Why RDay is DDay for Bollywood thrillers
Historically speaking, Bollywood filmmakers haven’t been very upbeat about releasing their films in January. But it’s interesting to note that in the past few years, a number of action thrillers — often laced with patriotism — have done well on the Republic Day (January 26) weekend.
Trade experts feel that “films doing well in general is a great sign, regardless of the release time”. Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary is up for release this year — it follows R-Day weekend hits such as Agneepath (2012), Baby (2015), Airlift (2016), Raees (2017) and Kaabil (2017).
“It’s true and also great that the Republic Day weekend, over the past few years, has turned out to be a great outing for action-thrillers, especially ones that have a patriotic touch to them,” says trade analyst Atul Mohan.
Pandey, who also directed Baby, likes it when his “stories can show something that resonates with our lives”. He says, “I love the fact that I’m talking about something that concerns you, me, or a person sitting outside my office.”
Exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi feels that if a “film is entertaining, it will do well”. He adds, “Indian viewers have always loved action thrillers. Vis-à-vis films with a patriotic angle, they always resonate with people regardless of caste, colour, creed or religion.”
Rathi cites a “practical reason” for such films doing well during the January 26 weekend. “In North India, the cold wave starts to subside by January 26, and that’s why we see big films releasing from that period,” he says.