DABANGG 3 just about managed to get 1 crore footfalls despite the failure of the film. This means that Salman Khan had just one miss in the gone decade where only one of his films failed to hit the 1 crore footfall mark, that is, VEER. One crore footfalls is basically a real 100 crore nett value at the box office be it 1970 or 2020. Obviously today 1 crore footfalls means much more than 100 crore nett at the box office and in a few years it will give even more as ticket rates go higher.

One crore footfalls also means reaching a sizeable audience although some films need to reach a bigger audience due to the size of the films and most Salman Khan films come into this category. The one miss was VEER (2010) which was his first release of the decade and became before DABANGG (2010) which established his image of a mass action superstar across India and then films like BODYGUARD, READY and EK THA TIGER rubber stamped this image. VEER actually scored in Rajasthan and Bihar but Salman Khan was not the same star at the time of this release as he was a year or two later.

Basically just one film under 1 crore footfalls through the whole decade means most of his films got an audience irrelevant of content. If we compare, then Aamir Khan had one film which fell under 1 crore footfalls in the 2000-2009 decade but there were just nine releases and Manoj Kumar had one miss in the 1970-1979 decade but only ten films. Limited films had a hand in not missing the 1 crore mark for Aamir Khan and Manoj Kumar.

The Salman Khan films of the last decade are also finding big audiences on television in the Coronavirus lockdown period especially the two TIGER films. As far as OTT goes its being said that these B and C grade web series which have foundations based on sex and profanities rather than story and screenplay are the rage in the lockdown period but just the price paid for Salman Khan starrers which is around 100 crore is enough to tell what has a bigger audience. TIGER ZINDA HAI, RACE 3, BHARAT and DABANGG 3 have all fetched this price or nearabouts it.

The footfalls of Salman Khan starrer in the last decade are as follows. There were sixteen releases in total.
1. Veer (2010) - 73,47,000
2. Dabangg (2010) - 2,50,86,000
3. Ready (2011) - 1,84,52,000
4. Bodyguard (2011) - 2,21,48,000
5. Ek Tha Tiger (2012) - 2,47,39,000
6. Dabangg 2 (2012) - 2,05,28,000
7. Jai Ho (2014) - 1,43,98,000
8. Kick (2015) - 2,41,92,000
9. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) - 3,54,17,000
10. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) - 2,22,76,000
11. Sultan (2016) - 3,20,85,000
12. Tubelight (2017) - 1,15,74,000
13. Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) - 3,08,89,000
14. Race 3 (2018) - 1,58,19,000
15. Bharat (2019) - 1,60,68,000
16. Dabangg 3 (2019) - 1,01,63,000

WILL BHARAT EMERGE AS THE BIGGEST BOLLYWOOD GROSSER OF 2019?

The semi-dry period is about to end. Arguably the biggest film of the year, Bharat, is all set to release tomorrow and the excitement can easily be felt. It stars superstar Salman Khan and it releases on Eid, which has now become a tradition. But the last two Eid’s weren’t that satisfactory for his fans. 2017 Eid saw the release of Tubelight which was devoid of masala and heroism, associated with Salman Khan. On 2018 Eid, Race 3 released and it had these missing ingredients in abundance. But still, the fans were somewhat dejected as direction and content were poor.

But this year, it seems like the fans are in for a treat. After all, Bharat looks like a fabulous entertainer. It’s a story that begins in 1947 and ends in 2010 with Salman playing the role of a 20-year-old guy and also a septuagenarian. The various looks of the actor have been very much appreciated. Also, Bharat is bit of an unusual Salman Khan entertainer since there’s no hero-villain angle as such. But it’s helmed by director Ali Abbas Zafar, who has previously directed Salman in blockbusters like Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. He knows the pulse of the audience and from the trailers and songs, it seems like the film will be a typical entertainer despite not-so-typical setting and premise.

Besides Salman Khan, Bharat also stars Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Jackie Shroff, Tabu, Nora Fatehi, Sonali Kulkarni along with Varun Dhawan in a special appearance. Katrina’s role was to be essayed initially by Priyanka Chopra but she stepped out of the film at the eleventh hour as she wanted to get married to Nick Jonas. Her sudden exit infuriated Salman it seems and it was evident when he would bring Priyanka and taunt her in interviews and events. However, Salman later clarified that all is well and he only wishes the best for Priyanka.

The songs of Bharat haven’t been huge hits but Slow Motion has become a chartbuster. All in all, the buzz is there but is not tremendous. The opening is expected to be huge. Also, it’s Eid tomorrow and hence, a Rs. 40 crore opening won’t be ruled out. Sadly, a crucial ICC World Cup cricket match is also scheduled for tomorrow (India vs South Africa) and hence, collections will be hit from afternoon onwards. The same will happen on Sunday when India will play against England. But if the film gets positive response, it will manage to earn considerably in the long run.

The aim for Bharat is to cross the Rs. 300 crore mark and emerge as the biggest Hindi grosser of the year. Although 6 more months are left, the other Bollywood biggies of the year like Housefull 4, Dabangg 3, Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff untitled flick are not expected to gross so much. Hence, here’s hoping Bharat brings cheer for everyone!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE BHARAT AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 29, 2019)

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif were in their elements when they turned up on Kapil Sharma’s show to promote their Eid release, Bharat. Making a larger-than-life entry on a bike, the actor joked, “Bharat needs to make triple the money of Tubelight this Eid.”

As the show progressed, Salman admitted to being a mischievous kid and recalled how when he was in fourth standard, his teacher would often throw him out of the classroom. “Once my father (Salim Khan) was passing by and seeing me out on the corridor asked exasperatedly what mischief I had got up to now. I confessed that even I didn’t know the reason this time,” he recounted, adding that his father eventually learnt that it was because his fees was overdue. “The very next day my father paid the fees and the teacher apologized.”

When prodded by Kapil on his relationship with the kids in his Khan-daan, he laughed, “All my nephews, nieces and grandsons have at different times peed on me,” he said.

Katrina enjoyed this meandering down memory lane and when it was time to dance, matched steps with Krushna Abhishek to her Agneepath chartbuster “Chikni Chameli” while Salman performed solo on “Slow Motion”.

MEANWHILE...AGE NO BAR FOR BHAI

While interacting with Mirror (May 28), Disha Patani had admitted that she agreed to a special appearance in Bharat because she wasn’t sure if she’d get to work with Salman Khan again because of the age difference between the two. “In Bharat, it is acceptable because that portion shows Salman sir in his 20s and 30s so, it was an immediate yes,” the 26-year-old actress had said.

A day later, responding to Disha’s comment, Salman told ETimes, “What age difference she is saying? I am doing a film with a 17-year-old now.”

Meena Iyer (DNA; April 12, 2019)

Salman Khan makes his superstardom look so easy. His approach to media interactions appears cavalier. You only hear people talking about how he arrives late and how his coterie gets bigger each day; almost isolating him from the ‘real’ world. Yet, when you meet the man himself, his conversation only veers around being focussed, being real and, of course, being human. You come back thinking, ‘Yaar, perceptions were all wrong. Salman definitely walks the talk.’ Over to SK:

Once, you seemed the least celebrated of the three Khans — Aamir, Shah Rukh and you. Now, you’re the biggest. Have you ever given this a thought?
Not really. By the grace of God, the films that I’m choosing have done well. But it is not as if Aamir or Shah Rukh are choosing bad or worse films. There are times when the movies I’ve chosen, to the best of my knowledge, haven’t worked. And then one film works and you’re back. SRK is a legend, as is Aamir. A bad movie here or there may happen, but they will always come back. Actually, tension toh mera hai. Aamir and SRK know their craft. I’ve heard people saying they’re not so sure about me (laughs)!

Stop kidding, what are you tense about?
My thing is that I’m surviving on mediocre talent and luck. Actually, I don’t know what I’m surviving on, but I’m surviving. Mere ups and downs toh hote rahenge. By the grace of God, hamari fan following itni tagdi hai. There’s also Akki (Akshay Kumar), Hrithik (Roshan) and Ajay (Devgn).

Then, there are the new boys — Tiger (Shroff), Ranveer (Singh) and Varun (Dhawan). Everyone is so good that all of us will also have to, you know, be on our toes.

All the stalwarts have stuck with you. Sooraj Barjatya wants you, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sajid Nadiadwala and Aditya Chopra have you. Surely, you must be doing something correct because these guys couldn’t have chosen wrong.
Like I said, luck hai, destiny hai. Maybe there is something they see that I don’t. Anyway, what they look for in a hero is a mystery. The audience wants to spend money to see my films on screen, they watch them on satellite television also and they want to see me in my shows. I don’t know yeh kab tak chalega, but jab tak chal raha hai, my idea is to give my best, no matter what problems I go through, physically or mentally.

Agar humko yeh formula pata hota, ki kya karne se kya chalega, then what should I say? We would be taking everything for granted. We thought that Tubelight (same combination of Kabir Khan and me) will be a beautiful film, after our much-appreciated superhit, Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). But for an Eid release, the public wanted to see something happy. In Tubelight, they all cried. They were like, ‘What the hell! Eid kharaab kar diya!” (laughs). They went into depression. Today, when the film comes on digital and satellite, people love it and wonder why it didn’t work. It did a business of over Rs 110 crores in the domestic market alone. So, even my ‘flops’ notch numbers. Bahuton ki filmein utni bhi nahin chali. So, I’m fortunate that itni badi hit film bhi flop maani jaati hai. I’m grateful for the blessings.

How ambitious are you for Salman Khan Films?
Ambitious, I can’t say. But one thing is clear in my mind. I just want to make clean, entertaining films. I’m constantly wondering if I’m doing the right thing or the wrong thing because there are bizarre trends today. The kind of films that are being made (especially some of the stuff jo web pe aa raha hai) are shocking! I can’t even watch the stuff, but people are watching it. I understand that is also private viewing, phone pe, laptop pe. Akele dekhne mein bhi humko thoda aisa lagta hai ki yeh kya ho raha hai. Because hamari upbringing hai, parents hain... after our first film, we moved straight into the Barjatya family zone. Abhi bhi when a kissing scene comes on screen, we’re all awkward. See it whichever way you want, but I will put my heft behind clean cinema.

So, instead of ones and twos coming in to watch movies, I’d rather want our banner to have films where people know they will have the naughtiness, humour, action and romance, but all of us can watch them together. That’s what I want to keep it to. Aur agar koi picture ‘A’ rated hogi, then it will be because of action. I’m not for kissing and nudity in films at all.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! completes 25 years this August. How does that feel?
I swear it feels like yesterday. Pranutan (Bahl), my latest protégée from Notebook, was born in front of us. I worked with her mother in Saajan (1991), and with her father, Mohnish (Bahl), in so many films. Suddenly, she was all grown up and wanted to be a lawyer. Then I got a call from Monya (Mohnish) that she wanted to act in movies. She auditioned for us, three to four times and I liked her. I will need lawyers in my life (laughs), but Pranutan’s calling was films.

Next, you will launch your bodyguard, Shera’s son?
Yes, after them (Pranutan and Zaheer Iqbal), it’s Tiger, Shera’s son. He’s been working hard for his debut. Once he is as good or better than some of the existing boys, we’ll start.

Newcomers have it tough today, don’t they?
You have to take into account that the boys have to dance and do action better than the existing heroes. Otherwise, they will find it hard. Hamare time mein, it was comparatively easier; yet, we found even that difficult. But now, it’s actually very tough. Today, you have got to be better than the existing actors. It requires a lot of time, hard work, patience and dedication, which all these guys have shown. Then, of course, it depends on the movie, the vibe of it, the acceptance of fans and movie-goers. As I said earlier, what they see in the hero, no one knows. Sometimes, the film doesn’t do well, but the hero is accepted. And sometimes, the movie does very well, but the hero is not accepted.

Speaking of your films, you have two releases lined up this year.
Yes, this year, I’ll have Bharat on Eid and Dabangg 3 in December. Next Eid, Inshallah (God willing), we’ll have Inshallah (smiles).

Zeeshan Ayyub on playing Shah Rukh Khan's confidant in Zero, Aamir Khan's friend in Thugs of Hindostan, Salman Khan's best pal in Tubelight
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 25, 2018)

Call it coincidence or the result of being a talented artiste, but Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub has earned the distinction of playing best friend to the three Khans - Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman. The recent release, Zero, has him essay Shah Rukh's confidant, Guddu Singh. Only a month-and-a-half earlier, Ayyub was Aamir's partner-in-crime, Shanichar, in Thugs Of Hindostan. Not to mention, last year's release Tubelight that saw him share screen space with Salman.

"I have been there, done that," he says of his association with Bollywood's top trio. While many would be intimidated to feature in the same frame as one of the Khans, the National School of Drama graduate has no apprehensions. "How will I act if I'm intimidated? They are also playing roles. When the camera is switched on, it is only character play at work."

The actor has carved a niche for himself in the seven years since his underrated debut in No One Killed Jessica (2011). He attributes it to the increasing power of writers and directors who are no longer obsessed with six-pack abs heroes. "They are looking for real human beings on screen. Earlier, we used to have a colonial hangover about a certain physicality that actors should have, the kind of hair or skin colour they should have. But the demand for such actors is gradually diminishing. Today, even the leading stars want to play characters; they are looking for scripts to showcase their acting," says Ayyub, who will next be seen in Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 27, 2018)

After assisting on films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan, Aayush Sharma is gearing up for the release of his acting debut LoveYatri. With Salman Khan launching him, the newbie couldn’t have asked for a better beginning. He is aware of the privilege and candidly says, “If you take away ‘SKF’ from my film, you wouldn’t have talked to me or interviewed me.” And, while his fate at the box-office will be decided on October 5 when the film releases, Aayush has already caught the audience’s attention for his dancing skills in songs like Rangtari and Chogada. Here, he talks about making the transition from an assistant director to an actor, Bhai’s advice to him and more.

Did you always want to be an actor?
No. I never thought I would be an actor. When I came to Mumbai to study at Jai Hind College, I thought I would open a restaurant, but my friends would say I should be an actor. At that time, I thought of doing a prime-time TV show, as it will be a good way to stay in Mumbai and my parents could watch me on the the small screen back home. But I never went for auditions to get work. I was staying in Bandra and happened to meet Arpita (Khan), then Sohail (Khan) and Salman bhai. They, too, told me I should try for acting as they believed I had the potential.

Was that when you started training?
I had neither participated in the school assembly, nor was I into any theatre group. To be honest, I was too shy. So, I had to start from ground zero. I started assisting on films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Sultan (2016) and Tubelight (2017). That was really an eye-opener on how movies are made. I also learnt the technical aspects.

Once you have assisted on a movie, you start respecting the hard work that goes behind making one. When Bajrangi Bhaijaan became a blockbuster and won critical acclaim, somewhere I felt it is my film. I thought I should be a part of this profession and do one movie that people will remember me for.

How did LoveYatri happen?
I was assisting on Sultan where Abhiraj (Minawala) was the first AD. He wanted to make his directorial debut and was working on a film written by Narenbhai (Bhatt). He narrated LoveYatri’s idea to Salman bhai saying I could do the film. Bhai liked the plot and asked him to work on it. During Tubelight, I heard the script and I loved it. I found it to be a good blend of content and commerce. You can’t control the box office, but you have to be proud of the content you are going to bring out. They were looking for a studio to produce it when Bhai said, ‘I want it to be an SKF film’.

What tips did you take from Salman Khan?
Every time I was on Salman bhai’s set, I tried to ask him about acting and he would say, ‘Acting is a reflection of what you are in real life, the day you try to act, you will ham’. He told me to keep observing and marking his work before his take. He did not even come on the sets on the first day of my shoot.

Instead, early in the morning at 7 he sent me a message saying: Feel every line, every emotion, every character. You don’t need to be Aayush anymore, you need to be the character. For me, it was too much to process! All these years, he didn’t give me any advice and suddenly so many things (laughs).

How was your first day on the sets?
I was excited, but also nervous. I was still getting used to the idea that from an assistant, I was now an actor. It was new, more so because many people feel that I am here because I am related to someone. Now, I needed to give such a shot that the ADs say, ‘He deserves to be here’. That was playing on my mind along with the advice that Bhai had given me. But it was a smooth day, we started with the song Tera Hua. At the end of the day, when I messaged Bhai about it, he texted back a sweet message saying, ‘Insha Allah! Beta best of luck, I hope from this day onward, you never have a day off and spend every day in front of the camera’.

With all the talk about nepotism, do you feel you are the privileged one?
I believe there are some people whose talent hasn’t got due credit and are waiting for a platform like this. I am lucky to have it, but more than that, I am fortunate to have the guidance of someone experienced. Many people are not guided properly and are wasting their time doing something else. There is also a difference between the box-office collection of debutants who have no i connections as opposed to those who have them. If a film with newcomers doesn’t have a big banner attached to it, it doesn’t get marketed well. Realistically, they don’t get that kind of publicity or screens. If you take SKF away from LoveYatri, who will talk to me or interview me? Of course, it helps. An outsider has to figure his own way out.

At the same time, I am as new and as raw as Warina (Hussain, his co-star) is. I was not born into a film family, but because I have a certain background, people will look at me, and say, ‘Let’s criticise him’. But in case of Warina, whatever she does, they will say, fine, it’s her first film. So, it works both ways, there are advantages and disadvantages. My only hope is that when people see the film and my work they say, ‘He deserves to be an actor’. That will be my victory.

Usually, newcomers tend to hide their marriage or family from the media as it may affect their image...
My wife has been my support system. I got married into a famous family, and I don’t think hiding your wife or child will help in your career. If you are good at your work, married or single doesn’t matter. At the end of the day people will look at your work. My family is my motivation. I believe Arpita is known as Salman Khan’s sister, I want to work hard enough that she is proud to be called Aayush Sharma’s wife. My family is the source of my strength.

Were you upset when the title was changed from LoveRatri to LoveYatri?
I have been living with the title LoveRatri for the past one year, so when they changed it I said, ‘No, that is my identity, you can’t take it away from me’. But I respect people’s emotions, it’s not important what the film is called. I have four hit songs, people know me as the Chogada boy, not LoveRatri boy. The producer’s intention is to launch three careers with the film, so when some people peacefully told us to change the title before it became a media spectacle, we did it. We made it with a lot of pyaar and hope that pyaar continues.

JUDWAA 2 has got a huge television rating with over 1.5 crore plus impressions on first screening. The film which did very well at the box office grossing 132 crore nett is a blockbuster on television with a rating which is similar to DANGAL and the third best of 2017.

The film has easily beaten the likes of TOILET - EK PREM KATHA, JOLLY LLB 2 and TUBELIGHT. It has also beaten the Salman Khan starrer SULTAN from last year but that film has done phenomenal in repeat runs. It is by far the highest television rating for a Varun Dhawan starrer going 50% higher than DISHOOM. More than that it is the highest ever rating for a film which is a comedy. Although JUDWAA 2 is probably a Masala film it does gear towards the comedy genre. MUBARAKAN which is an outright comedy also did well with a solid 60 lakh impressions on first screening and is the highest rating ever for an Arjun Kapoor starrer. The film scored above the likes of BAADSHAHO, SHIVAAY and RAEES.

The top films on television in 2017 are as follows. The numbers are impressions which are the number of television sets viewing the film.
1. Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion - 2,60,54,000
2. Dangal - 1,62,54,000
3. Judwaa 2 - 1,52,66,000
4. Toilet Ek Prem Katha - 1,09,25,000
5. Jolly LLB 2 - 1,08,50,000
6. DJ - 1,05,34,000 (Telugu film Duvvada Jagannadham dubbed)
7. Tubelight - 1,02,61,000
8. Kaabil - 86,93,000
9. M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story - 80,94,000
10. Mubarakan - 62,97,000
11. Shivaay- 62,92,000
12. Commando 2 - 61,36,000
13. Munna Michael - 59,26,000
14. Raees - 52,56,000
15. Baadshaho - 52,03,000

TIGER ZINDA HAI IS A BLOCKBUSTER; 2017 ENDS ON A GREAT NOTE!

The year 2017 hasn’t been great overall as a lot of films failed miserably. The worst of all were the debacles of biggies like Tubelight and Jab Harry Met Sejal, featuring superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. But thankfully, the last month of the year proved profitable. Fukrey Returns was expected to fare decently at the box office. But it emerged as a super hit at the box office and crossed the 70-crore-mark, which was unexpected! And then came Tiger Zinda Hai! Of course it was expected to rock at the box office. And sure enough it did! A lot of people expected Day 1 to be very huge and cross the 40-crore-mark. But that didn’t happen as Day 1 collections amounted to 34 crore. Day 2 was slightly better at 35.25 crore. By then, many lost hope that the film will ever cross the 40-crore-mark. But it did on Sunday when it collected a huge 45.50 crore, which brought cheer among everyone in the trade and industry. Monday (Christmas holiday) was huge at 36.50 crore. Then a few skeptics expected the film to fall on Tuesday, which was a working day. But it didn’t and it collected 21.50 crore, followed by around 18 crore on Wednesday! The film’s collections are now in the 190 crore range. By the end of Week 1, it will cross the 200-crore-mark and by Friday morning, it will cross the collections of Golmaal Again [205 crore approx] and emerge as the biggest Bollywood grosser of Bollywood. There’s another four-day weekend coming up since Monday January 1 is also a holiday. If Tiger Zinda Hai manages to do well in these four days, then sky would be the limit for the film.

The number of flops was too high this year and thanks to the blockbuster and super-hit business of films like Jolly LLB 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, Judwaa 2, Golmaal Again and of course Fukrey Returns, this year has been somewhat better. Also, small films like Hindi Medium, Mom, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Newton, Tumhari Sulu and of course Fukrey Returns fared very well and that also kept the excitement going. Sadly, on the other hand, films that came with a lot of expectations like OK Jaanu, Rangoon, Sarkar 3, Meri Pyaari Bindu, Raabta, Jagga Jasoos, Munna Michael, A Gentleman, Simran and Chef failed miserably. Films like Mubarakan and Baadshaho were okay and underperformed. In fact, the three months before Toilet – Ek Prem Katha were pretty bad with not a single film emerging as a clean hit.

There was one more film that was a hit; in fact, it was Indian cinema’s biggest blockbuster and it’s none other than Baahubali 2. It rewrote history but sadly, it was not a Bollywood film. But trade experts believe that if this film was not there, 2017 would have been a big disaster. In 2018 too, it’s again a Southern film 2.0 that is expected to be the year’s biggest grosser. But thankfully, it’s a bi-lingual and hence, can be called a Hindi film. Even the other films of 2018 look very promising and there are high chances that it will prove to be better than 2017!

The movers and the shakers, the desis and the pardesis, the hits and the misses that made headlines in 2017
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 25, 2017)



A*nushka, Virat And A Big Fat Italian Wedding
After four years of hide-and-seek, the Indian skipper bagged his Lifetime Achievement Award, even if he had to go to a Tuscan vineyard for it. It was a picture perfect wedding for Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli on December 11 with mehendi, sangeet, pheras and all things desi except the usual filmi crowd. Finally, it’s official with Virushka. PS: Neil Nitin Mukesh married Rukmini Sahay, Bharti Singh tied the knot with beau Haarsh Limbachiyaa, Zaheer Khan was clean bowled by Sagarika Ghatge and Aashka Goradia said ‘I do’ to American beau Brent Globe.


B*aahubali
S S Rajamouli ended his epic reign by redefining the box-office. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, a Tamil-Telugu bilingual, dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam and Japanese, became the highest grossing Indian film of all time with all-India collections of Rs 600 crore+ and worldwide collections of Rs 1600 crore.


C* ensor
The Pahlaj Nihalani-led CBFC continued to confound with a no-no to Lipstick Under My Burkha for being a “lady-oriented story” and asking Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla to get an NoC even from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using his footage in their documentary, An Insignificant Man. The film frat rejoiced when, after two years, Pahlaj was replaced by Prasoon Joshi. Soon after, the sanskari censor chief ‘presented ’ the “bold, beautiful and blessed” Julie 2.


D*igital Revolution
Entertainment found a new platform and more than films and TV shows, everyone was talking about shorts, web series and streaming sites. With global players like Netflix and Amazon entering the market and desi entrants like Jio and Balaji sprouting, new avenues and business models offer muchneeded oxygen to an industry suffocating under the burden of demonetisation, GST and a steady stream of debacles.


E*ndings
Om Puri suffered a heart attack on the morning of January 6 while the effervescent Reema Lagoo was felled by a cardiac arrest on May 18. Vinod Khanna and Sitaram Panchal succumbed to cancer and evergreen Lekh Tandon to old age. Death came calling early for ‘masoom’ Inder Kumar and robbed Rani Mukerji of her filmmaker-dad Ram Mukerji. It was ‘pack-up’ for writer-director-actor Neeraj Vora and the year ended with the world bidding adieu to gentleman actor, Shashi Kapoor. He passed away on December 4 at the age of 79 following a prolonged illness and left his fans crooning the Aa Gale Lag Jaa chartbuster, “Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi Yun Hi Nahin Dil Lubhata Koi.”


F*irangi connections
Deepika Padukone made inroads into Hollywood with xXx: Return of Xander Cage and is poised for a second innings. Priyanka Chopra continues with the third season of Quantico but her Baywatch turned out to be a damp squib. But there’s still A Kid Like Jake and Isn’t It Romantic to watch out for. Anupam Kher’s The Big Sick bagged six nominations at Critics’ Choice Awards and got him adulation during the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards where Shabana Azmi and he served as jury, with Russell Crowe as the head, for the Academy’s inaugural Best Asian Film Award which was bagged by Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Ali Fazal made heads turn as he walked the red carpet in Venice, clutching his Victoria & Abdul co-star, Oscar-winner Judi Dench’s arm. But Kapil Sharma’s Firangi was a joke which fell flat.


G*olmaal
In a year when star-studded bonanzas were swept away without a trace, Golmaal Again added to the Diwali sparkle. With a double century run at the box-office, it has made the Ajay Devgn-Rohit Shetty jodi as commercially viable as Amitabh Bachchan-Manmohan Desai/Prakash Mehra, David Dhawan-Govinda/Salman Khan and Karan Johar-Shah Rukh Khan. This Golmaal, despite the chaos it brings to the screen, has made the cash counters ring four times in a row.


H*rithik Roshan
The actor began the year with a game of blind man’s buff to prove what a Kaabil actor he is. Then, provoked by Kangana Ranaut’s repeated jibes, he entered the boxing ring to throw a few punches of his own. The good news is that Hrithik and ex-wife Sussanne Khan have come out of the divorce as ‘good friends’ who frequently go out on dinner dates and family vacations. The actor enters the new year on an optimistic note with the Anand Kumar biopic, Super 30, and talks of Krrish 4.


I*ndia Calling
From Vin Diesel and Jackie Chan to Brad Pitt, Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, who came for film promotions, to Halle Berry and Michael Douglas-Catherine Zeta Jones, who were here for a vacation, there’s been a lot of Hollywood action and traction this year. David Guetta, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran made the B-townies dance to their tunes while Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi shot an entire film, Beyond The Clouds, in India with desi actors and an interpreter.


J*ury
The 13-member jury of the Indian Panorama (feature) section of the International Film Festival of India stole the thunder from I&B Minister Smriti Irani with their support for Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi film Nude and Sanal Sasidharan’s Malayalam thriller S Durga, which were omitted from the final list. Chairman Sujoy Ghosh, and two members, Apurva Asrani and Gyan Correa, resigned in protest. The remaining 10, except for new chairman Rahul Rawail, rallied around Sanal but despite a court order their verdict didn’t prevail. Durga eventually missed the bus.


K*angana
Still smarting from Kangana Ranaut’s comment on his chat show about him being “the snooty flagbearer of nepotism”, Karan Johar, while speaking at the London School of Economics, hinted that the actress may not have understood the meaning of the word ‘nepotism’ and instead of playing the ‘woman card’ and ‘victim card’ should pack her bags and leave. Kangana retorted saying she was playing the ‘badass card’ and such talk was demeaning to all women, particularly the vulnerable. The Battle of Sexes crossed into foreign shores with Saif Ali Khan, KJO and Varun Dhawan heckling her from the Big Apple, only to apologise later. The actress courted more controversies by dragging Hrithik Roshan’s name to a telly adalat, as also that of Aditya Pancholi and Adhyayan Suman. She also fought with Apurva Asrani over writing credits for Simran and ended the year on the wrong side of Bollywood. Unfazed, she gears up to give a speech at the Harvard Business School next year on ‘The Changing Entertainment Ladscape in India’ and ‘Disrupting the Indian Mainstream Cinema’.


L*ove, pyar, ishq, mohabbat...
Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan enjoying ‘we’ time in NYC proved love knows no borders while Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha took their ishq beyond the borders. Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja made merry together, sparking talk of a marry-go-round. Ditto Karisma Kapoor and her recently divorced beau, Sandeep Toshniwal. Salman kept Cupid guessing, while the ‘relationship status’ of Kriti Sanon-Sushant Singh Rajput, Farhan Akhtar-Shraddha Kapoor, Nargis Fakri-Uday Chopra is uncertain.


M*otherhood
After a babymoon in Greece, Esha Deol welcomed daughter Radhya on October 20. On September 29, Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu welcomed Inaaya while Celina Jaitly and Peter Haag made a bittersweet announcement on Dusshera, that they’d been blessed by a second set of twins, Arthur and Shamsher, but lost Shamsher to a heart condition. Karan Johar became a single father to twins, Yash and Roohi, born through surrogacy earlier this year. Lisa Haydon gave birth to Zack Lalwani on May 17; Adnam Sami raved about Medina, who was born a week earlier.


N*ewton
Rajkummar Rao’s Newton scored a goal this year when it was voted India’s official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language category. But celebrations were short-lived as the film failed to make it to the Oscar nomination list. But Oscar or no Oscar, one thing’s for sure, Newton will no longer be only about falling apples and laws of gravity. Rajkummar was voted Variety magazine’s Asian Rising Star and is an unexpected hero in Bollywood with rave worthy performances in the year’s other releases, Trapped, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Omerta, which put him in the big league with films opposite Aishwarya (Fanne Khan) and Sonam (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga).

O*mnipresent Karan Johar
Karan Johar was here, there and everywhere. He co-produced OK Jaanu, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Ittefaq, presented Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, announced Kesari with Akshay Kumar, Raazi with Junglee Pictures and Dhadak introducing Janhvi Kapoor. He got into radio as agony uncle and after judging a singing reality show, is now judging a talent hunt show. He also turned author and single dad.


P*hantom P Tales
While Harvey Weinstein’s sexploits opened a Pandora’s box in Hollywood, B-town’s offenders remain under covers. Sex abuse charges were levelled against TVF boss Arunabh Kumar and cofounder of Phantom Films, filmmaker Vikas Bahl, was accused of sexual harrasment but as both the victims remained anonymous, observers cast aspersions on the veracity of the allegations. Other offenders are yet to be named and shamed, but we live in hope.


Q*ueen Padmavati
When Sanjay Leela Bhansali greenlit his Padmavati, little did he know that like the Queen of Mewar, he too would have to go through a trial by fire. Following rumours of a fantasy romance between the Rani and Alauddin Khilji, members of the Karni Sena barged on to the film’s sets in Jaipur, roughing up Bhansali and bringing the shoot to an abrupt halt. Trouble followed Bhansali to Kolhapur where miscreants sneaked in at night and started a fire. Violence escalated a few weeks prior to its release with death threats against Bhansali and Deepika Padukone, and states banning the film. Even the BJP agreed that it could not open before the Gujarat elections and the CBFC brought in experts to verify the authenticity of his vision. The filmmaker fought back with every weapon, including hosting special screenings for Arnab Goswami and Rajat Sharma both of whom confirmed there was nothing objectionable about Padmavati. But it still could not keep its December 1 date and is still waiting for censor clearance inviting introspection against this kind of creative dictatorship in the world’s biggest democracy.


R*emakes, remixes and returns
Salman revived Tiger (Zinda Hai) while Varun Dhawan stepped into his shoes for Judwaa 2 and Akshay Kumar entered the courtroom as the new Jolly LLB. All three films hit bullseye as did Fukrey in its second innings and Golmaal in its fourth. But Big B’s Sarkar seemed to have run out of steam and sex doesn’t always sell, as Julie 2 and Aksar 2 reiterated. The sequels will, however, continue to thrive, just like remixes, including “Humma Humma” (OK Jaanu), “Tamma Tamma” (Badrinath Ki Dulhania) and “Mere Rashke Qamar”


S*mall is big
In a year where story was the hero rather than the stars, Fukrey Returns is a ‘superhit’. Hindi Medium, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan also minted money with their small town romances and kahani mein twists. Vidya Balan is back in the running with her late-night RJ, Sulu, and it’s no secret that Zaira Wasim is Aamir Khan’s lil’ superstar.


T*ubelight to Tiger
Kabir Khan’s Tubelight with a 50-year-old Salman Khan acting 15 and literally moving mountains with his conviction, went out even before the first show ended. But he came back with a bang, as his Tiger Zinda Hai has set the cash registers ringing. He will now flashforward to the third instalments of the Dabangg and Race franchises. He reunites with Remo D’Souza for Dancing Dad as a father who has to prep up for a dance competition to keep a promise to his daughter. It will also be a hattrick for Ali Abbas Zafar who will helm Atul Agnihotri’s Bharat, an official adaptation of the South Korean film, Ode To My Father.


U*nfair
In a series of sardonic Facebook posts, Abhay Deol lampooned his colleagues, including Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor for endorsing fairness creams, calling the campaigns ‘demeaning, false and racist’. The music frat was up in arms, insisting it was unfair that Sonakshi Sinha who’s not really a singer should open the Justin Beiber concert. The actress made Twitter sing with her rejoinders but eventually didn’t get to sing. Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya also sounded a discordant note, calling Gul Panag’s father, Lieutenant General (retd) Harcharanjit Singh Panag who is the recipient of two gallantry medals, a “Pak suppporter” and Kavita Krishnan, secretary of All India Progressive Women’s Association, “anti-National, ugly face besharam budhiya”. Now, that’s taking border disputes a little too far.


V*arun Dhawan
‘Student’ Varun Dhawan has graduated to the big league with two hits in a year of misses. Badrinath carried his dulhania to a happily-ever- after end on his shoulders while a double dose of Dhawan powered Judwaa 2 to a 100-crore glory. Varun is now set to step into Salman Khan’s shoes and get himself a Biwi No 1 in reel life.


W*rite track
‘An Unsuitable Boy’, Karan Johar, got booked this year and ended up on the bestseller list. Hema Malini drew a full house at the launch of her biography, Beyond The Dream Girl, while Rishi Kapoor’s ‘Khullam Khulla’ got him plenty of readers too and Asha Parekh became a “Hit Girl’ again. Towards the year end, Soha Ali Khan documented the perils of being moderately famous while ‘closet poet’ Vishal Bhardwaj came out with his first book of nazms titled Nude. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s memoir, An Ordinary Life, didn’t last on the shelves for too long. It was abruptly withdrawn following a sharp statement from his Miss Lovely co-star, Niharika Singh, who accused him of exploiting and disrespecting a woman and the brief relationship they’d shared to sell his book. This was followed by a Facebook post by another lady mentioned in the book, Sunita Rajwar, who dismissed everything he’d written about her as “extraordinary lies” and threatened to sue him. Nawaz certainly went wrong when he embarked on the write track.


X*(E)x-files
Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara decided to go solo after seven years as also Rajinikanth’s daughter Saundarya and husband Ashwin. Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan ended an 18-year marriage while Himesh Reshammiya went through an amicable divorce with wife of 22 years, Komal. Farhan Akhtar-Adhuna Bhabani also called it quits, as did steady dates Alia Bhatta and Sidharth Malhotra. The silver lining? Many of them continue to remain good friends.


Y*oga and yogis
Yoga guru Ramdev is the subject of a TV series produced by Ajay Devgn and was a guest judge on the TV show, Om Shanti Om. Anurag Kashyap attributes his weight loss to two hours of yoga while filming Mukkabaaz and erotic pranayams with new love Shubra Shetty. Gurmeet Ram Rahim is behind bars on rape charges so we’ll be spared the Messengers of God for now.

Z*ero
Jagga Jasoos fell flat while Ittefaq should have stayed in the ’60s. Chef didn’t impress with his food and Lucknow Central with its Band of Boys. Rangoon was marooned and Bhoomi grounded. A Gentleman bombed even with the ladies while Big B, RGV’s Sarkar Raj seems to have ended. After Jab Harry Met Sejal, Anushka Sharma ran off to Italy to find a real-life happy ending.

After Tubelight debacle, Salman Khan acknowledges that his mere presence doesn't guarantee film's success
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 22, 2017)

"There was a time when people would say, 'Salman sirf khada ho jayega screen pe toh movie chal jayegi,'" Salman Khan tells mid-day during this interview. Like most stories that kick-off on that note, we understand where this one's heading. Close on the heels of the debacle of his last outing, Tubelight, Khan acknowledges that the presence of a superstar in a film, doesn't guarantee success anymore.

"It has been proven that no one can take stardom for granted. The casting of a star doesn't mean the film will run. [The failure of] my last release proved that. So, there is a pressure [to perform] at all times." Several months after Tubelight hit screens, the actor seems to have deciphered the reason behind its debacle. Having established himself as an action hero, his fans, Khan says, hate to see him teary-eyed.

"Whenever my fans watch my movie, they want to have a great time. With Tubelight, they were shocked. They were crying, hurt and disturbed, as they couldn't digest the fact that someone was beating their Bhai, and that I was crying. So, even though they watched it in theatres, they didn't go back again. The film lacked the repeat value that Sultan (2016) or Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) had." That the Eid release also hit screens during the festive period was another dampner. "It's a beautiful project, but it should not have released on a festival. I had warned people to not expect dhamaal and masti."

He has his hopes pinned on his upcoming release, Tiger Zinda Hai. He promises that the film has enough "soul" to appeal to masses. "We already established the characters in our last film, so, taking them to the next level was not a problem. But, finding the right plot was. The film needs to have a soul, and that's what this one has."

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; December 20, 2017)

Salman Khan’s Tiger Zinda Hai, which releases this Friday, is a sequel to his hit espionage thriller Ek Tha Tiger. It has all the ingredients that go into a Dabangg Khan film — high-octane action sequences, romance, and emotion. Most importantly, the movie brings him back in his macho larger-than-life avatar, which is much-needed after his previous outing as the slow-witted man-child in Tubelight failed. Now, Salman vows that he is done with different kind of cinema. Interestingly, all his forthcoming films are sequels of tried-and-tested hits. Excerpts from our chat with the one-man industry...

Why did it take so long to come up with a sequel to Ek Tha Tiger?
The recall value of Ek Tha Tiger (ETT), Dabangg, and Wanted is so strong that it is easy to pull off a sequel, but that’s only if your script is better than the first one. Sequels should not be like proposals; they should have something definitive to convey. Until such time, you should not touch it. The sequel of ETT has taken five years, though it could have been made earlier. It’s not as if there were four-five scripts (and nothing happened), they came up with only one script and that was it. The first thing I heard about the sequel was its title. When they told me it was going to be called Tiger Zinda Hai (TZH), I said done!

Kabir Khan directed ETT, but Ali Abbas Zafar is helming TZH...
(Cuts in) Yes, the first thing I told Ali was that Kabir had invested a year-and-a-half and given two-and-a-half hours screen time to Ek Tha Tiger. He had set the characters so well — Tiger, Zoya, and Chinoy. All Ali had to do was to take it to the next level. He had to not only make a film completely different from Sultan, but also make Tiger bigger. I told him ‘you have to get the plot right, the mission right, everything else — romance, gaane-waane ho jayenge’. Everything has to be there and on a larger scale. He said, he has the best plot ever and everything fell into place.

You are reuniting with Katrina Kaif five years after Ek Tha Tiger. How is it working with her now?
Katrina is the most hard-working girl that I have come across. She is sincere, dedicated and sharp. Sometimes people are so beautiful that you don’t give them credit for their work. That’s what has happened with Katrina. Her beauty takes away from her work. While, sometimes with those who are not so great looking, you say, ‘kya kaam kiya hai’. People who are really good looking on screen, you say star hai.  For this film, I don’t see anyone other than Katrina fitting in. She trained for her action sequences for four hours every single day.

Your last release Tubelight in which you played a man-child did not do well. Looks like your fans don’t appreciate you moving away from your image...
Yes, I got to know that in the last film. But I have known this earlier because of Kyun Ki and Tere Naam. However, when the script of this film (Tubelight) came to me, this was my reading of the film — I thought times have changed. People want to see me in something different — they say ‘you take your stardom seriously’. Now, I have realised that my fans want to see me in the same kind of cinema that I have been doing. So, that is exactly what they are going to get. Starting with Tiger Zinda Hai, Bharat, Race 3, Dabangg 3 and the Kick sequel, I will give my fans exactly what they expect of me. Frankly, even I like doing these kind of films. In fact, I like watching these kind of films. Films like Tubelight, I can watch on TV — badi emotional hai rula deti hai. Main kyun jaaon theatre rone ke liye? Emotions will always be there — our films don’t work without them. But if the entire film is so emotional ki theatre ke bahar nikalte hi your eyes are swollen, I wouldn’t want to go there.

But Tere Naam did well..
Yes, the first half did well because the character was superb. So, they tried Kyun Ki after that, but I told them there was no emotion in this, ‘You are making a depressing film’, and that’s what happened. Similarly after Bajrangi Bhaijaan, they thought we should do something with emotions and Tubelight happened jaha pe bhai peet rahe hai. Woh accha nahi laga fans ko. But when you see these films on TV, you will like them. When Andaz Apna Apna released it didn’t do well, but when it is shown on TV nobody changes the channel, same thing with Hello Brother. These films still get high TRPs on TV. When you see Tubelight at home you will love it.

What went wrong with Tubelight according to you?
The release date was not right. On a festive release date (Eid) you should give a festive film only, and not make people cry in the theatre. My fans were trying to find moments where they can celebrate, throw coins and do dhamaal masti. But they didn’t get that! The film did well, but in my standards it was a disaster. Meri dua hai ke har ek ki aisi disaster ho!

Do you feel you can find a middle path and do films like Dear Zindagi and Secret Superstar where Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan respectively had small but strong roles?
I have not gotten any film like that. Earlier, in some films I have done guest appearance and all, but it didn’t work. My take on this is when the audience is spending Rs 650 or Rs 950 on a ticket, they should get to see what they are going to see. If the whole publicity is going to be in my name, and I am there only for 25 minutes, it doesn’t make any sense to me. If I am in a film I should be there the way people expect me to, otherwise don’t publicise it as my film!

You were to co-produce Kesari with Karan Johar, but you backed out. Why?
Karan has his home production and I have mine. He had come to me long back with the project, but he did all the work from casting to everything. I thought just adding my name was not right.

There are reports that your brother Sohail Khan wants to make a sequel to Partner. Is that happening?
I am not aware of it. We did talk about it some time ago, though. However, Sohail and I are working on another film, Sher Khan, next year. I have started working a little harder and more than I was earlier, now. Fans want to see more of you. Usually I do two films a year, plus I am seen on TV where they get to see their star free of cost hosting shows.

Will you be hosting 10 Ka Dum next year?
Yes. That’s where they will get to see the real me.

What about Bigg Boss. Will you be hosting that also?
There will be 10 Ka Dum, then Bigg Boss, then 10 Ka Dum (laughs).

Comedies are doing well lately, Golmaal Again was a huge hit. Will we see you doing a comedy any time soon?
Yes, the genre is doing very well and I would love to do a comedy, something like Ready. A family comedy where Anees Bazmee meets Sooraj Barjatya!

The two biggest blockbusters on television this year have to proved to be two dubbed Telugu films. BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION was expected and set an all time record high. The film ran riot on television with even its repeat run being higher than the second best film DANGAL. The big surprise was DJ which also managed to do get over 1 crore impressions and beat many big Hindi films like TUBELIGHT, KAABIL and RAEES.

The Telugu dubbed films fare very well on television but it is around the 50 lakh impression mark and repeats hold a little lower than that but DJ just went to another level on first screening. DANGAL had a good first screening but on repeats its not fared as well as the other big film of last year SULTAN. SULTAN now can be easily called the biggest hit on television of the films released last year. DANGAL is also behind Aamir Khan's 3 IDIOTS and PK also taking into account repeat viewings but is better than DHOOM 3.

COMMANDO 2 and NAAM SHABANA were the surprise HITS on television while the two Akshay Kumar films proved to be SUPER HITS compared to last year when AIRLIFT and RUSTOM did not fare well on television. TUBELIGHT also fared much better on television than in theaters with a good opening and a few repeats managing decent numbers but the repeat numbers are unlikely to come again further down the line. BADRINATH KI DULHANIA was about fair while the other theatrical HIT this year HINDI MEDIUM proved to be a flop. The top films on television this year are as follows. The numbers are impressions which are the number of television sets viewing the film.
1. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion - 2,60,54,000
2. Dangal - 1,62,54,000
3. Toilet - Ek Prem Katha - 1,09,25,000
4. Jolly LLB 2 - 1,08,50,000
5. DJ - 1,05,34,000 (Telugu film Duvvada Jagannadham dubbed)
6. Tubelight - 1,02,61,000
7. Kaabil - 86,93,000
8. M S Dhoni - The Untold Story - 80,94,000
9. Shivaay - 62,92,000
10. Commando 2 - 61,36,000
11. Munna Michael - 59,26,000
12. Raees - 52,56,000
13. Baadshaho - 52,03,000
14. Badrinath Ki Dulhania - 49,68,000

Dhaval Roy (DNA; October 12, 2017)

If you’ve got used to seeing Salman Khan in formal blazers, weekend after weekend in Bigg Boss, then having him breaking the routine over the weekend with a casual avatar must have come as a welcome change. It’s because this year, the channel has asked his designer, Ashely Rebello, to give him formals on Saturdays and jackets and jeans on Sundays. “Luckily, people have loved what Salman wore last weekend. So, I will be giving him a one-piece suit jacket with a semi-casual stylish shirt on Saturdays and denims, T-shirts, with jackets (denim or leather) on Sundays,” says Ashley.

EXTREME REACTIONS
Ashley points out that dressing up Salman for the show for the last seven years has garnered extreme reactions. He receives flak as well as flowers. Deciding the look each year includes choosing from the current trend and colours in vogue, which often backfires. “People don’t understand that and make strange comments. This year, I haven’t received any negative remarks yet,” says he, “Last year, people liked his style, but they thought it was monotonous.”

SUITS HIM FINE
About his choice of only suits even though the vibe of the show is not quite formal, Ashley says, “It’s what the channel wants and is about dressing Salman stylishly, while maintaining his vibe. One needs to understand that he’s 52 and not 25. Jeans and jackets are not his style anymore. Suits talk about his personality,” says Ashley. The designer has also not moved away from the suits even though Salman, more often than not, takes them off mid-show. He smiles, “It still looks cool and stylish, so I suppose the channel doesn’t object either.”

A NEW LOOK EVERY YEAR
For every season of Bigg Boss, Ashley gives Salman a new look after receiving the channel’s brief that the designer has to go with, post discussions.

“In the first two years, the audiences saw him only in jeans, T-shirts, and leather jackets. So they asked me to change his style and I gave him suits, semi suits, jackets, his look from Tiger etc. Then they said give him coloured jackets; I did that, but received flak for it,” he says, alluding to maroon-red ombre, olive green, blue with bright red print jackets.

Ashley admits that it’s a challenge for him to style Salman year after year and also adds pressure on him. “There’s pressure with every film I do with him, too. For instance, people asked me why I gave him ill-fitting pants for Tubelight. I need to remind them that I had the director’s brief and he played a slow person and not Salman Khan,” says the designer.

SHRUGGING CRITICISM OFF
All the criticism Ashely receives doesn’t perturb him, though. He says, “It used to bother me when I was young. But like Salman, I have matured. I know what looks good irrespective of what anybody says. Is there anything that can’t look good on him? People say he looks good even in shorts and a gunjee.” Just like him, Salman doesn’t pay attention to criticism either. “Whenever I tell him that people haven’t liked his look, he asks me, ‘You think it looks good, na? Then why are you bothered?’” As long as Salman is not unhappy, it doesn’t affect Ashley what others have to say.

ALL THE RESTRICTIONS
“I can’t give him small checks, whites, stripes, or Houndstooth suits because they all jitter on screen. Linen fabric is ruled out because it gets crumpled and looks bad by the end of the episode. I’d love to dress him up in these and make him look cool but there are restrictions. And given that, I think I do a fantastic job,” he smiles.

NO-FUSS SALMAN
Styling Salman is never a hassle because the actor is very open to suggestions, Ashley tells us. Of course, the actor does dislike the clothes at times but it takes just about two trials before the look is finalised. At home, Salman is happiest in his shorts and T-shirts while for a casual outing, it’s denims and tees. “When it comes to formals, he wears jackets and ties only if he absolutely has to or it’s a formal shirt with trousers. He likes his pants to be well-fitting and worn out with a slight flair at the bottom. It looks nice on him because it gives him stature and makes him look taller.” Ashley also uses monochrome colours on the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor, like black on black, grey on grey, taupe on taupe, etc. “One tonal quality looks nice on him and gives him elegance,” he says.

HIS FAVOURITES
Salman doesn’t really give Ashley inputs on style. He likes easy clothes like softer T-shirts and more relaxed fit trousers and is averse to heavy embroidery, or prints or too much textured fabric. “He likes everything simple and nice,” says Ashley. The actor has a special fondness for black, midnight blue and military green colours and has a great passion for shoes. Even though he’s not fussy, you won’t often catch him in pinks and light purples. Ashley says, “I try when I want him to wear something different but he gives me that look and says no,” he laughs, “Times like those, sometimes he wins and sometimes I do.” From all the looks that Ashley has designed for him, Salman complimented him for the tight-fitting uniform in Dabangg that became a rage and his look for Tiger Zinda Hai the most.

Manishaa R (DNA; August 22, 2017)

From re-releasing legendary classics like Amar Akbar Anthony, to acquiring the negative rights of over 1,300 big films for satellite release and eventually consolidating its position as one of the biggest distribution houses in the trade, Narendra Hirawat’s NH Studioz, commands a formidable reputation in the business of films. Narendra Hirawat is now joined in his distribution business by his young and dynamic son, Shreyans Hirawat, who is eager to take the 37-year-old legacy forward, with his innovative business moves. In a brief chat, Shreyans recalls the challenges on the distribution scene and Salman’s generous gesture to refund the losses incurred by distributors in Tubelight. Read on for excerpts from an interview...

Considering that you are one of the biggest stakeholders in the distribution business, does star power weigh high in terms of the acquisition and pricing of a film?
Unfortunately, star power does play an important role though there are several factors that play a decisive role in acquisition, be it the director, production quality, previous products from the same banner, besides the story line of the film.

How far according to you does distribution strategy impact the success of a film?
A successful theatrical release definitely defines the fate of a film and that’s where the strategy matters. It is very important to serve the right product to the right audience. Three of the films we released are pointers in this direction, namely Pink, Dear Zindagi and Begum Jaan. In all the three films, the decision to target the right audiences and the strategy made a difference. In fact, Begum Jaan performed well, despite competition from the Hollywood franchise Fast And Furious 8.

How did it feel when hugely anticipated films like Tubelight and Jab Harry Met Sejal failed at the box office?
It was disappointing as we had huge stakes in both the films and the box-office collections were upsetting. I guess the audience had distinctive expectations from the super heroes of these films and the films were not in sync with their outlook. Interestingly, the base plot appeared to be perfect for both the films.

Salim Khan refunded distributors partially for Tubelight when the film did not live up to box-office expectations. Comment.
The very idea of them considering the losses came as a relief to us. Having said that, it was undoubtedly a humble and big-hearted gesture. They have set out an example for everyone. Salim Khan’s gesture is a sign of ethics and morality in today’s world.

Do you think producers whether stars or non-stars should compensate distributors when highly-priced films fail to live up to box-office hype?
The basic ups and downs in the trade are inevitable, but when some films meet with a disastrous response, it could prove to be a back-breaking experience and a challenge for the distributors of those films. In such cases, the producers should seriously look at compensating distributors to whatever extent they can.

Do you think moderately-budgeted films prove to be a safer bet at the box office?
Yes, definitely but let’s accept the fact that no film is a safe bet until Friday. Nevertheless, any film made in a safe and moderate budget has a fair chance of doing good. Also, the fate of a film lies to a great extent on its relativity to the audiences.

In the ‘90s distribution houses reigned supreme. Now, a majority of these distributors have shut shop. What do you think about this?
Until the late 90s, film distribution was a very safe and rewarding business. It was a win-win situation for both the producers and distributors, wherein both were judiciously rewarded for the risks and returns. Post that period, the corporate houses took over and it was a lopsided balance with higher risks and lesser returns.