Showing posts with label Maidaan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maidaan. Show all posts
Bollywood in 2024 saw a mix of scares, sequels and surprises
8:53 AM
Bollywood’s 2024 saw a mix of scares, sequels and surprises, with horror hits and small-budget triumphs outshining big-budget disappointments
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 31, 2024)
If 2023 marked Bollywood’s comeback year with a blockbuster revival, 2024 has been a “semi-hit” year, unanimously state trade experts. “The year started with a whimper,” rues trade analyst Taran Adarsh, adding, “Fighter (first release of this year starring Hritik Roshan-Deepika Padukone) didn’t meet expectations, especially with (filmmaker) Siddharth Anand riding high after Pathaan. It ended similarly with Baby John, which crashed on day two. Between these films, it’s been a case of kabhi kabhi khushi, kabhi bahut saara gham. Last year, we had four Rs. 500-crore grossers — Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2 and Animal. This year, big-budget films like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan tanked, and even Singham Again fell short of expectations.”
‘SCARY’ NEW SUCCESS
Surprisingly, horror turned out to be Bollywood’s lucky charm this year. Films like Munjya, Shaitaan, Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 broke genre barriers. Trade expert Atul Mohan observes, “Horror has been a hit-or-miss genre for our industry. These films changed that narrative.”
RE-RELEASES RULE
Old films found new love in 2024. The Avinash Tiwary-Triptii Dimri-starrer Laila Majnu (2018) became a sensation during its re-release. Similarly, Rockstar (2011), starring Ranbir Kapoor, saw renewed love. Movies such as Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein (2001) and Veer-Zaara (2004) also pulled crowds to theatres. This trend shows no signs of slowing, with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) gearing up for a return.
SMALL TO MID-BUDGET FILMS
A major conversation this year revolved around escalating production costs and actor fees. Consequently, films made on controlled budgets stood out. Munjya, made on Rs. 30 crore, tripled its investment. Its director, Aditya Sarpotdar, says, “Even we didn’t anticipate these numbers, because it starred newcomers, was local in its flavour, had a CGI character.”
Yami Gautam’s Article 370 and Prasanth Varma’s HanuMan were other winners, with HanuMan delivering an impressive 241% ROI on a Rs. 25-crore budget.
Another triumph of controlled budgets was Laapataa Ladies. Sarpotdar credits its success to producer support: “Aamir Khan backing the movie further elevated its success. Even small profits matter when you consider the economics.”
FRANCHISE FACTOR
Franchise films continued to wield power this year, with Pushpa 2 – The Rule raking in massive numbers, especially from its Hindi-dubbed version. Other sequels like Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (BB3) also performed exceptionally well.
Anees Bazmee, director of BB3, says, “Sequels enjoy goodwill, but you must deliver a good film. If one part fails, it’s not just the film that suffers; the entire franchise collapses.”
BIG HITS BUDGET BOX OFFICE
STREE 2
Budget: Rs. 60 crore
Box Office: Rs. 579 crore
PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE
Budget: Rs. 450 crore
Box Office: Rs. 700 crore
MUNJYA
Budget: Rs. 30 crore
Box Office: Rs. 107 crore
SHAITAAN
Budget: Rs. 60 crore
Box Office: Rs. 148 crore
BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3
Budget: Rs. 150 crore
Box Office: Rs. 245 crore
KALKI 2898AD
Budget: Rs. 600 crore
Box Office: Rs. 285 crore
ARTICLE 370
Budget: Rs. 20 crore
Rs. 77 crore
BIG MISSES
BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN
Budget: Rs. 350 crore
Box Office: Rs. 59 crore
FIGHTER
Budget: Rs. 250 crore
Box Office: Rs. 200 crore
BABY JOHN
Budget: Rs. 160 crore
Box Office: Rs. 19 crore
MAIDAAN
Budget: Rs. 250 crore
Box Office: Rs. 51 crore
JIGRA
Budget: Rs. 80 crore
Box Office: Rs. 31 crore
Bollywood's 2024 woes: Hindi films lose the plot as soaring star salaries, flops hit industry hard
8:12 AM
Gross box-office collections of Hindi movies down 25% in 2024; experts call for a ‘concerted effort’ to make financially viable films
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; December 18, 2024)
Bollywood's 2024 story unfolded behind the scenes-soaring star salaries, flopping big-budget films, spiraling production costs, and a fixation on cost recovery over creativity and strong scripts have hit producers hard, leaving the industry searching for its plot. The fallout? Few fresh big-budget films went into production, making 2024 a lacklustre year for the Hindi film industry compared to 2023.
According to Sacnilk, a box-office research data firm, the total gross box-office collection in 2024 to date is Rs. 10,754 crore. This is an 18.2% fall when compared to the total gross box-office collection of Rs. 13,161 crore in 2023. Understandably, the fall is steeper when one takes into account the gross box-office collection of Hindi films. The gross box-office collection of Hindi films fell by 25% to Rs. 4,534.2 crore in 2024 when compared to 2023.
Ram Mirchandani, founder of Rampage Motion Pictures, said, "Common sense must prevail. The focus must be on costs now. Stars, directors, and other artists must come together and take a realistic view of their remuneration. There must be a concerted effort at making a film financially viable."
One of the key lessons of 2024 has been the budgeting of films. A common observation that a large number of producers share is that films that do not warrant high budgeting get over-budgeting because of the indulgence of stars and other stakeholders.
Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder of Karmic Films and a veteran film distributor, said, "A key lesson of 2024 is budgeting of films. Producers must keep the budgets of films under control. If a producer intends to engage in self-indulgent storytelling, then the film's talent must derive its remuneration from the film's profits."
Due to over-budgeting and poorly written scripts, in 2024, a few big-budget films such as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan failed at the box office.
Another key lesson that 2024 has taught the industry is collaboration in funding and creativity. A veteran producer who wished to be unnamed said, "Today, a production house cannot fund, create, or mount a film on its own. There is a great deal of uncertainty in the industry about what will work and what will not work at the box office."
He added, "I think the approach must be to mitigate risks. Mid-sized and small-sized production houses must collaborate with big production houses either for creativity or funding."
A positive development that sums up 2024 is the fading influence of stars in attracting audiences to theatres and the unexpected successes of films that were not headlined by big and marquee star names in the industry. In fact, 2024 has been a year that is defined by the success of mid-budget films such as Munjya, Shaitaan and Stree 2. These films are a quintessential example of stories told well that found huge acceptance among audiences across states.
Girish Wankhede, a movie trade analyst, said, "The exceptional success of Pushpa 2 - The Rule in just the dubbed Hindi version alone (collected over Rs. 500 crore) shows that a large audience, which is important to theatres and stays in tier-II and tier-III cities, cannot be ignored or overlooked."
He added that makers have to focus on scripts that have more mass appeal, as mass audiences are more regular theatregoers and more unforgiving than audiences with refined tastes.
I don’t keep decisions pending now; that’s what changed in me after making Maidaan-Amit Sharma
8:15 AM
The filmmaker opens up on his three-and-a-half years of research for the film
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; November 29, 2024)
“I didn’t know we were ever that good in football,” said director Amit Sharma as he spoke about Maidaan at a conclave in Delhi. The Ajay Devgn-starrer tells the inspiring story of Syed Abdul Rahim, the football coach who led India to gold at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games. Sharma admits that he had little knowledge about the coach when producer Boney Kapoor first approached him for the project. “It took me 3.5 years of research to start the film. Ajay’s performance is outstanding. No one else could have played this role,” he added.
‘SYED ABDUL RAHIM WAS DYING, (BUT) USKA JAZBA ITNA STRONG THA KI GOLD MEDAL LEKE AA GAYA’
Sharma, who always dreamed of making a sports film, said, “I wanted to make a sports film and a biopic, and Maidaan was both.”
About his learnings while making the film, he said, “Syed Abdul Rahim had lung cancer, and he passed away 6-7 months after winning the gold. After learning all this about him, I realised how we operate: Hamare paas kaam na karne ke kitne bahaane hain. That man was dying, (but) uska jazba itna strong tha ki gold medal leke aa gaya. Jab mere paer mein dard hota hai, to main office nahi jata. Meetings ko shift kar deta tha. I don’t keep decisions pending now; that’s what changed in me after making the film.”
‘LOG SOCHTE HAIN FOOTBALL PE FILM BAN RAHI HAI TOH KYA SAMAJH AAYEGA’
About how the audience in India received his film, Amit said, “Log sochte hain football pe film ban rahi hai toh kya samajh aayega. I went to theatres and saw a lot of women in the audience. Football is an emotion in the film, and I have used tools in a way for the audience to understand football.”
Lok Sabha polls weigh heavily on box office as collections remain below Rs 500 cr for first time since Feb 2023
8:39 AM
Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; May 20, 2024)
The general election has weighed heavily on the box office in April, amid delay in releases and underperformance of Bollywood films, experts said, adding that the scenario will remain unchanged or worsen in May. According to Ormax Media, gross domestic box office (BO) collections for April stood at Rs 457 crore - below the Rs 500-crore mark for the first time since February 2023.
A year ago, in April, the gross box office mop-up was at Rs. 618 crore, led by the performance of Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan II.
This year, despite Eid, Ugadi and Tamil New Year holidays falling in April, only one film managed to cross Rs 100 crore at the box office, according to the report. Malayalam action-comedy Aavesham was the top grosser, garnering Rs 101 crore.
Two more Malayalam films, Manjummel Boys and Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life, earned more than Rs 100 crore at the box office so far this year. However, the second-highest grosser in April, Hindi action thriller Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, only managed Rs 73 crore, followed by sports drama Maidaan, at Rs 61 crore.
Miraj Entertainment managing director Amit Sharma said, "Elections have kept film releases away post-Eid."
"Due to this, April has been one of the worst months so far," said Sharma of Miraj. He also pointed to subpar performances of the two Hindi releases in April and indicated that a dearth of big openings may lead to further deterioration at the box office in May.
PVR Inox executive director Sanjeev Bijli expects a surge in moviegoers after the election. "What will change is the robust pipeline. People (will be) back at cinemas because of the supply... the appetite to go out and watch movies has always been there," he said during the company's fourth quarter earnings call recently.
Cumulative box office collections for January-April are Rs 3,071 crore, on a par with the same period last year.
The top grossers of 2024 till now are Fighter (Rs 243 crore), Hanuman (Rs 240 crore), Shaitaan (Rs 179 crore), Manjummel Boys (Rs 170 crore) and Guntur Kaaram (Rs 142 crore).
Hindi films had the highest share of gross domestic collections (36%), followed by Telugu (21%), Malayalam (19%), Tamil (9%) and English (8%).
Is Bollywood in panic mode after the failure of big-budget films?
8:39 AM
Astronomical star fees, lack of promotion or wrong timing of release – industry experts discuss what’s led to the recent box office disasters
Vinay MR Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; May 8, 2024)
The dismal performance of the two big Eid releases has left the industry stunned once again. Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff-led Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (BMCM) and Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan were released on Eid. Maidaan’s budget was approximately Rs. 250 crore, while BMCM was mounted at Rs. 350 crore. So far, Maidaan’s collections stand at Rs. 48.85 crore and BMCM Rs. 64 crore (India nett).
Reportedly, G7, a popular theatre chain in Mumbai, was temporarily shut down for renovation due to poor footfalls. Even the medium-budget movies that were released post-Eid, Do Aur Do Pyaar and Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, didn’t leave an impact at the box office.
In the first quarter of 2024, the total collection of all Hindi movies released was approximately Rs. 700 crore, with only the Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone-led Fighter (Rs. 212 crore India nett) being the tentpole film that was released between January and March.
Distributor Anil Thadani says, “Everything was correct with BMCM, but we are yet to figure out what went wrong. We don’t know what will work. We are living in an unknown territory.”
According to industry experts, while the film business is largely unpredictable, there are certain measures that can be taken to help the current crisis.
Pump up promotions in the right direction
The industry is witnessing another trend of minimal promotions with the hope of maximum impact. It worked for Shah Rukh Khan during Pathaan and Jawan as the films went on to become huge successes. However, when other films adopted that policy, it didn’t quite work out.
“Publicity is very important for movies. Otherwise, your films won’t run. These days stars don’t do any promotions, they only stick to social media. Back in the days, people would do so many newspaper interviews,” says Manoj Desai, Executive director of G7 (Gaiety-Galaxy) and Maratha Mandir. For Crew, its promotional songs drew the audience’s interest, which other films could not achieve.
Trade analyst Komal Nahta adds, “Actors don’t do interviews, they don’t make appearances, they don’t go to the malls, and they have even stopped promoting their films on television. Many people watch television, and if they don’t see ads, the audience is not even aware that a film is releasing.”
Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi shares, “More than lack of promotional activities, it’s the direction of the promotional activities that matters. We should not just make the audience aware, but also have them excited and compel them to buy tickets. For that, the vanilla template for marketing and PR that’s being followed needs to be reworked.”
Pick the right release window
“The critics and audiences praised Maidaan for its superior content. Despite its quality production and storyline, Maidaan encountered significant challenges in its marketing efforts. There was minimal ground-level marketing, and the film’s release was postponed multiple times, which is what probably diminished audience’s interest and anticipation. These marketing missteps contributed significantly to its disappointing box office returns,” says Amit Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment.
Taran adds, “Maidaan shouldn’t have been an Eid release. People want to watch a masala movie on such occasions and not something serious.”
‘Failure of BMCM and Maidaan has affected the trade badly’
Film trade analyst Komal Nahta explains, “The underperformance of both these films has been a shocker. The budgets were so high that their failure meant a major setback for the industry. Exhibitors are in panic mode.”
Renegotiate stars’ fees
According to a media report, Akshay Kumar charged Rs. 80 crores, while Tiger Shroff commanded a fee of Rs. 40-45 crores for Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial BMCM. Komal Nahta says, “If the budget is going to be Rs. 350 crores, out of which Rs. 150 or 200 crores are paid to the actors, it is nonsense. People are eventually going to see the content. Yes, stars do add value, but if the content is not up to the mark and the films are costly, they will only take the movie down.”
Akshaye Rathi suggests a better pay model. He explains, “Given the uncertainty that the box office has thrown at all of us, irrespective of who the star is, what the size and scale and production values are, I think purely for the sake of sustainability and survival, stars need to work on a revenue sharing model.”
Taran Adarsh, adds, "The fees of actors and paraphernalia around them should be curtailed. Actors should do revenue sharing in today’s times. Tab maalum hoga how much pull the actor has, aur doodh ka doodh aur paani ka paani hoga."
I must have done something right for them to hate me in The Family Man-Priyamani
8:23 AM
As she kicks off The Family Man 3 shoot, Priyamani on how she received hate mail from audiences for her character’s actions in last season
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; May 9, 2024)
In April, we saw her as the supportive wife in Maidaan, and soon, we’ll see her as a contract killer. That’s quite a turnaround. Tell Priyamani that, and she grins, saying, “As an actor, you need to display versatility.” She is gearing up for the release of Quotation Gang, which offers a gritty take on the lives of contract killers.
The actor plays a ruthless gang leader in producer-director Vivek Kumar Kannan’s crime drama, also starring Jackie Shroff and Sunny Leone. It’s certainly a dark character after her positive parts in Maidaan and Article 370, but Priyamani is not one to segregate her roles.
“For me, it’s just a role and I can switch on and off, unless the director wants me to do homework on it. I am glad that with Quotation Gang, people can see another side of me after the positive characters that I played earlier.”
Black, grey, white—the National Award winner enjoys stepping into disparate roles. What she finds challenging, however, is being part of movies inspired by real-life events.
“Films that are a part of history like Article 370 and Maidaan are more challenging to do. These are incidents that have happened. So, it’s an added responsibility to tell them to the audience sensitively,” she reasons.
Last week, she began shooting The Family Man’s third season. After the second edition streamed, Priyamani —who plays Manoj Bajpayee’s on-screen wife Suchitra—reveals that she received hate mail from fans, who felt her character betrayed her husband.
“I must have done something right for them to hate me,” she smiles, before adding, “Suchitra is doing what she feels is right for her. In the second season, she balanced her family with her career while trying to save her marriage. People will relate to her more in the next edition.”
Cinema halls cancel shows as movies flop
8:24 AM
Some multiplexes seen temporarily shutting screens as some big-budget films fail to click
Rajesh Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; May 7, 2024)
ET Intelligence Group : Lack of curiosity-inducing line-up of films and poor performance of already-released big-budget movies such as ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ and ‘Maidaan’ have compelled multiplexes and single-screen theatres to cut down on the number of shows or shut some screens temporarily.
According to various estimates of trade analysts, two to three screens in a multiplex containing five screens, or a single-screen theatre containing 5 to 6 auditoriums have been temporarily shut due to poor business and large expenses associated with running them.
“Shows are being cancelled. I think theatres which contain five to six auditoriums are running only two to three auditoriums,” said Manoj Desai, producer and executive director of Mumbai-based G7 multiplex and the iconic Maratha Mandir movie hall.
“It is not just about the general elections, the heat wave or competition from streaming platforms. Filmmakers are making bad films. And viewers are not interested in them.”
He added: “Earlier, when Hindi films did not work, there was a supply of South Indian films dubbed in Hindi which provided some business to theatres. But this time we do not even have southern films dubbed in Hindi.”
According to trade analysts, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan has been made on a budget of Rs. 350 crore. It has collected Rs. 48.50 crore in the past three weeks. Maidaan, which had a budget of Rs. 250 crore, has collected Rs. 40 crore in the same period.
“Single-screen theatres and multiplexes are grappling with very little collections. There are theatres which have meagre footfalls of 170-250 people,” said independent film distributor and trade analyst Shaaminder Malik.
“Single-screen theatres in Agra, Bareilly, Kanpur and Lucknow have reduced their ticket prices to Rs. 30-Rs. 70. Even then, there is no improvement in footfalls.”
Apart from reducing ticket prices and providing fixed-ticket coupons for a certain number of films, to lure audiences to multiplexes, exhibitors are also running advertisement-free shows (this saves at least 30 minutes for the audience) at premium properties.
Malik said: “Today, word-of-mouth communication among viewers and potential viewers of films is more effective than ever. One cannot dump bad films and expect people to come to theatres, especially at a time when they have more interesting avenues to entertain themselves. The success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a proof that audience wants to come to theatres and watch good films.”
Mumbai circuit gets back on track; Fighter collects better than Dunki
8:41 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
The Mumbai circuit has seen poor returns post the pandemic but has seen a good upturn this year driven by the major centres in Maharashtra. The Thane belt was doing well since cinema returned in 2021 but this year has seen Mumbai city and Pune also start recording some good numbers.
The Mumbai and Delhi/UP circuit had got pretty similar in the 21-23 period for films in a certain zone. It is likely that if CREW and TERI BAATON MEIN AISA ULJHA JIYA came in 2022, they would not have got these numbers in Mumbai circuit and numbers will be closer to the Delhi/UP numbers.
The 60 crore nett plus number of the biggest grosser FIGHTER is not great but despite being an action film, it has beaten DUNKI which has a genre is better for Mumbai circuit and that too directed by Rajkumar Hirani whose films score heavy in Mumbai circuit due to humour element.
Films like MADGAON EXPRESS and SWATANTRYA VEER SAVARKAR are actually HIT films in Mumbai circuit though they met with a horrible fate outside the circuit. ARTICLE 370 was the standout in Mumbai this year though other circuits again were not as good. This would also have been tough a year or two back.
This circuit getting better numbers is the only good news in the crisis facing the film industry and its coming with the Gujarat side not really doing well. No film has done well in Gujarat this year and when both Maharashtra and Gujarat fire, it makes a huge difference.
The top ten films of 2024 in Mumbai circuit are as follows
1. Fighter - 62,04,00,000
2. Shaitaan - 46,64,00,000 (8 weeks)
3. Article 370 - 32,40,00,000 (10 weeks)
4. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya - 27,28,50,000
5. Crew - 25,15,00,000 (5 Weeks)
6. Madgaon Express - 18,60,00,000 (6 weeks)
7. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan - 17,65,00,000 (3 weeks)
8. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar - 16,80,00,000 (6 weeks)
9. Maidaan - 15,75,00,000 (3 weeks)
10. Laapataa Ladies - 6,15,00,000 (9 weeks)
Kajol keeps saying that she might not watch Maa as horror films scare her-Saiwyn Quadras
7:59 AM
As Kajol attempts her first supernatural movie Maa, writer Saiwyn discusses how the actor has brought gravitas to the role of a Bengali mother in the Vishal Furia-directed venture
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 28, 2024)
There is little that Kajol hasn’t done in her three-decade-plus career, from headlining blockbusters to playing grey roles and recently foraying into digital entertainment. Interestingly though, a horror movie was sorely missing from her filmography. Not anymore. The actor is attempting the genre with Chhorii (2021) director Vishal Furia’s next Maa.
Saiwyn Quadras, who has penned the horror fare, says that the movie has its origins in the making of Maidaan. It turns out the conversation began unexpectedly on the sports drama’s set when leading man Ajay Devgn enquired about Quadras’ other projects.
The Maidaan writer recounts, “Ajay sir and I started discussing a few ideas, which we could develop for his banner. He asked me if I had a story in the supernatural space for Kajol. Maa is a purely original horror fare, with a heavy dose of emotions that you wouldn’t expect in a supernatural film. After he liked the concept, he asked me to make Kajol ma’am listen to it. She loved it. It’s the first time that Kajol ma’am is working on a supernatural emotional drama. She keeps saying that she might not watch Maa as horror films scare her.”
Maa, with screenplay by Amil Keeyan Khan of Shaitaan fame, went on floors in Mumbai in February-end, followed by a schedule in Kolkata and parts of West Bengal in March. As Furia conducts the third leg in Mumbai, Quadras says that having seen Kajol in action, he can’t imagine anyone else in the role of a Bengali mom.
“We are making a supernatural movie, but with her around, we are always laughing. Kajol ma’am is a natural in front of the camera. If there is an emotionally intense scene, she [is fully in that moment], and as soon as she hears cut, she is back to cracking jokes and singing songs. The gravitas she brings to the mother’s role is fantastic,” he shares.
Even as he looks forward to Maa, Quadras holds his last work Maidaan close to his heart. “While the expectations from the film were high, the emotional resonance has been rewarding. As writers, we need to be mentioned when films are announced like Amit R Sharma and Boney Kapoor did during Maidaan’s trailer launch. Ajay too announced my name when they launched Maa. Few filmmakers are secure enough to do that.”
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 827
7:34 PM
HORRIBLE TIMES FOR THE INDUSTRY CONTINUE
The month of April 2024 has turned out to be one of the worst ever for Bollywood. Of course, business came to a standstill during Covid times. But right now, the Covid effect is zero. Yet, there’s a lack of exciting films up for release.
It all began with the twin debacles of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan on Eid. A lot was expected from these movies. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is a masala action film but it never generated excitement. Yet, there were hopes that the Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer would at least collect Rs. 100 or Rs. 150 crores. Unfortunately, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan didn’t open well and crashed soon after. At present, it is struggling to reach the Rs. 60 crore mark.
Maidaan, meanwhile, is steady at low levels. But it opened at Rs. 4 crores and has appealed only to the elite audience. It might eventually collect around Rs. 40 crores. And that’s too low for a film with terrific word of mouth and super-high costs.
Last week’s releases also didn’t work. Do Aur Do Pyaar, starring Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana Dcruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy, seemed like a great romcom. But the excitement was limited. It opened at just Rs. 50 lakhs and had a weekend of just Rs. 2 crores. It dropped sharply from Monday and its lifetime collections will be around Rs. 5-6 crores.
As for Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, the collections are embarrassing to say the least. There was zero buzz for the film and its trailer ruined all chances. The reports of the film were negative, with many viewers leaving the film midway. It opened at just Rs. 15 lakhs and managed to collect Rs. 50 lakhs in three days. It now remains to be seen if it can collect Rs. 1 crore in its lifetime.
Tomorrow, Ruslaan will be released, starring Aayush Sharma. The film looks cool but the actor is not very popular. Hence, a healthy opening is ruled out. The hope is that it turns out to be a kickass action film so that the audience will flock to the cinemas from Saturday.
The month of April 2024 has turned out to be one of the worst ever for Bollywood. Of course, business came to a standstill during Covid times. But right now, the Covid effect is zero. Yet, there’s a lack of exciting films up for release.
It all began with the twin debacles of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan on Eid. A lot was expected from these movies. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is a masala action film but it never generated excitement. Yet, there were hopes that the Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer would at least collect Rs. 100 or Rs. 150 crores. Unfortunately, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan didn’t open well and crashed soon after. At present, it is struggling to reach the Rs. 60 crore mark.
Maidaan, meanwhile, is steady at low levels. But it opened at Rs. 4 crores and has appealed only to the elite audience. It might eventually collect around Rs. 40 crores. And that’s too low for a film with terrific word of mouth and super-high costs.
Last week’s releases also didn’t work. Do Aur Do Pyaar, starring Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana Dcruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy, seemed like a great romcom. But the excitement was limited. It opened at just Rs. 50 lakhs and had a weekend of just Rs. 2 crores. It dropped sharply from Monday and its lifetime collections will be around Rs. 5-6 crores.
As for Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, the collections are embarrassing to say the least. There was zero buzz for the film and its trailer ruined all chances. The reports of the film were negative, with many viewers leaving the film midway. It opened at just Rs. 15 lakhs and managed to collect Rs. 50 lakhs in three days. It now remains to be seen if it can collect Rs. 1 crore in its lifetime.
Tomorrow, Ruslaan will be released, starring Aayush Sharma. The film looks cool but the actor is not very popular. Hence, a healthy opening is ruled out. The hope is that it turns out to be a kickass action film so that the audience will flock to the cinemas from Saturday.
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 826
9:47 AM
EID RELEASES BOMB BADLY
A lot was expected from the two big Eid releases – Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan – even though the trailers had not done the trick. Yet, no one expected the collections to be outright disastrous. What saddened the industry was that despite great word of mouth, Maidaan didn’t take off.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was the bigger film and also had commercial elements to pull in the audience. But it opened at Rs. 15 crores, which was way low for such an expensive film. On Friday, April 19, the film dropped 50% to Rs. 7.50 crores and that sealed the fate of the film. There was a slight jump on Saturday (Rs. 8.25 crores) and Sunday (Rs. 8.75 crores). On Monday, it crashed as it collected Rs. 2.15 crores. The first week's collections will be around Rs. 47-48 crores. At this rate, it’ll struggle to even cross the Rs. 60 or 65 crores mark.
Maidaan, on the other hand, opened with paid previews on Wednesday, April 10, and earned Rs. 2 crores. One expected the collections to at least treble on the Eid holiday. However, it collected just Rs. 4 crores. With word of mouth on its side, Friday collections should have been the same or more than Thursday. But on Friday, it accumulated just Rs. 3 crores. On Saturday, the film jumped to Rs. 5.85 crores and Rs. 6.25 crores on Sunday. This gave hope that Monday collections will be as much as Friday. But on Monday, it dropped to Rs. 1.50 crores. Tuesday saw a small jump as it collected Rs. 1.60 crores. The first week's collections will be around Rs. 27-28 crores. If it keeps collecting at low levels, it’ll manage to cross the Rs. 40 crores mark.
Both films are quite expensive and have a cost of more than Rs. 225 crores. Hence, one can imagine the kind of losses that the makers will face. On top of that, there are hardly any exciting releases until June. As a result, the exhibition sector is in a sad state.
This probably explains why multiplexes decided to celebrate Cinema Lovers Day once again on Friday, April 19 when tickets will be sold for just Rs. 99. Even then, the advance booking of new and holdover releases is very poor.
Tomorrow, Do Aur Do Pyaar and Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 will be released. The latter, directed by Dibakar Banerjee, looks quite niche and will require a great word of mouth to pull in the audience. Do Aur Do Pyaar stars Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana DCruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy and seems like a decent romcom. The buzz is very limited and if reports are positive, it stands a chance in the urban multiplexes.
A lot was expected from the two big Eid releases – Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan – even though the trailers had not done the trick. Yet, no one expected the collections to be outright disastrous. What saddened the industry was that despite great word of mouth, Maidaan didn’t take off.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was the bigger film and also had commercial elements to pull in the audience. But it opened at Rs. 15 crores, which was way low for such an expensive film. On Friday, April 19, the film dropped 50% to Rs. 7.50 crores and that sealed the fate of the film. There was a slight jump on Saturday (Rs. 8.25 crores) and Sunday (Rs. 8.75 crores). On Monday, it crashed as it collected Rs. 2.15 crores. The first week's collections will be around Rs. 47-48 crores. At this rate, it’ll struggle to even cross the Rs. 60 or 65 crores mark.
Maidaan, on the other hand, opened with paid previews on Wednesday, April 10, and earned Rs. 2 crores. One expected the collections to at least treble on the Eid holiday. However, it collected just Rs. 4 crores. With word of mouth on its side, Friday collections should have been the same or more than Thursday. But on Friday, it accumulated just Rs. 3 crores. On Saturday, the film jumped to Rs. 5.85 crores and Rs. 6.25 crores on Sunday. This gave hope that Monday collections will be as much as Friday. But on Monday, it dropped to Rs. 1.50 crores. Tuesday saw a small jump as it collected Rs. 1.60 crores. The first week's collections will be around Rs. 27-28 crores. If it keeps collecting at low levels, it’ll manage to cross the Rs. 40 crores mark.
Both films are quite expensive and have a cost of more than Rs. 225 crores. Hence, one can imagine the kind of losses that the makers will face. On top of that, there are hardly any exciting releases until June. As a result, the exhibition sector is in a sad state.
This probably explains why multiplexes decided to celebrate Cinema Lovers Day once again on Friday, April 19 when tickets will be sold for just Rs. 99. Even then, the advance booking of new and holdover releases is very poor.
Tomorrow, Do Aur Do Pyaar and Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 will be released. The latter, directed by Dibakar Banerjee, looks quite niche and will require a great word of mouth to pull in the audience. Do Aur Do Pyaar stars Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana DCruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy and seems like a decent romcom. The buzz is very limited and if reports are positive, it stands a chance in the urban multiplexes.
(Crisp) Movie Review: MAIDAAN by FENIL SETA
10:45 AM
Maidaan’s trailer doesn't do justice to the greatness that the film offers. In fact, the first half is just fine and one wonders if will truly be worth it. But the film goes to dizzying heights in the second half. The manner in which the protagonist navigates the politics and his personal turmoil are seen to be believed and are clapworthy. The VFX matches global standards. No one can guess that the match scenes are not shot in Rome or Jakarta but in Madh Island! The match scenes are also highly nail-biting. The last 50-55 minutes are such that viewers will not move from their seats. And this is huge since we have seen many sports-based films. But that's the genius of the writing, Amit Sharma's direction and the work of the technical team. The climax is highly moving and gives goosebumps. What adds to the impact is depicting the real-life players, during the end credits. It was so good to see the audience clapping for each and every one of them; it showed the film has left a deep impact. Ajay Devgn, meanwhile, delivers not just one of the greatest performances of his life but also of Hindi cinema. There were talks that he deserves a National Award for Maidaan. Having seen the film, I can vouch for it. Priyamani is lovely and lends able support. Rudranil Ghosh (Shubhankar) and Gajraj Rao (Roy Choudhry) are great as the villains while Baharul Islam (Anjan) is adorable. From the players, the ones that leave a mark are Davinder Singh (Jarnail Singh), Tejas Ravishankar (Peter Thangraj), Tanmay Bhattacharjee (Pradyut Burman), Sushant Waydande (Tulsidas Balaram), Amartya Ray (Chuni Goswami), Chaitanya Sharma (P K Banerjee) and Aryann Bhowmik (Neville Dsouza). Songs are okay but 'Jaane Do', sung by A R Rahman, adds to the impact. All in all, Maidaan is outstanding and it'll be a crime to miss this film in cinemas.
My rating - **** ½ out of 5!
My rating - **** ½ out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 825
10:05 AM
WILL MAIDAAN AND BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN SCORE AT THE BOX OFFICE?
The first big clash of 2024 will take place tomorrow. Maidaan will arrive in cinemas today evening while Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will be released tomorrow. A lot is riding on these movies but surprisingly, the buzz is not skyhigh.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in leading roles with Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist. Alaya F and Manushi Chhillar are the leading ladies and the film also has a special appearance by Sonakshi Sinha. It is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Vashu Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment. The film is mounted on a huge scale and has some exciting action scenes. Prithviraj’s face, interestingly, hasn’t been shown in the trailers, and he’s shown wearing a mask. Both Akshay and Tiger are action stars and their pairing seems interesting. Moreover, the film seems like a clean entertainer aimed not just at the masses but also at families.
However, the songs haven’t worked. The trailer did make a mark but has got a mixed response. Some have found it exciting while others haven’t.
The film was all set to release today, that is, April 10. Many felt it was a bad decision since the big Eid holiday is on Thursday, April 11. Yet, the makers decided to go for a Wednesday release. The ticket sales, as expected, were not encouraging at all. This prompted them to change the release plans on Sunday, April 7. They decided to go for paid previews, that is, commence shows from 6:00 pm onwards on Wednesday.
Even then, the advance booking for Wednesday wasn’t up to the mark. Hence, the Wednesday release was cancelled and now, the film will have a release on Thursday, April 11. The sad part is that though it’s arriving on a holiday, the advance has not yet picked up. Many multiplexes, especially of national chains, have opened bookings for 3-4 shows only and even these are practically empty.
Yet, there’s hope that Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will get spot bookings. If all goes well, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan should open at around Rs. 15 crores on April 10. With good word of mouth, it should jump to Rs. 25 crores on Friday or Saturday. The film is quite costly and hence, it really needs to entertain the audience to recover its investment.
Maidaan, meanwhile, is a period sports flick directed by Amit R Sharma of Badhaai Ho fame and produced by Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla, Arunava Joy Sengupta and Zee Studios. It stars Ajay Devgn, Priyamani and Gajraj Rao and is based on the golden era of Indian football, between 1952 and 1962. Ajay plays Syed Abdul Rahim, an accomplished Indian coach in this film.
Maidaan went on floors way back in August 2019 and faced a tough time in getting completed due to Covid-19 restrictions. A grand set of the football stadium was destroyed in the cyclone that hit Mumbai in June 2020. Getting foreign actors was also a problem due to limited international flights and quarantine rules. It is the last film of the pre-pandemic era to get a release in cinemas.
There’s a lot of buzz about Maidaan within the industry. Boney Kapoor has shown the film to several personalities months in advance and they can’t stop raving about it. However, the public hasn’t had any idea about this positivity around the film. The trailer got a fine response but it hasn’t excited the audience to throng the cinemas and buy the tickets ASAP. As a result, most of the moviegoers are going to adopt the wait-and-watch strategy.
Like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, its makers were also planning for a full-day release on April 10 and then finally settled for paid previews today. Tomorrow, when it’ll have a full-fledged release, the aim should be to open in double digits, at around Rs. 10 crores. But that won’t happen and it’ll open at Rs. 7-7.50 crores, it seems. The word of mouth mostly will be positive but the reports should encourage the audience to book their tickets. Once that happens, there won’t be stopping this film.
The first big clash of 2024 will take place tomorrow. Maidaan will arrive in cinemas today evening while Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will be released tomorrow. A lot is riding on these movies but surprisingly, the buzz is not skyhigh.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in leading roles with Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist. Alaya F and Manushi Chhillar are the leading ladies and the film also has a special appearance by Sonakshi Sinha. It is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Vashu Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment. The film is mounted on a huge scale and has some exciting action scenes. Prithviraj’s face, interestingly, hasn’t been shown in the trailers, and he’s shown wearing a mask. Both Akshay and Tiger are action stars and their pairing seems interesting. Moreover, the film seems like a clean entertainer aimed not just at the masses but also at families.
However, the songs haven’t worked. The trailer did make a mark but has got a mixed response. Some have found it exciting while others haven’t.
The film was all set to release today, that is, April 10. Many felt it was a bad decision since the big Eid holiday is on Thursday, April 11. Yet, the makers decided to go for a Wednesday release. The ticket sales, as expected, were not encouraging at all. This prompted them to change the release plans on Sunday, April 7. They decided to go for paid previews, that is, commence shows from 6:00 pm onwards on Wednesday.
Even then, the advance booking for Wednesday wasn’t up to the mark. Hence, the Wednesday release was cancelled and now, the film will have a release on Thursday, April 11. The sad part is that though it’s arriving on a holiday, the advance has not yet picked up. Many multiplexes, especially of national chains, have opened bookings for 3-4 shows only and even these are practically empty.
Yet, there’s hope that Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will get spot bookings. If all goes well, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan should open at around Rs. 15 crores on April 10. With good word of mouth, it should jump to Rs. 25 crores on Friday or Saturday. The film is quite costly and hence, it really needs to entertain the audience to recover its investment.
Maidaan, meanwhile, is a period sports flick directed by Amit R Sharma of Badhaai Ho fame and produced by Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla, Arunava Joy Sengupta and Zee Studios. It stars Ajay Devgn, Priyamani and Gajraj Rao and is based on the golden era of Indian football, between 1952 and 1962. Ajay plays Syed Abdul Rahim, an accomplished Indian coach in this film.
Maidaan went on floors way back in August 2019 and faced a tough time in getting completed due to Covid-19 restrictions. A grand set of the football stadium was destroyed in the cyclone that hit Mumbai in June 2020. Getting foreign actors was also a problem due to limited international flights and quarantine rules. It is the last film of the pre-pandemic era to get a release in cinemas.
There’s a lot of buzz about Maidaan within the industry. Boney Kapoor has shown the film to several personalities months in advance and they can’t stop raving about it. However, the public hasn’t had any idea about this positivity around the film. The trailer got a fine response but it hasn’t excited the audience to throng the cinemas and buy the tickets ASAP. As a result, most of the moviegoers are going to adopt the wait-and-watch strategy.
Like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, its makers were also planning for a full-day release on April 10 and then finally settled for paid previews today. Tomorrow, when it’ll have a full-fledged release, the aim should be to open in double digits, at around Rs. 10 crores. But that won’t happen and it’ll open at Rs. 7-7.50 crores, it seems. The word of mouth mostly will be positive but the reports should encourage the audience to book their tickets. Once that happens, there won’t be stopping this film.
Maidaan actor Chaitanya Sharma says that Amit Sharma is “the Virat Kohli of directors”
8:27 AM
Chaitanya, who plays the late P K Banerjee in Maidaan, recalls how football star visited the set in a wheelchair and gifted a personally inscribed book to Ajay Devgn
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 10, 2024)
Chaitanya Sharma aka Slow Cheeta jokes that Amit R Sharma is “the Virat Kohli of directors”. To the rapper-actor, the director is the force that built an on-screen football team for Maidaan. How did he bag the Ajay Devgn-starrer? Out of the blue, says Chaitanya.
“[Until then], I was either a big fish in a small project, or a small fish in a big project. I was shooting for Apna Time Aayega [Gully Boy, 2019] when I was spotted. I used to play for a football league called Roots. That day, we were losing 2-0, and I scored a hat-trick to win us the game. Maidaan’s first assistant director Atul [Shahi] was there to scout for talent. That was the start. Next three months were gruelling because I kept auditioning again and again. I had to learn a monologue in Bengali. When I was sent to train in March 2019, I realized it’s happening for me,” he recalls.
Chaitanya, who steps into the shoes of the late P K Banerjee, says the opportunity left him stunned. “P K Banerjee was the [Indian] footballer of the century, and it sounded unbelievable that I could crack it,” he shares.
Through Devgn’s character of coach-manager Syed Abdul Rahim, the sports drama looks at Indian football’s golden era between 1952 and 1962. Chaitanya’s most memorable day of the shoot was when Banerjee visited the set in Kolkata.
“I was shooting the entry sequence the day he dropped by. I was flying through the field that day. I saw the man in a wheelchair watching someone play him. His biggest asset, his legs, had given way because he was paralyzed. He gave a book to Ajay sir, and opened the first page to sign it for him. His hand wasn’t stable, so I thought he’d write his initials. But he wrote Pradip Kumar Banerjee. It took him five minutes, but he did it. That underscores his spirit. I was sobbing when he left. Yesterday, I found out that his daughter watched the film and thought I did justice to his part. What can be a better compliment than that!”
Even though he featured in Gully Boy, Chaitanya considers Maidaan his debut. For him, it’s the most emotional experience of his life. “When I did Gully Boy, I’d tell people I star in the film. But for Maidaan, I tell everyone, ‘My movie is out this week.’ This film is a tribute to the men whose stories have remained untold, and we were lucky to tell the tale.”
P K Banerjee, who was the first Indian football player to receive the Arjuna Award
I made Maidaan's casting director Vaibhav Vishant's life hell. I told him, ‘I want humshakals’-Amit Sharma
8:37 AM
Arun Ghosh is played by Aaman Munshi
Maidaan director on how he went through 6,000 audition tapes to find 11 actors who’d portray PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and other football greats in his sports drama
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 6, 2024)
How does one cast for a biopic? In the words of Maidaan’s director Amit R Sharma, you get someone who resembles the real person. But it doesn’t end there. The Ajay Devgn-led sports drama, based on the life of manager-coach Syed Abdul Rahim, traces the Indian football team’s rise in the international arena between 1952 and 1962. So, the film also demanded actors who played the sport.
“I wanted people who can play football, act well, and match the [original players’] physicality to the T,” starts Sharma. “I made my casting director Vaibhav’s [Vishant] life hell. I told him, ‘I want humshakals’.”
The casting began in 2019, with the team scouting for faces across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Hoshiarpur, West Bengal, Kerala and Goa. With Devgn in the central role, Sharma needed to build a team of 11, depicting the Indian squad of the ’50s that included Subimal Chuni Goswami, P K Banerjee, and Tulsidas Balaram. While Chaitanya Sharma steps into Banerjee’s shoes, Amartya Ray plays Goswami and Aaman Munshi is Arun Ghosh.
The director recalls, “From 6,000 actors, I picked 11. My film had to be authentic. PK Banerjee sir told me, ‘Whoever you get for my role, he should have big thighs like me.’ I wasn’t sure if the thighs would be a replica, but the faces match. He came to the Kolkata set, in a wheelchair.”
Under Rahim’s leadership, the Indian team won gold medals in the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, and played the semi-final of the 1956 Summer Olympics. Sadly, the talented players have been forgotten in our cricket-obsessed country.
Sharma rues, “Other than football-playing states like Kerala, Goa, and West Bengal, no one knows about the laurels of the ’50s. Sir Stanley Rous, who was the FIFA chief, gave India the moniker ‘Brazil of Asia’. We were that good. PK Banerjee was so powerful that he would tear the net. Chuni Goswami was a goal scorer. Arun Ghosh was a fabulous defender.”
With Maidaan, Sharma wants to give Rahim’s team the glory they deserved. “I’ve made the film as a tribute to the players. Syed Rahim’s dream was to see football being played in every gully of the country. Can’t we find 11 players in a population of 140 crore? In the 1960 Olympics, a burly man praised Balaram’s game and asked him for his jersey. That man was the late Muhammad Ali.”
The late Chuni Goswami, played by Amartya Ray, led India at the 1962 Asian Games
The late P K Banerjee has been essayed by Chaitanya Sharma
Amit Sharma said, ‘Maidaan is releasing on this date, else I will change my name’-Priyamani
8:58 AM
Happy that Sharma-directed Maidaan is finally releasing, Priyamani on playing the pillar of strength to Ajay’s character in the sports drama
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; April 3, 2024)
Maidaan went through so many delays that when director Amit R Sharma finally announced its April 10 release, Priyamani refused to believe it. “Amit Sharma said, ‘It’s releasing on this date, else I will change my name.’ I told him it was a challenge,” laughs the actor.
Jokes aside, she is glad that the sports drama, set in the ’50s, gave her a meaty role. While Ajay Devgn steps into the shoes of football coach and manager Syed Abdul Rahim, Priyamani plays his wife, who was his pillar of support.
“The character was [treated] by the makers exactly how they narrated it to me. Whenever I would ask them if any of my scenes were cut in the end, they said, ‘Not at all. You aren’t there to just establish the family. The family has an important role in the film.’”
The icing on the cake was working with Devgn, something she had wanted for a long time. “He is such a brilliant actor and what he has brought to this film and his character is phenomenal.”
With Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan (2023) and now Maidaan, Priyamani has collaborated with two male superstars of the Hindi film industry. Not surprisingly, she cherished every bit of the experience.
“Ajay sir and Shah Rukh approach their characters differently. Maidaan’s set-up was a little serious. But off camera, Ajay sir would enquire about how the south industry functions, how the directors and actors are. With Shah Rukh, we got along like a house on fire. Every evening, he’d bring his guitar and music system out, and we all would jam. What each brings on screen is completely different, but both of them are phenomenal.”
Beginning with The Family Man, the National Award-winning actor has steadily amassed a new fan base in the Hindi-speaking audience in addition to her south audience. She says, “I feel grateful that the industry is seeing me as capable of pulling off these roles.”
Today, I can even talk to Lionel Messi about football-Amit Sharma
9:04 AM
From learning all about ’50s football scene to meeting coach Rahim’s family, Maidaan director on making the Ajay-starrer over five years
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 28, 2024)
Amit R Sharma’s last theatrical offering was the wonderful Badhaai Do (2018), which won multiple awards. The director has had to brave the pandemic, lockdowns and multiple delays to ready his next, Maidaan, led by Ajay Devgn. What has he learnt from the experience? “Patience,” says Sharma.
He believes that the biopic of Syed Abdul Rahim, who was the Indian football team’s coach and manager between 1950 and 1963, deserves time and care. If it took him five years to make it, so be it.
“The story was such that I couldn’t detach myself. Even when we wrote the film, we didn’t want to do a rushed job. When we started out, Syed Abdul Rahim’s Wikipedia page had Jarnail Singh’s picture. We met [Rahim’s] son Hakim saab. When Rahim started out [as a coach], his motivation was solely that India should be recognised the world over.”
Sharma is a cricket fan, like the majority of the Indian population. As he went ahead to tell the football coach’s story, it was the man, not the game that drew him.
“I’ve played cricket all my life. When I said yes, it was for the charm of the man. I had to learn [so much]. The football rules of the ’50s were different. There was no foul, no red and yellow cards before. There were no substitutes for injured players. Novy Kapadia [football journalist and commentator] helped us capture the mood of the ’50s. Today, I can even talk to [Lionel] Messi about football.”
The biggest challenge was to give the leading man memorable scenes even as he stayed off the field. “He is the mastermind [of the game], but how do you give him importance? He had to be the story’s hero. We worked on detailing. I didn’t want the people from the football team watching the film and saying it’s not authentic. Ajay trusted our vision.”
In a crucial scene in the trailer, Devgn is seen giving a pep talk to the players. Tell him it feels similar to the memorable ‘sattar minute’ scene of Chak De India (2007), and Sharma notes, “But they are different films and different sports altogether. Football and hockey are sports where the coach plays a major role. You play mind games with the opposition. We devised game plans. Match scores are available on Google, but we had to make the five minutes [of each match] an edge-of-the-seat experience.”
Case against Boney Kapoor over non-payment of Rs 1 cr bill
8:49 AM
Complainant says invoices pertaining to use of equipment to shoot Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan haven’t been cleared since December 2020
Diwakar Sharma (MID-DAY; March 20, 2024)
A commercial suit has been filed against renowned Bollywood film producer Boney Kapoor and his team over the non-payment of an outstanding bill of nearly Rs 1 crore with interest to a vendor, who facilitated camera-related equipment for shooting the upcoming flick of Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan. The suit, filed by Meherafrin Investments Private Limited at the city civil court in Dindoshi against Kapoor and other co-producers, has sought an injunction of the screening of the football-themed film, which is set to be released on Eid (either April 9 or 10).
When contacted, Kapoor said that it was an arm-twisting tactic to blackmail him when he had already promised to clear the outstanding amount to the vendor. However, the director of Meherafrin Investments Private Limited, Ninad Nayampally, alleged that Kapoor had been making false promises on multiple occasions to delay the clearance of outstanding bills.
“We have been in touch with Boney Kapoor's Bayview Projects LLP, producers of Maidaan since the beginning of the shoot of the film. We have been doing business with them since the start of the shoot of the film. As per our company policy, we raised invoices as per schedule. Even though they cleared the initial invoices, after December 2020 no invoices were cleared. With follow-ups and having conversed with Boney Kapoor-ji himself yet where we shared our concerns. Boney-ji was accommodating and assured us that our dues would be cleared,” Nayampally told mid-day.
“Even after being reassured we were left in the dark. Having no route left we took the legal recourse and issued a legal notice to Bayview and its directors with the intention that we would get some clarification on our dues. To our surprise, there was no response to our legal notice. Left with no other option, approaching the court of law was the only solution for our recovery,” he added.
“We supplied goods and services for the production of Maidaan. But the producer of the film has publicly acknowledged in media statements that he is indebted to various parties and has been unable to fulfil these financial obligations. The producer had assured us that the outstanding dues would be settled before the release of the film. However, the producer and his partners have ceased all communications with us. Their conduct indicates a clear lack of intention to settle the outstanding dues owed to us,” said the vendor’s manager Easiah Dhanpal Xavier, who is the complainant in the suit.
Kapoor Speak
When contacted, Kapoor said Rs 63 lakh is the original pending amount to be paid to the vendor. “I have spoken to my team and he [Ninad] has been told that he would be paid before the release of the picture, which is only a month away. Not only he, other vendors also have been promised the same. Everybody knows that the picture was stuck because of COVID,” he said.
“I have made 45 films and nobody has been deprived in my company. There is no way that I will avoid any kind of payment. This is nothing but an arm-twisting tactic. I will clear whatever the bill is, excluding interest on the pending amount,” he added. The producer stated, “We will reply to whatever is mentioned in the suit in court but he can’t seek an injunction before Rs 63 lakh is paid.”
Aditya Dhar said, ‘I want actors like you and Yami Gautam to do Article 370, not stars’-Priyamani
8:49 AM
Following up Article 370 with Maidaan, Priyamani discusses playing pillar of strength to Ajay’s character of Syed Abdul Rahim
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; March 12, 2024)
Even though Priyamani dabbled in Hindi cinema in the initial years of her career, it is only in recent times that the Tamil actor has become a frequent face—be it in The Family Man, Jawan (2023) or Article 370. Now, the actor is ready with her next, Maidaan. She plays Ajay Devgn’s wife Saira in the biopic of Syed Abdul Rahim, who was the Indian football coach and manager from 1950 to 1963.
Director Amit Ravindernath Sharma’s sports drama may have Devgn and football at its front and centre, but Priyamani says the tender relationship between the protagonist and his wife resonated with her.
“Saira is his emotional support and pillar of strength. She holds the fort when Rahim saab is not at home, or busy with his meetings and matches. There is a cute relationship between them,” she says, looking forward to the Eid release.
Until then, she is happy with the way Article 370, led by Yami Gautam Dhar, is faring in theatres. She is thankful to producer Aditya Dhar and director Aditya Suhas Jambhale for not only offering her the political thriller, but also building her character, Rajeshwari Swaminathan, a senior officer in the Prime Minister’s Office, down to the last detail.
“While offering the film, Aditya’s words were, ‘I want actors like you and Yami to do this film, not stars.’ When I heard the gist, I wanted to be a part of it; I loved the story. My role didn’t need so much importance, but they invested a lot of time in it. What also resonated with me is while the storm is happening on the field, Rajeshwari is calm and strong.”
Trade experts discuss as Ajay Devgn to have 3 releases in 1 1/2 months
10:00 AM
Amid a busy year with five movies, Ajay Devgn to have three back-to-back releases in one-and-a-half months; trade says films’ different genres may benefit him, while some bat for longer gaps
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 17, 2024)
It could well be the year of Ajay Devgn. After having only one release in Bholaa last year, the superstar has five movies lined up in 2024. Call it a coincidence or what you may, but three of them are set to release in quick succession over one-and-a-half months. While supernatural thriller Shaitaan hits the marquee on March 8, director Amit R Sharma’s sports drama Maidaan follows on Eid in April, before Devgn rounds off the month with the romantic drama, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha opposite Tabu. So, will Devgn’s hat-trick of movies affect one another?
Trade analyst Atul Mohan admits it’s a unique situation in the actor’s three-decade career. But he believes two factors work in Devgn’s favour. “Ajay is an intelligent actor and understands commercial cinema well. What works in his favour is that the three movies belong to different genres. Secondly, besides Ajay, we don’t have any big stars’ offerings this year, be it Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor or Ranveer Singh [barring the extended cameo in Singham Again]. So, his films are something to look forward to,” explains Mohan.
Film distributor and multiplex owner Raj Bansal notes that actors are sometimes helpless at the producers’ decision regarding release dates. “No star would want his movies to come in close succession. But Maidaan was being deferred for the past two years, and now, it’s coming in April. A gap of 10-12 weeks between releases is necessary, but having said that, once a film is a hit, we’ll forget everything else.”
While trade analyst Komal Nahata echoes Bansal’s sentiment, he also points out that the scenario will hardly affect an actor of Devgn’s stature, one of the biggest stars of Hindi cinema currently. “Ideally, movies should be spaced out. But while the box-office performance of films may affect a star’s status, the release schedules do not.”
After a busy summer, Devgn will return to the big screen in August with Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, before ending the year with Raid 2.
Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi reflects, “Surely, 2024 is the year of Ajay Devgn. I’m hoping that at least one movie will move to May or June. What affects every exhibitor is if the fatigue kicks in with the same actor coming up on screen, and in the worst-case scenario, it may result in the audience diminishing. If a superstar’s movie doesn’t do well, it’s a huge opportunity lost for all of us. That said, I’m not skeptical here—if the movies are solid, they will work. I hope all three turn out to be blockbusters.”
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