‘Hindostan’ panned for badly-written script, rare flop for top star Aamir Khan
MUMBAI: The spectacular flop of Thugs of Hindostan has been blamed on a poor script and inferior production.
“It was a horrendously written and horrendously made film,” commented Komal Nahta, editor of Mumbai trade publication Film Information. “I don’t think the film will make even 155 crores or 160 crores (RM92 million or RM96 million), despite having no competition during Diwali or this week or the next week.”
Mumbai producer Yash Raj Films would have recovered part of the cost even before the release of the film through the sale of satellite, digital and music rights. Satellite rights were sold to Sony Pictures Networks, and digital rights went to Amazon Prime for undisclosed sums, while Yash Raj Films retained the music and distribution rights.
“Satellite channels and digital platforms like Amazon or Netflix need good content and they are willing to pay the price to acquire content,” said Rajkumar Akella, managing director of comScore India Theatrical, which tracks audiences, brands and consumer behaviour. “Movie producers are also able to offset a portion of their production costs even before the release. This has been a long time coming in Indian cinema. Earlier, the bulk of the revenues would come directly from ticket sales.”
Producers also try to arrange wide releases across thousands of screens in the opening week to recover their production costs as quickly as possible. The time window for making a profit has been getting narrower in recent years because the attention span of viewers is more limited.
The unfavourable reviews have come as an anomaly for a typical Aamir Khan movie. Editor Nahta believes the reaction to Thugs of Hindostan is a reflection of the evolving tastes of consumers. “Indian audiences will never be swayed by graphics or grandeur or big budgets or star cast. The story has to appeal to them,” he figured. “This is an emotional audience. Viewers don’t just watch with their eyes. Their hearts need to be engaged.”