T’s been a dull year for Bollywood
od he is ho ry rs ng a od ot, as
re n, edetly tied the knot with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli in a hush- hush affair in Tuscany, Italy. The duo had been denying the wedding for a while, but finally made it public via their social media handles.
Theirs wasn’t the only cricketer- actor relationship this year. Sagarike Ghatge married former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan in a private ceremony in November. Only close family and friends were present. The two had exchanged rings in May in a grand engagement ceremony.
Neil Nitin Mukesh and Rukmini Sahay’s royal wedding in Udaipur was followed by a star- studded Without a major blockbuster releasing this year, nothing seemed to work for Bollywood except Akshay Kumar and sequels.
The fact is, it is the sequels and spinoffs that had a ball at the boxoffice. The breezy films proved to be a nonstarter at the box office. The year started with Aditya Roy Kapoor and hradha Kapoor getting ether in Shaad Ali’s OK nu to deliver a flop after the r- hit Aashiqui. The flow of never dimmed thereafter. big Republic Day clash een Shah Rukh Khan and hik Roshan in Raees and bil proved to be a bit of a p squib with both films rperforming at the box e, though neither was an ght flop. After Raees and az Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal, Rukh needs a very big hit surrect his superstardom. hay continued to revel in - political relevancy. Jolly 2 was about the loopholes in egal system while Toilet: Ek m Katha took on hygiene and amenities for women. We salute Akshay Kumar as hero of 2017 in a year desrately in search of heroes. t reception in Mumbai. Aftab Shivdasani, who was last seen in Great Grand Masti, tied the knot with Nin Dusanj, in a private ceremony in Sri Lanka.
Ishita Dutta and Vatsal Sheth got married in November in a private ceremony in a Juhu temple. Interestingly, the two fell in love on the sets of a TV show, where they were made to sign a no- dating clause.
Renowned filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj and Imtiaz Ali’s experiments too didn’t work at the box office. It got worse with the Sushant Singh Rajput- Kriti Sanon reincarnation dud Raabta. Exes Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif delivered a dud, Jagga Jasoos.
Baahubali: The Conclusion walked with accolades and the moolah this year.
Films starring female stars in the lead, continued to bomb one after another. Vidya Balan Begum Jaan bombed while Tumhari Sulu performed relatively better. Sonakshi Sinha’s Noor, Raveena Tandon’s Maatr and Manisha Koirala’s Dear Maya sank without a trace. The ones that did well were the Sridevi- driven Mom and the quirky sexy ensemble comedy Lipstick Under My Burkha. This film benefited primarily from all the publicity it got from its skirmish with the CBFC.
It took a small film with a big message called Hindi Medium to turn the tides. This Irrfan KhanSaba Qamar starrer about a young couple’s struggle to get their daughter into an Englishmedium school, touched a chord.
Irrfan was another Khan who shone this year. He had another relative success Qarib Qarib Singlle towards the second half of the year. The other Khan, the far bigger star Salman, delivered a thundering flop with Tubelight, one of the biggest debacles of the year. However, he recovered lost ground with Tiger Zinda Hai.
Secret Superstar, Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Newton, Hamari Shadi Mein Zaroor Aana and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s Bareilly Ki Barfi were other little films with big hearts that raked in the profits.
In the meanwhile, there is more heartening news with Mrigdeep Singh Lamba’s Fukrey Returns making rich profits. Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Returns, also got its stamp of approval from the audience.