DHOOM 3 IS A SUPER SUCCESS; AAMIR’S STRATEGY WORKS YET AGAIN!

The last biggie of the year, Dhoom 3, took an earth-shattering opening as expected and is on it’s way to becoming the biggest blockbuster ever. The response is kind of mixed but it’s obvious that everybody is curious to see the film. No wonder, the film sustained very well on Monday and Tuesday. Many felt that Aamir-YRF’s strategy of going very low on promotions would backfire! After all, we are at a time when films are promoted left, right, centre. Going on multiple city tours and making an appearance on Comedy Nights With Kapil and Bigg Boss 7 is a must! Also, makers nowadays reveal all song promos of their film. Dhoom 3 on the other hand had no or limited city tours and absolutely no promotion on television shows. Only the end credits song - Dhoom Machale - was unveiled fully. Well, not fully as the action scenes shown in between were replaced by some unique scenes of Aamir in the film! Malang and Kamli too were unveiled but only 30 seconder promos of it. This was a splendid idea as both songs are well shot and would have lost charm had they revealed more than 30 seconds of these tracks. This is a wake-up call to all those filmmakers who reveal all songs of their film before release. This is not always a good idea as songs then don’t make the same impact since people have already seen it from start to finish multiple times on TV/internet. Moreover, Tu Hi Junoon and Bande Hai Hum Uske didn’t come out at all. Yet, the film made an impact as the buzz for the film was tremendous thanks to the ‘Dhoom’ brand, star cast and most importantly, the theatrical trailer of the film. The trailer seemed to have given away important things about the plot. But we get proved wrong as the film has loads to offer and not to forget, the twist at the interval point!

This is not the first time Aamir’s films have been promoted in this manner. 3 Idiots promos promised college and hostel fun and the Aamir-Kareena cute chemistry. Viewers got to see it but they also got a chance to enjoy Chatur Ramalingam and Viru Sahastrabudhe’s antics, which weren’t shown at all in the promos! Similarly, in Ghajini, audiences went to see expecting a revenge drama which they got to see. At the same time, they were presented with the comedy of errors in the first half, which was also damn enjoyable! This ‘umeed se dugna’ trait is unique only to Aamir and hats off to him!

Thankfully, we’ll get to see more of Aamir soon, in June 2014, with P.K., directed by 3 Idiots’ director Rajkumar Hirani. Once again, it’ll be fun to see what Aamir comes up with, in terms of promotion, and I am sure it would be unique and something that would immediately excite viewers. Hats off!
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MAHABHARAT RELEASES TOMORROW

The 3D animation film, Mahabharat, is all set to release tomorrow and the buzz is shockingly low. That’s because some of the biggest stars of Bollywood – Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Vidya Balan, Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Shatrughan Sinha – have voiced for the film. And it’s bewildering why no one is promoting for the film. In the west, Hollywood actors go all out to promote the film in which they have done voiceovers. In India, that never happens. Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Jaaved Jaaferi did nothing to promote Roadside Romeo, easily the best animation film till date. During Delhi Safari’s release, only Urmila Matondkar cared to give interviews while the rest made no efforts.

Coming back to Mahabharat, the film’s animation looks outdated and in no way appealing especially when compared to films churned out by the West. Hence, it’s obvious that viewers would be giving this big-budgeted animation film a miss.

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 20, 2013)

The festive season, a slew of hyped releases and recent box office casualties; these are the reasons cited by multiplexes for the announced rise in ticket prices. With the hike, you may end up shelling out upto Rs 900 to watch a film this weekend.

The current quarter has been a disappointing one for the film industry, with big films like
Besharam, Boss, Bullett Raja, Singh Saab The Great and Gori Tere Pyaar Mein failing to hit the bull’s eye. And with these poorly received films, multiplexes registered minimal footfall during the past few months.

But the theatres are hoping that releases like Dhoom 3 and Jai Ho, will turn the tide and they have planned to rake in the moolah through escalated ticket prices.

A top official from a leading multiplex reveals, “Big films have bigger expectations but films like Gori Tere Pyaar Mein failed miserably. We have had a lot of losses but its part of the game. Jai Ho again will be a game changer.”

Nationally the average ticket price will go up by 10-12 per cent, and in some markets like Mumbai, the rise can be as high as 60 per cent.

Cities like Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chandigarh, have controlled markets where the law doesn’t permit a steep price. However, Mumbai is a free market and therefore the difference in the ticket price of a big release and one without any big names is high.

And sources say that tickets of films like Mahabharat 3D, Sholay 3D and Dedh Ishqiya will not cost the ‘premium’ price.

Anand Vishal, head of operations at Fun Republic explains the move saying, “Wouldn’t you have to pay extra if you want to fly last minute? Today, when you have a good season, prices will go up, like in the airline or the hospitality industry. And the last three months have not been good for the film industry. In fact, even Krrish 3 did better in single screens than in multiplexes.”

However, Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR, says that the bad performance of the last quarter is not the main reason for the hike. He says, “I think that November was good with Krrish 3 and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela. Ups and downs are part of this business. Bigger films are always priced higher. It’s an accepted practise and the same was done during the release of Chennai Express.”

As for the eyewatering Rs 900 that IMAX properties will charge for select shows, he explains, “We only have two properties in Mumbai and the technology is expensive. That’s why the price is high.”

Leading distributor Rajesh Thadani weighs in saying “At the end of the day, the content has to be good. With the hike in price, multiplexes can balance out their balance sheet.”

But are people willing to shell out the premium money? Thadani believes, “Those who can, will shell out the money, others will have to watch it later .”

Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2013)

Art often imitates life and many actors are known to incorporate traits from real people for effective character portrayal. While it may be easier to emote happy and positive sentiments, depicting pain and humiliation in scenes can be challenging. Vidya Balan is believed to have felt this when she agreed to lend her voice to the character of Draupadi in director Amaan Khan’s upcoming animation flick, Mahabharat 3D.

Apparently, while dubbing for the vastraharan (disrobing) sequence, the actress ensured that her voice had the resonance of the December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya case. Asked about parallels between the episode in the epic and crimes against women today, Vidya says, “I think the vastraharan is the earliest instance of objectification of a woman. In that context, not much has changed.”

The actress was glad to lend her voice to Draupadi as she finds her the most interesting epic female character. As for the dubbing experience, she adds, “I’ve always felt that the dialogue becomes a bit unnatural in historical/mythological/ epic films. Add to that, this is the animated version. So, it was all the more challenging to imagine how Draupadi would be.”

Mahabharat 3D, presented by Jayantilal Gada (PEN India), produced by Kushal Gada and Dhaval Gada, releases December 27.