Why RDay weekend has become DDay for Bollywood’s action thrillers
Historically speaking, Bollywood film-makers 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.
Baby and Aiyaary director Neeraj Pandey, on his part, likes it when his “stories can show something that resonates with our lives”. “I love the fact that I’m talking about something that concerns you, me, or a person sitting outside my office. I feel comfortable with them, and also I feel they (the stories) need to be talked about,” says the film-maker.
On the other hand, exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi feels if a “film is entertaining, it will do well”. “Indian audiences have always loved action thrillers especially since it connects with the masses. Vis-à-vis films with a patriotic angle, it always resonates with people regardless of caste, colour, creed or religion,” he says.
Although Neeraj Pandey has had a strong track record vis-à-vis releasing films on the January 26 weekend, but he admits “there’s no pressure, because if you know you’re doing quality work, then it does not matter how big a name you are”. “I enjoy the fact that at least now, there are some expectations [from me]. There was a time when there were none,” he says.
Interestingly, trade analysts point to a more “practical reason” behind such films doing well during the January 26 weekend. “In North India, the cold wave that grips that part of the nation, starts to subside by January 26, and that’s why we see big films starting to release from that period onward,” says Rathi.