BOLLYWOOD BULLISH, ANNOUNCES NEW FILMS will wait for mid-size films to come first.”
Even as many films are waiting for the right opportunity to release, new ones are already raring to go
Theatres are closed and audiences are waiting for them to reopen to watch many films, including some big-budget ones like Sooryavanshi and ’83, whose makers have announced they won’t release them on OTT platforms. However, the Hindi film industry is in no mood to wait and watch.
Actor Akshay Kumar has announced a new project Raksha Bandhan, while actor Ayushmann Khurrana is set to collaborate with director Abhishek Kapoor for a new film. Prabhas has revealed that his next is going to be with Deepika Padukone. Phone Bhoot will see a quirky combination of Katrina Kaif, Ishaan Khatter and Sidhant Chaturvedi. Vikrant Massey will star alongside Kriti Kharbanda in 14 Phere.
POSITIVE SIGN
Filmmaker Anees Bazmee, who hasn’t yet resumed the shoot for Bhool Bhulaiya 2, sees this as a positive sign. “We are very optimistic people. This coronavirus, it’s not as if it will be there for our entire lives, every disease has a time period. We have to learn to live with it, and can’t stop everything forever. Theatres will open one day, and the fear will go away,” he says. What about the pending releases?
“That will be a big challenge. Everyone will have to cooperate,” adds Bazmee.
Echoing similar sentiments is filmmaker Milap Milan Zaveri, whose next is Satyameva Jayate 2 with John Abraham. He tells us, “As Raj Kapoor saab famously said, ‘The show must go on’. It’s heartening that new projects are being announced. Eventually cinemas will reopen and the big ticket films that are lined up will release. Films like Sooryavanshi, ’83 and Radhe will bring the masses back to cinemas. Then it’s the responsibility of other filmmakers to keep it going.”
Actors on their part too are prepping to get back into the shoot mode. Khatter is excited for Phone Bhoot, for which he hopes to starts shooting by the end of this year. “It’s a first for me in many ways, with Katrina and Sidhant. The most exciting thing is it’s my first in the comedy genre,” he shares.
CLEARING BACKLOG
Trade experts feel the backlog will be cleared soon. Joginder Tuteja says as far as pending films are concerned, in the next six months, 20-25 films will anyway come on OTT platforms. “Every year, 80-100 (Hindi) movies are released, and the ones which do good business in theatres are 25-30. Most get a better market on OTT,” he says. Elaborating on how he sees the next year panning out, Tuteja adds, “We have say, 25 big films every year, which means one of them every second week. Even when theatres reopen, they
NEED MORE PROJECTS
Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says a study in the industry shows films either ready or in final stages are an odd 150, across languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri and Punjabi. He feels big stars can bring cinemas back to life. “What would compel people to come back to cinemas are films featuring superstars, across India,” he says.
Reliance Entertainment CEO Shibasish Sarkar says more new releases would be needed when theatres reopen. “The backlog won’t pose a problem, as many films are releasing on OTT. The next calendar year, in the first three-six months there could be a scarcity. So we definitely need more films,” he explains.