Showing posts with label Tiger 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiger 3. Show all posts
Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan think from a larger perspective of the audience-Abhiraj Minawala
10:04 AM
‘Mardaani 3’ director Abhiraj Minawala says Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan’s ability to think from the viewers’ perspective is the secret to their long success
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; February 22, 2026)
There’s something about the 1990s superstars that not only makes them relevant but also sees them at the top of their game today. Director Abhiraj Minawala may have an idea or two about it. After all, he worked closely with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan on Jawan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023) respectively, while his latest directorial venture Mardaani 3 enabled him to collaborate with Rani Mukerji.
He found one striking similarity between the two Khans’ approach to work. He shared, “Their passion and dedication [are unmatched]. Their conversations are ‘Yeh karte hain, audience ko maza aayega!’ The thought is not that we should do this, but that the audience will love it. One thing common between them is that they think from a larger perspective of the audience. [It probably stems from] the fact that they started their journey as an audience, and then ended up here.”
The director is equally in awe of Mukerji, who has completed 30 years in the industry. Having worked with her on Mardaani 3, Minawala walked away with keen observations about her. “She has achieved a lot, but I’ve seen that she still comes on set with the openness that she is here to perform. She is willing to learn things and collaborate with the team.”
Aamir Khan gives you money to shoot five scenes first-Vir Das
9:36 AM
Turning director with the spy comedy ‘Happy Patel’, International Emmy winner Vir Das breaks down producer Aamir Khan’s rigorous process of sharpening a film with mock shoots and 30 test screenings
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; January 16, 2026)
‘What the hell have you made?’ That is a question Vir Das admittedly heard frequently at a recent screening of Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos. “That is good feedback. Everybody seemed to be laughing,” said the actor and International Emmy-winning comedian, who has turned director with the spy comedy.
The idea of Happy Patel lurked in Das’s mind for almost 15 years. It needed the right time and the right producer. The actor got lucky on the second count. “After writing the script, I called Aamir [Khan] sir and said, ‘I’ve got this mad movie. You might be the only person who will produce it.’ He called me in. Keep in mind, I hadn’t spoken to him since Delhi Belly [2011].”
The superstar liked the script, but he needed Das and co-director Kavi Shastri to follow a process. First came a series of narrations. “There are five-six narrations with Aamir sir, during which he asks questions like ‘What is the story? What are the characters? What do they want?’ Once you’ve done that, he gives you a bit of money and makes you shoot five scenes of the movie. When we showed those scenes — graded, colour corrected, edited — to him, he greenlit the film,” recalled Das.
Khan’s involvement as a producer didn’t end there. He held around 30 test screenings. “After the second cut, he held screenings for people of different age groups and demographics. He told them, ‘Tell us what’s wrong with the movie. No praise allowed.’ [Based on that], we did our third and fourth cut.”
Even though the process was extensive, it was rewarding for Das. The actor and director shared, “The win is learning how to make a film from Aamir Khan. I wish every bhatkoing artiste finds the creative lighthouse that is Aamir.”
What’s ‘Pathaan’ got to do with it?
The idea of ‘Happy Patel’ struck Das, a fan of spy comedies like ‘Johnny English’, in 2009. But he had to wait as the Indian audience hadn’t woken up to spy films then.
“Culture has to be mainstream for comedy to counter it. So, I had to wait for ‘Tiger’, ‘Pathaan’ [2023], and ‘Dhurandhar’ [2025] to happen. Amogh Ranadive [co-writer] and I wrote the script in the month ‘Pathaan’ released,” said Das.
"Meri pasaliyan tooti thi": Salman Khan’s jibe after A R Murugadoss accuses him of being tardy
9:25 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (October 14, 2025)
Salman Khan threw shade at Sikandar director AR Murugadoss over his remarks about the challenges of working with the actor.
During a Weekend Ka Vaar episode on Bigg Boss 19, Salman was asked to name any films he regrets doing. The 59-year-old actor cited Suryavanshi and Nishchay (both from 1992). But when nudged to mention a more recent title, Salman said, “Log kehte hain Sikandar, par main nahi manta; uska plot bahut acha tha.”
Referencing Murugadoss’s claims of Salman arriving on set at 9 pm and being difficult to work with, the actor continued, “Lekin kya hai na, main set pe raat ke 9 baje pahuchta tha, toh usme gadbad ho gayi. Meri pasaliyan tooti thi, isliye jo hamare director sahab hain unhone ye kaha.”
He then took a dig at the director’s latest film, Madharaasi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, sarcastically noting that the lead actor was reportedly on set by 6 am, but the film still failed to deliver: “Bahut badi film hai aur utni hi badi… Sikandar se badi blockbuster.”
Despite a massive Rs. 80 crore budget, Madharaasi earned only Rs. 98.48 crore. Meanwhile, Sikandar flopped at the box office, earning just Rs. 103.45 crore against its Rs. 200 crore budget, and was widely panned as one of Salman’s weakest films.
‘Kaam mila kya bhai?’
On the same episode, Salman also responded to filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap’s allegations, saying, “Ek Dabangg insaan hai. Mere saath Aamir (Khan, actor) ko bhi lapet liya. Pichle Weekend Ka Vaar pe maine bola tha, ‘Kaam karo yaar, nobody’s interested.’ Aaj wapas poochna chahta hoon, ‘Kaam mila kya bhai?’” While acknowledging that Abhinav’s remarks hurt him, Salman maintained that he is a talented filmmaker who should focus on his work.
The actor then spoke about the rumours of a long-standing feud with singer Arijit Singh, dismissing it as a mere misunderstanding: “Arijit aur main bahut achhe dost hain. That misunderstanding had happened from my side. After that, he even sang songs for me in Tiger 3, and now in Battle Of Galwan.”
My right eye is still affected, but hasn’t hindered my work-Vaibhavi Merchant
9:17 AM
Natasha Coutinho (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 28, 2025)
Vaibhavi Merchant, who received her second National Award for Best Choreography on Tuesday, has spoken about battling health challenges like peripheral vision loss and thyroid issues for the first time. The 49-year-old, who was honoured for Dhindhora Baje Re (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, 2023), opens up about her body transformation.
“I was diagnosed with thyroid in 2017; it is a hereditary issue. Despite working hard and trying several diets, my body showed no results until my endocrinologist put me on a slow, sustainable plan. I also started playing badminton,” she shares.
But soon after, Vaibhavi was diagnosed with an autoimmune trigger. “I had peripheral vision loss in my right eye,” she reveals, adding, “It could be due to the Covid vaccine or the shoot schedule of Tiger 3 (2023). We shot throughout Europe — including Italy, which was badly affected by Covid — and I spent long hours in a mask, which affected a nerve.”
Vaibhavi was put on steroids at the time. She recalls, “It made me gain another 10 kg. To date, people ask me why I wear glasses indoors, but I have to do what I can to protect my eyes. My right eye is still affected, but hasn’t hindered my work.”
Despite the stress on her body, she has learnt to adapt to the situation: “I never gave up, though I still have 5 kg to lose and muscle mass to gain. It’s important to be guided by a doctor, and to love your body the way it is.”
Her slim physique at the ceremony, captured by actors Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, also surfaced on social media. “I got so many messages about how people loved SRK and Rani rooting for me. They made my day special by capturing beautiful photos and videos. Rani is my soul sister, Shah Rukh just knows how to make you feel special,” she ends.
Kabir Khan on stepping away from Ek Tha Tiger sequels: "Even James Bond is not made by the same director every time"
8:54 AM
Vinay MR Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; September 13, 2025)
Thirteen years after its release, Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger (ETT) has earned an international honour recently – a place at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, alongside legendary works like James Bond films and Mission: Impossible. For Kabir, the feat is “sweet and flattering”.
He shares, “I’ve always said that the success of a film is never about the money it makes at the box office. Of course, that is important, but what really makes a difference is for how long that film is spoken about and how long it captures people’s imagination. Thirteen years after the release of the film, if it is still being spoken about with such love and respect and being given this position, then that’s what true success is.”
‘Action doesn’t need any more promotion in India’
Kabir doesn’t believe that this achievement will lead to makers attempting more action films. “Action doesn’t need any more promotion in this country,” he says, adding, “In fact, I have a feeling that there are too many action films happening.”
‘Action films need to get back to raw action’
Kabir goes on to explain that Ek Tha Tiger succeeded because its action was rooted in drama and emotion rather than spectacle alone. “There was a very strong, dramatic reason for the action in the film. The action sequences need to go with the narrative. Then you’re really invested in the action because it becomes a part of the drama and storytelling. No one is going to be wowed by only seeing massive action scenes on screen now. Ultimately, emotions move you. Action films need to get back a little more to the sort of raw action which went along with the storytelling, as opposed to over-the-top action that we are seeing, which has no emotion running through it. We’re just doing it to show grand visuals with VFX and AI,” Kabir says.
‘If you see my filmography, you won’t notice a single sequel in it’
While Ek Tha Tiger went on to become a massive success, it also had two successors – Tiger Zinda Hai and Tiger 3. Ask him why he stepped away from the sequels, and he replies, “If you see my filmography, you won’t notice a single sequel in it. I believe sequels are what producers need to do because they create an IP, exploit that IP and the success of that IP. But for a director or a storyteller, there’s a fatigue that comes in with a story. Once I’ve completed that journey, something really compelling needs to pull me back to that. Otherwise, I feel I need to move on and get onto something new. If one were to follow the conventional wisdom of the industry, I would just continue making sequels of all my successful films. There would be like three Tigers and three Bajrangis and maybe another New York. However, that’s not the way that I have been attracted to stories as a director. At the end of the day, even James Bond is not made by the same director every time.”
India-Pakistan conflict: Sarzameen, Lahore 1947 to drop Pakistan references
10:41 AM
Amid India-Pakistan ceasefire, sources say Kajol’s Sarzameen being redubbed to drop Pak references; Lahore 1947, which revolves around Partition, being reviewed by the makers
Mohar Basu, Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; May 14, 2025)
Even though a ceasefire is in place between India and Pakistan, the after-effects of the military conflicts can be felt across the board, including in Bollywood. The buzz in the industry is that several high-profile projects are being reviewed or undergoing significant rewrites to remove any references to Pakistan from their scripts.
Among the first to be impacted is Kajol and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s political thriller Sarzameen. The team is now reworking key sequences. “The film never explicitly made a reference to Pakistan, but it’s set in Kashmir, and certain scenes were interpreted as politically sensitive in the current climate. They were to release the film on May 30, but now, they are redubbing some parts,” said a source close to the production.
Another movie that must determine how to navigate the situation is Sunny Deol’s Lahore 1947. Sources shared that Rajkumar Santoshi’s directorial venture, centred on a Muslim family relocating to Lahore after Partition, is being internally reviewed.
An insider said, “The film is in sharp contrast with the sentiment of the nation and is being re-looked at. The team needs to decide how to make it work without compromising the story or being insensitive, given the current situation.”
Pathaan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023), the last two offerings from Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, had prominent characters hailing from Pakistan. For their future films, we have heard that many writers will take a cue from Pathaan, where John Abraham’s antagonist Jim creates his own terrorist network with no links to any country. “The approach is to shift focus to shadowy terror networks and rogue agencies without geographical identifiers,” said a source.
When mid-day reached out to YRF amid rumours that their upcoming films, War 2 and Alpha, are being reviewed in light of recent events, the spokesperson said, “There is no truth to any of these claims floating. Alpha, War 2, and Pathaan 2 have no Pakistan connection. War 2 and Alpha have already been shot and there are no changes being made because there are no changes to be made. Tiger is an Indian spy, Zoya is married to an Indian spy. So, there is no question of the [Tiger] franchise being in any uncertainty.”
Not all movies with a war backdrop are under the scanner, though. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War — starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal — remains untouched. A trade analyst explains, “Bhansali has positioned his story in a timeless, almost mythical space. The film is set between 1960 and 1965, with the wars serving only as the backdrop. The love story takes centre-stage.”
Don’t see, don’t hear?
A day after Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane was removed from Sanam Teri Kasam’s (2016) cover on music apps, Mahira Khan has met the same fate with Raees (2017). The cover of the film’s album on Spotify now features only Shah Rukh Khan. Meanwhile, the music of Fawad Khan’s Abir Gulaal has been pulled down from Spotify and Apple Music.
Sikandar is the tenth highest first weekend ever for Salman Khan
8:51 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
SIKANDAR was the tenth highest first weekend for Salman Khan at 70 crore nett plus when the target was to get to 100 crore nett over three days. The 100 crore target is also because the music or trailers did not generate much heat because if they did then there is no target as the sky is the limit.
The last release for Salman Khan had collected 138 crore nett on a similar weekend with a Sunday start and at that time this number was also looked at as if it was on the lower side which was not the case. The numbers were double of SIKANDAR; its another story that TIGER 3 was not appreciated but the initial was very good.
SIKANDAR has similar numbers to DABANGG 3 which was released in 2019 just before the pandemic and its numbers are actually not much higher than KISI KA BHAI KISI KI JAAN which did 58 crore nett. TIGER 3 was double its weekend numbers in terms of its lifetime business and that will be the case for SIKANDAR as well.
The top ten opening weekends for Salman Khan are as follows.
1. Tiger 3 - 1,38,56,00,000
2. Tiger Zinda Hai - 1,14,91,00,000
3. Sultan - 1,05,55,00,000
4. Bajrangi Bhaijaan - 1,01,42,00,000
5. Race 3 - 1,00,64,00,000
6. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - 97,63,00,000
7. Bharat - 90,47,00,000
8. Kick - 80,43,00,000
9. Dabangg 3 - 72,46,00,000
10. Sikandar - 70,50,00,000 apprx
11. Tubelight - 61,53,00,000
12. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - 58,56,00,000
13. Dabangg 2 - 48,43,00,000
14. Jai Ho - 58,17,00,000
15. Ek Tha Tiger - 56,11,00,000
Salman Khan's Sikandar unlikely to surpass his highest opener Tiger 3, say trade analysts
10:49 AM
Even as Sikandar earns over Rs. 10 crore in advance booking, trade analysts skeptical of its Day-One figures surpassing Salman Khan’s biggest opener Tiger 3 at Rs 43 crore
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 29, 2025)
From the look of things, it will be a grand Eid for Salman Khan fans. The advance booking window for Sikandar opened on March 27, and earned over Rs 10 crore on the first day. Despite its strong advance booking figures, buzz in the trade is that Sikandar is unlikely to smash Khan’s highest opener, Tiger 3 (2023), which had raked in Rs 43 crore on its first day.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh notes, “There are lots of factors [going in Sikandar’s favour]—it’s an Eid release, it stars Salman, and A R Murugadoss is the director. The assets may not have tracked as expected, but Sajid Nadiadwala [producer] and Salman know the pulse of the audience. Spot bookings will be the main focus. Since Tiger 3 made Rs 43 crore, Sikandar has the pressure to not settle at a final figure of Rs 25 crore [on Day One]. It has to top Tiger 3, which will be a challenge.”
Like Sikandar, Tiger 3 was not only a festival release but also a Sunday offering. One could argue that the 2023 Diwali offering had the advantage of being part of the YRF Spy Universe. In contrast, Sikandar is a standalone action drama, which may not have the same multiplex appeal. But trade circles are confident that single-screen theatres, in cities as well as in tier-2 and -3 towns, will be the film’s stronghold.
Manoj Desai, executive director of Gaiety-Galaxy, states, “Salman’s films have an unmatched pull in single screens. His fans don’t care about reviews or [box-office] comparisons; they come for the experience. They should increase the number of screens; Bhai’s film on Eid is bound to do well.”
After a long break, more Indian films being screened and shot in Russia
8:56 AM
Anumeha Chaturvedi (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; May 25, 2024)
Several generations of Russians grew up watching subtitled Indian films and were floored by Raj Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Hema Malini and Shah Rukh Khan years ago. Now, after a gap of about three decades, industry players and authorities are working to reignite the old cultural affiliation through Indian films by increasing film shoots and screenings of Indian films in Russia.
Film production and distribution companies and government officials in Russia are looking to attract Indian filmmakers and films now that Hollywood films are absent in Russia following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Sarfaraz Alam Safu, who runs Kartina Entertainment, a line production company for Indian films in Russia and CIS countries, said Indian filmmakers are showing increasing interest and parts of some recent films including Sardar Udham, Pathaan, Tiger 3 and JugJugg Jeeyo were shot there.
“I am also working on a film, which is a biopic of Rakesh Sharma (the first Indian in space) to be shot here, which will be produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur,” Safu said. “Companies such as Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment, Emmay Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Productions, and many more are in touch with us for several projects,” he added.
Local authorities are hoping to attract more Indian filmmakers this year through discounted production costs.
“We are now like the front office or supermarket of any services for filmmakers, as we are trying to cut their production expenses as much as possible by offering a low price to shoot here,” said Evgeny Kozlov, first deputy head of the office of the mayor and the government of Moscow. Upcoming Tamil action film ‘The Greatest Of All Time’ last month became the first foreign film to be shot as part of the ‘Moscow-City of Cinema’ programme that provides subsidies to filmmakers.
“I hope we will see several Bollywood projects from India being shot this year in Moscow,” Kozlov said. “We have started working deeply with Bollywood firms to invite Bollywood filmmakers to the Moscow cinema cluster. My colleagues from the Moscow Department of Culture who are responsible for attracting filmmakers are also trying to establish connections with Bollywood filmmakers.” Kozlov is also the chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee.
Meanwhile, more Indian films are being screened across Russia as Hollywood blockbusters, which have been mostly ruling Russian cinemas post the collapse of Soviet Union in the early 1990s, are no longer released in Russia.
Besides Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Indian films are being screened in over 40 locations in the country including Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Kazan, Penza, Saratov, Tula, Ulyanovsk, and Cheboksary.
Mirzoyan Karen Rudolfovich, a general producer of Indian films in Russia, said he is hoping Indian films will capture about 20% of the Russian films market in the next four to five years, up from less than 5% now. “Hollywood made a lot of investments in popularizing their actors in Russia. That’s missing for Indian films,” said Rudolfovich, who has been working on Indian projects for the past eight years.
“We work with production houses such as Red Chillies and Dharma Productions, and our company purchases the rights of Indian films to screen them in Russia,” he said.
Abhishek Anand, a Russian language translator and interpreter who also acted in a recent Indian film shot in Russia, said the older generation of Russians have a totally different emotion for Indians as they were very fond of actors such as Raj Kapoor. “But films such as Pathaan, Pushpa, Bahubali and RRR have also done well here,” he said. “Pathaan was shot here and there is a Russian dialogue in the film that resonated very well with the audience here,” Anand added.
People hoped that there will be a shirtless scene between me and Salman Khan in Tiger 3's climax-Emraan Hashmi
9:13 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; April 22, 2024)
When Emraan Hashmi bumped into Mallika Sherawat at a recent event and posed for the shutterbugs with her, that moment took people back to their Murder (2004) days. Back then, Emraan was known for a very different kind of cinema, which he has clearly steered away from for years now. The actor featured in films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005) and Aksar (2006) among others, that gave him the tag of being Bollywood’s serial kisser.
We asked Emraan if he’d ever want to venture into that genre of films again and he replied, “Never! I don’t see myself doing that anymore.”
Earlier this year, the Selfiee actor posted his shirtless picture on Instagram, something which he rarely does. Talking about it, he said, “It was one of those mandatory things that you have to do today on social media because everyone is doing it. There’s some amount of FOMO and insecurity where you wonder… as an actor am I lagging in that area? So, you go ahead and say, let me also show some abs. The audience out there is hyper voyeuristic right now and there is only so much you can show by flaunting different outfits. That was the idea behind putting up a shirtless picture.”
He cites an example of his last year’s release Tiger 3 where as an antagonist he was pitted against Salman Khan in the Maneesh Sharma directorial. He shares, “People have had this yearning (of seeing him shirtless) and this came across funnily at the time of Tiger 3’s release. People imagined and hoped that there will be a shirtless scene between me and Salman in the climax. So, they had already made up a film in their head. Hence, I guess people were a little disappointed (laughs). So that’s when I thought let me give them a peek on social media then.”
I started valuing my family more after my son’s health scare-Emraan Hashmi
3:08 PM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 29, 2024)
One of the toughest phases in Emraan Hashmi’s life was when his son Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. He was four years old then and was declared cancer-free in 2019. Looking back, Emraan says, “I would say that I started valuing family a little bit more.”
Emraan adds, “I realized that you can’t take anything for granted. Just take one day at a time and live life to the fullest. You don’t know what the future entails. Don’t have any regrets. I have become a little more disciplined about my health and my family’s health. Our diet used to be extremely unhealthy before Ayaan’s diagnosis. We realized that and made many changes to our lifestyle.”
Over the years, the actor, who used to work on projects back-to-back, has slowed down. Did that phase make him realise the importance of work-life balance? “I have always wanted to strike a balance, so it isn’t a result of any particular upheaval in my life,” says Emraan, adding, “I tried doing that after we got married and had Ayaan. Your life gets affected when you become an aggressive workaholic, but I made deliberate efforts to ensure that I could make time for my family as much as possible.”
Ask Emraan if his son has watched any of his films, and he shares, “He saw Tiger 3 and Selfie recently. He liked Tiger 3 more for its big-screen experience. He likes watching all things expansive in theatres with heavy-duty action, spectacular sets and stunning VFX.”
Top 10 grossers in Gulf post pandemic: Shah Rukh Khan dominates
9:53 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
Gulf saw a huge year in 2023 as the Shah Rukh Khan starrers dominated with two films going over $10 million. As the overseas market came back to life from the mid 90's, it has been about three markets (USA/Canada, United Kingdom and Gulf). Initially the domination was from the United Kingdom and then towards the end of the 2000's, it became the the USA/Canada market.
Today, Gulf holds the highest total ever for the first time as no film from USA/Canada or United Kingdom has done as much as JAWAN has in Gulf. It is the highest ever total from an overseas circuit for a Hindi film. There is the the opening up of the Saudi market post the pandemic which helps the numbers but the issue has been that UAE is not what it used to be pre pandemic barring a few exceptions.
The top three films are all Shah Rukh Khan starrers and only he can do these numbers of JAWAN and PATHAAN while for others, $10 million would still be a huge target and maybe it can be down on a Eid release. It is basically Gulf and United Kingdom which sets Shah Rukh Khan apart from the others in Overseas as $15 million in Gulf and £4 million in United Kingdom is what only he can do when the film is right.
DUNKI sitting in third place pretty much sums up the star power in Gulf. You could also lock a $5 million total in Pakistan for the likes of JAWAN and PATHAAN but that is different story altogether and not likely to happen in the near future.
The top grossers post pandemic in Gulf are as follows. These numbers are for Hindi films only and likes of JAWAN and ANIMAL have it a little coming in regional also though its minimal.
1. Jawan - $17,700,000
2. Pathaan - $14,200,000
3. Dunki - $6,320,000
4. Animal - $5,200,000
5. Tiger 3 - $4,800,000
6. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani - $4,230,000
7. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - $2,600,000
8. KGF - Chapter 2 - $2,1,70,000
9. Brahmastra - $2,100,000
10. Drishyam 2 - $1,930,000
In Bollywood, we play it too safe. I think we should change that-Emraan Hashmi
10:05 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; February 13, 2024)
Bollywood’s OG serial kisser boy has evolved. It has taken him time to break out of the box, but he did. In recent years, he’s been seen experimenting with a range of roles, including two-film hero projects like Selfiee and Tiger 3. The latter where he played the anti-hero brought him back into the spotlight. Emraan talks to us about why he doesn’t want to be slotted as a villain, his foray into south films and more.
‘Earlier, my idea of a villain was that he will only be painted as this dark character’
Talking about the switch in his career, Emraan says, “People wouldn’t have thought of me featuring me in a Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar starrer. They are two different worlds and when they collide, there’s something that sparks off. I think Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai would be one of my first films in that space. It took a lot of convincing on Milan’s (Luthria, director) part to get me to do that part. I was reluctant because I was playing just the main leads until then. Earlier, my idea of a villain was that he will only be painted as this dark character. But in that film, I played the anti-hero. The same goes with my role in Tiger 3. He is the hero of his own narrative. I wouldn’t like to play a one-toned villain in a film. I am grateful to filmmakers to have realized that and experimented with that. I just go with the flow, and I don’t yearn to do films in a certain genre.”
‘I don’t want to get slotted as a villain’
He enjoys playing the antagonist in films, but he doesn’t want to do that repeatedly. He elaborates, “I have done few antagonist roles. I don’t want to get slotted in villainous roles. Yes, it is an interesting time to experiment. People are liking the larger-than-life experience in films where two titans are taking on each other.”
‘There was a deliberate effort to try something different’
When he had started out, Emraan was known for a certain kind of cinema – intimate and bold. He was trapped in the image for years before he finally broke away from it. Ask him what’s his hook as an actor today and he says, “I think that finding a groove is dangerous because that could put you in a box again. I hated the fact that I was boxed into certain kind of roles for almost 15 years. There was a deliberate effort to get out of that box and try something different because I wasn’t growing as an actor. I was sleepwalking on every set. That is when I took up films like Shanghai and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. It’s actually a huge trap. A lot of actors from the West also probably bail out from doing characters like Bond, because you gradually get boxed in sometimes. They say it is detrimental to your career because people can’t see you as anything else when you come out of that.”
‘I never imagined myself getting into the south film industry’
Between all the leaps he has been taking as an actor, the biggest plunge is venturing into a pan-India south project. Talking about the film, where he features with Telugu star Pawan Kalyan, he says, “I never imagined myself getting into the south film industry. But it was a fantastic script and a great character. Sujeeth is a great director and is making this film on an enormous canvas.”
‘We have a lot to learn from the way south films are made’
Ask him how different it is working in the south film industry, and he says, “I think south filmmakers are way more disciplined than we are (in Hindi cinema). Every penny that they spend on their film shows on screen. I think we often spend money in the wrong areas in Hindi films, and it doesn’t eventually translate on screen. They have finesse in their films when it comes to VFX, the scale and choice of path-breaking stories. We have some ground to cover before we can match that and we have a lot to learn from the way they make films.”
PVR Inox records Rs 41 crore net profit in Q3
8:24 AM
THE ECONOMIC TIMES (February 1, 2024)
Cinema exhibitor PVR Inox's net profit soared more than 11 times in the December quarter to Rs 41.2 crore from Rs 3.6 crore a year ago as a sharp reduction in corporate tax helped to offset a drop in movie releases during the period marked by the Cricket World Cup.
Revenue grew 6.4% from a year in the quarter to Rs 1,569 crore while expenses increased 7.8% to Rs 1,343 crore. Corporate tax fell 78.5% to Rs 14.2 crore from Rs 66.2 crore a year earlier.
The quarter saw a 41% drop in film releases due to the Cricket World Cup.
The company said the results are not entirely comparable as the merger of PVR and Inox Leisure became effective on February 6, 2023.
"October and November were muted due to the World Cup and the fact that the movie supply had stopped. The moment the World Cup finished, we had the best month ever in December post-Covid. This shows that the appetite to go out and watch movies is there," PVR Inox executive director Sanjeev Bijli said.
According to the company, the gross box office collections grew by 12% to Rs 987.2 crore from Rs 883 crore. During the quarter, 209 films were released compared to 352 in the same period last fiscal.
Animal, Tiger 3, Salaar, and Dunki were the highest-grossing films. "Even mid-budget films like Sam Bahadur, 12th Fail did very well and contributed to the overall box office," Bijli said.
Total admits declined 2% to 36.5 million in Q3 FY24 from 37.1 million in the previous fiscal. The average ticket price (ATP) rose 14% to Rs 271 while the food & beverage spend per head (SPH) increased 8% to Rs 132.
The company added 29 new screens across seven properties during the quarter, taking the total to 1,712 screens across 360 cinemas in 113 cities.
During the first nine months of FY24, PVR Inox opened 97 new screens while it shuttered 62 screens. The net screen edition in the first nine months stood at 35 against the fiscal target of 160-170 screens.
The company intends to exit 15 more screens in the fourth quarter taking the total number of screens it had exited to 77 in FY24.
"We will open 72 screens in Q4 of which four have already opened," Bijli said.
On the closure of screens, he said these screens had come to the end of their life cycle. "These screens were opened 25 years ago which are in malls that have reached the end of their life cycles," he said.
Indian collects 12,400 cr from films in cinemas in 2023; is the third biggest market in the world
10:49 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
India saw the third highest box office collection worldwide in 2023 with around $1.5 billion (12,400 cr) behind only US/Canada and China. The business was almost 20% up from 2022 but there was much higher growth in Hindi cinema due to some huge blockbusters.
Last year had seen the overall business driven by films from the South but this year it was Hindi cinema which will form around 43% of the all India business when it was only 30% (this is taking out the dubbed films from South) in 2022. It is still well short of the 60-65% business Hindi cinema had before the advent of video but those days will never come back. Also, 40% plus is a huge market share in terms of business today though it will be hard to maintain.
The share was around 45% before the pandemic in 2019 also. So, we can say the status was back to normal in 2023 but as mentioned above, the issue is maintaining this and if Hindi cinema can be around 40% of the all India market share, it will mean it is a healthy state as far as the box office goes.
The top fifteen collecting nations across the world in 2023 were as follows.
1. US/Canada - $9.07 billion (75,300 cr)
2. China - $7.71 billion (64,000 cr)
3. India - $1.50 billion (12,400 cr)
4. Japan - $1.48 billion (12,275 cr)
5. UK/Ireland - $1.36 billion (11,290 cr)
6. France - $1.35 billion (11,200 cr)
7. Germany - $1.01 billion (8400 cr)
8. South Korea - $0.97 (8050 cr)
9. Mexico - $0.94 billion (7800 cr)
10. Australia - $0.67 billion (5550 cr)
11. Italy - $0.55 billion (4550 cr)
12. Spain - $0.54 billion (4475 cr)
13. Brazil - 0.47 billion (3900 Cr)
14. Netherlands - $0.36 billion (3000 cr)
15. Russia - $0.33 billion (2750 cr)
The top ten films in India (all formats and versions) were as below and these films gave 38% of the all India collections as they gave a combined total of 4750 crore apprx with JAWAN leading the way the with a GBOC of 733 crore on all versions and formats..
1. Jawan
2. Animal
3. Pathaan
4. Gadar 2
5. Salaar
6. Jailer
7. Leo
8. Tiger 3
9. Dunki
10. Ponniyin Selvan - Part 2
Pathaan helps Yash Raj Films post blockbuster Rs 1,508 crore top line
8:17 AM
Revenue rises 2.5 times in FY23, says co in its regulatory filing with RoC
Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; December 29, 2023)
Film studio Yash Raj Films' revenue for the fiscal ended March 31, 2023, surged almost 2.5 times on-year to Rs. 1,508 crore on the back of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan's superlative box office performance.
The company had recorded revenues of Rs. 619 crore in FY22, according to its regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
"It's been one of our best years in our 50-year history," Akshaye Widhani, chief executive of Yash Raj Films (YRF), said about calendar 2023. "Our hits have been more than our misses due to our focused content approach," he told ET, referring to the performances of Pathaan and Salman Star-starrer Tiger 3, which was released in November.
Widhani refused to comment on the financials since YRF is a privately held company.
Global box office collections of Pathaan, which made its theatrical debut on January 25, and Tiger 3 stood at Rs. 1,100 crore and Rs. 480 crore, respectively.
Widhani said the five films in the YRF Spy Universe franchise have garnered close to Rs. 3,000 crore in the global box office.
The company's net profit for FY23 increased 10.3% to Rs. 117 crore, while expenses zoomed over 2.8 times to Rs. 1,375 crore, as per its RoC filing.
The surge in FY23 revenue and profit is despite the underperformance of Ranveer Singh's Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Akshay Kumar's Samrat Prithviraj, and Ranbir Kapoor's Shamshera last fiscal.
Widhani said the Indian film industry has bounced back in 2023 with highest-ever box office collections and addition of a record 250 movie screens. "The outlook for 2024 and thereafter is very positive," he added.
Fiscal year 2023 also marked YRF's foray into streaming with the launch of docuseries The Romantics on Netflix. The company this year produced a four-part thriller series, The Railway Men, which was released in November.
The year of Bollywood’s resurgence coincided with the rise of the angry strongman
8:14 AM
The year of Bollywood’s resurgence coincided with the rise of the angry strongman. We decode the trend
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 29, 2023)
What’s the common thread running through Pathaan, Jawan, Tiger 3, Gadar 2 and Animal? Apart from being money-minting machines reviving Bollywood from its slumber this year, the films also became vehicles of resurgence of the ‘angry strongman’.
According to trade expert and producer Girish Johar, this reliance on hypermasculinity — and the films’ subsequent successes — are testaments to the audience’s shifting preferences: “Action, blood and larger-than-life — these are the things that people want to watch on the big screen. From alpha males to aggressive male leads, the year proved that audiences are enjoying hypermasculine [content]. ”
Labelling 2023 as the year of “resurgence of the alpha male”, trade expert Atul Mohan concurs and says, “There was a phase when people were leaning towards the boy-next-door image. That has changed now. 2023 showed that the audience still likes to watch such (hypermasculine) content. Cinema was and will always be larger than life.”
For producer Ramesh Taurani, the year has only reaffirmed the popularity of such characters and tropes. “Alpha males have always existed in Bollywood, and it was proved once again this year. India has always been a hero worship place,” Taurani says.
One thing is for certain — whether it was Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan, out there to foil a terrorist threat, or Sunny Deol in Gadar 2, taking on the enemy to protect his family, these heroes and films woke Bollywood up from its pandemic-induced nap. But, this revival may be coming at a cost, cautions image guru Dilip Cherian.
“For years, there was this attempt to normalize and promote equality and respect for women. This resurgence of hypermasculinity in cinema sets us back. We are creating new stereotypes and formulae, as these offerings have become superhits. This could also encourage certain behaviours in young boys. What I find the most dangerous is that girls might think such behaviour is okay. It is manufactured misogyny. Can it be controlled? It depends on the audiences,” he says.
Pathaan
Indian market: Rs. 543 cr
Global market: Rs. 1,050 cr
Jawan
Indian market: Rs. 640.8 cr
Global market: Rs. 1,152 cr
Tiger 3
Indian market: Rs. 284 cr
Global market: Rs. 466 cr
Gadar 2
Indian market: Rs. 525 cr
Global market: Rs. 687 cr
Animal
Indian market: Rs. 540 cr
Global market: Rs. 836 cr
In the movie business, the PR game is quite strong-Vishal Jethwa
8:44 AM
Vinay MR Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; December 18, 2023)
After his stint in Mardaani 2, Vishal Jethwa says he is currently flooded with work. The actor got rave reviews for his performance in the movie from critics and masses alike. “I have really worked hard on myself for that movie. And since then, I have been getting nice responses from the fraternity. People now consider me a versatile actor and I always wanted to be known as one. I have always tried exploring and experimenting with my characters, so I am happy with my journey,” Vishal states.
Vishal Jethwa, who has worked across mediums – TV, cinema and the web – shares his experience on working across these platforms. The actor, who was last seen in Tiger 3 and is currently shooting for a couple of web shows, says, “TV and movie businesses work very differently. Even the performances that actors deliver are different as the requirements of the mediums are different. But I am learning and trying to adjust.”
Vishal, who has featured in TV shows like Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap and Diya Aur Baati Hum, was also noticed for his performance as an antagonist in Mardaani 2 headlined by Rani Mukerji.
He adds, “It has not been easy for me... it was easier when I was doing television. In movies, the PR game is quite strong, then marketing is an important thing and there can also be a little politics involved in all of this. There are a lot of things which I do not wish to talk about openly. But in TV, the channels were the boss. However, in movies, it is not just the platforms, there is a lot else that goes.”
By, India will be seen in same league as the UK and USA in filmmaking-Karan Johar
8:27 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (December 11, 2023)
With the success of films such as Pathaan, Gadar 2, Tiger 3, Jawan and now, Animal, Bollywood seems to have found its footing at the box office after the pandemic. It’s also interesting to note that the majority of these films are high on action, which the audience has embraced as pointed out by filmmaker Karan Johar, who spoke at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Annual Convention and 96th Annual General Meeting in Delhi.
He adds, “The recent success of various movies in last few years has broken the Indian cinema myth that we are a nation which [only] makes love stories. By the year 2025, India will be seen in [the] same league as the UK and USA in filmmaking. With internal crossover in Indian cinema from the South [film industry] to Hindi, international buyers [are] looking at buying Indian films.”
Referring to the constant north versus south debate, Johar, who is the presenter for the Hindi version of the pan-India Baahubali franchise, says, “After the success of Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and RRR (2022), the divide between Hindi and the South is over. It is time to celebrate the success and power of Indian cinema.”
Lauding the advent of OTT that has helped Indian films reach a wider audience, the 51-year-old says, “There are stories... from [different] parts of India that are beautiful and should be viewed by audiences. The world needs to wake up to Indian stories and storytelling.”
PVR Inox sees a strong Q4 on big-ticket movie releases
8:20 PM
Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; December 1, 2023)
PVR Inox expects a strong fiscal fourth quarter for cinema exhibitors, driven by a strong lineup of movie releases, following a lacklustre third quarter marred by disappointing Hindi film performances and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
"Q4 will be better than Q3, which is very skewed towards Animal, Salaar, and Dunki. In Q4, we will have films coming out every two weeks, and they're nicely spread out," PVR Inox executive director Sanjeev Bijli told ET.
A slew of films is set to be released between January and March, including Hrithik Roshan's Fighter, Vijay Sethupathi's Merry Christmas, and Kareena Kapoor Khan's The Buckingham Murders.
While Q3 failed to meet the company's expectations, it expects an improved performance in December due to Ranbir Kapoor's Animal, Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki, Prabhas' Salaar, and Vickey Kaushal's Sam Bahadur.
"Q3 was somewhat muted as October and November did get impacted by the World Cup. However, I am confident of December since the World Cup is over and there is good buzz around Animal, Dunki, Salaar, and Sam Bahadur," he added.
While the cricket World Cup did impact the footfalls at multiplexes, Bijli said Akshay Kumar's Mission Raniganj and Tiger Shroff's Ganapath were underwhelming at the box office, while Salman Khan's Tiger 3 could mop up only Rs. 250-275 crore against an expectation of Rs. 450-500 crore.
Bijli noted that the screening of World Cup matches and singer Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour did well for the company, with the latter grossing Rs. 6 crore in a month.
While PVR Inox plans to open 130-140 screens in FY24, it will open more luxury-format properties in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru.
Around 5% of its more than 1,700 screens are in luxury formats.
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