold. Dangal should ideally put an end to all the arguments that women are not as strong as men

The year has ended on a high note with DANGAL but it has been a poor year overall for Hindi films with footfalls down for the third consecutive year though there may be a little bit of growth in terms of amount collected depending on DANGAL. The year saw a record 225 Hindi releases of which just sixteen proved AVERAGE or better. That is a 7.11% ratio. 

There is a huge difference in opinion between what most film makers see as good content and what the audience sees as good content which has seen most big studios shut up shop or stop acquiring as far as Hindi films go. The acquiring stopping may not be a bad thing as it was this that led to bad content flourishing as makers had table profits. So box office results did not matter too much as money was made but somewhere down the line someone is always loosing when a film is rejected by the audience.

There were two good films in 2016 and the numbers say it all with others lagging so far behind that it is not even funny. The business is there as SULTAN and DANGAL have proved and its not come just because of the presence of Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. It makes a difference to have big stars but not that much that every other film remains 200 crore nett below them. Two films easily get over 3 crore footfalls while most others struggle to get even 1 crore footfalls and the ones that do get over 1 crore just about do it. There probably has never been such a big between the top two films and the rest.

The corporates are down and with that television is going to provide the safety net and today some films have bigger recovery from television than theatrical but eventually for this to be maintained results have to be there. Here only HOUSEFULL 3 and BAAGHI after SULTAN actually scored out of the successful films. DANGAL, M S DHONI - THE UNTOLD STORY, AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL and DEAR ZINDAGI results are pending. This means that SULTAN, HOUSEFULL 3 and BAAGHI were the most widely seen films of the year and universally successful. DANGAL will join them no doubt while M S DHONI - THE UNTOLD STORY and AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL might have a chance.

DEAR ZINDAGI is in that KAPOOR & SONS, NEERJA and PINK mould where the story telling style is alien to most of the audience. So they can't connect outside big multiplexes of the 5 metros and hence, results post theatrical and in the long run are going to be bit of a disaster. The year was full of box office disasters with the high profile ones being MIRYZA, ROCK ON 2 and FITOOR. The CLASSIFICATIONS for 2016 are as follows with distributor shares in brackets.

All Time Blockbuster / Blockbuster
1. Dangal (Third Weekend will decide final status)

Blockbuster
2. Sultan (158.50 crore)

Super Hit
3. Rustom (61.55 crore)
4. Airlift (59.65 crore)

Hit
5. M S Dhoni - The Untold Story (60.05 crore)
6. Housefull 3 (54.92 crore)
7. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (53.19 crore)
8. Baaghi (38.10 crore)
9. Kapoor & Sons (32.35 crore)
10. Neerja (31.92 crore)
11. Pink (29.85 crore)

Semi Hit
12. Dear Zindagi (31.25 crore)
13. Ki & Ka (24.59 crore)

Average
14. Dishoom (33.26 crore)
15. Udta Punjab (27.65 crore)
16. Happy Bhaag Jayegi (12.42 crore)

Below Average
17. Shivaay (42.46 crore)
18. Befikre (29.25 crore)
19. Wazir (19.23 crore)

BOMBAY TIMES (January 1, 2017)

MUMBAI MIRROR (December 24, 2016)

At the press conference for the 62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017, Alia Bhatt was asked which according to her were the most deserving movies of the year and she rattled off, “Kapoor & Sons, Neerja and Dangal.” Mentor Karan Johar pouted, saying she’d forgotten his directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and she retorted, “Karan I do remember Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and ek tarfa pyaar.”

KJo responded by saying his onesided love is for Alia while hers is for her own film, recalling a moment later that he had produced Kapoor & Sons. Not to be undone, his ‘student’ was quick to point out that she had made a fleeting appearance in his Diwali release.

KJo is hosting the award function on January 14 with his good friend Shah Rukh Khan.

Alia is scheduled to perform at the awards show and said that maybe one day she would host the function as well.