Blockbusters have the look and feel of one. The audiences are more or less aware in their sub conscious which film will perform well and which won’t, simply because they are aware of their tastes and preferences for films. Dry spells are natural in a booming industry like Bollywood but the strength of blockbusters are enough to cut through the aridity. October has evolved as quite a dull month, given that two of the year’s biggest films which were expected to be box office winners have proved as massive flops – namely Besharam and Boss! And now the mantel of box office will soon be passed to Krrish 3, but is yet to see whether the film can take Bollywood back to the super successful days of Chennai Express or even ala Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. The IPL fever was sky rocketing high which gave Bollywood a severe beating. With most films failing to succeed amply, it was Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer candyfloss romance story YJHD that managed to cut through the box office dry spell. The film went on to collect 190.03 crores at the domestic box office despite no added advantage to its credit.
But the real box office turnover was done by the Baadshah of Bollywood. Despite being a strictly average film, its was Shah Rukh Khan’s star power that made the film a record smasher of sorts. Path breaking, the film went on to create box office history emerging as the highest opening day collections, fastest 100 crore entrant, Highest week 1 collections and above all the highest lifetime collections ever recorded by a film which rested at a magnanimous domestic total of 226.70 crores at the India Box Office! It is a challenge for any film to even consider matching the level that Chennai Express attained for itself. However, with films like Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3 gearing up for release, there is a strong chance that the film will mark its efforts to surpass the moolah raked up by Chennai Express. Once the blaze of Chennai Express wore itself out as the film wrapped up its lifetime income at the box office, none of the promising ventures managed to create any magic. There were a bunch of interesting films lined up, expected to have met with at least the distinguished 100 crore mark but unfortunately none of those films managed to even make it to the coveted club.
To begin with it was Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara which one would assume flopped so miserably because of the excessive pressure of Chennai Express at the box office, but the film had such a disappointing premise that it failed to even tread near its predecessor Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, in terms of a grasping story. The film barely ran for two weeks properly, and most people who went in expecting the marvel of OUATIM had their hopes cast down. No wonder all the film made at the box office was a dismal 65 crores‘ lifetime income. Madras Cafe despite being heavily praised by critics failed at gathering a more universal appeal to it. That could only qualify as the most sane reason why Madras Cafe did not perform well at the box office making only 50 crores‘ total earn. Though a lot was expected of multi-starrer Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor film Satyagraha, it wouldn’t be faulty to say that Prakash Jha lost his earnestness in this film which ranks as the most important reason as to why the film did not manage to soar. An average caper with a lifetime amount of 67.85 crores, the film despite being on a extremely novel and relatable idea failed to strike the right chord with the audiences.
Another film expected to be a huge box office grosser was Priyanka Chopra and Ram Charan Teja’s Zanjeer. An expensive film that was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s film of the same name was perhaps the year’s biggest dismal box office failure which began September on a bad note for Bollywood. And though Parineeti Chopra and Sushant Sigh starrer Shuddh Desi Romance had good steam, it was more of a multiplex film catering only to the youth. Lacking the universal appeal again, even this film could on cross over into the hit zone resting it total income at 46. 80 crores. Among the commendable releases in September, it was only Grand Masti which fared well in terms of box office numbers. Becoming the first film of its kind to enter the 100 crore club, the sexual innuendos of this otherwise vulgar film went down well with the audiences. On the other hand, Rajkumar Santoshi’s Phata Poster Nikhla Hero was a flop. Earning only a total income of 37.85 crores, the film was disappointing in terms of box office numbers and mostly because it is upsetting top see a man of Rajkumar Santoshi’s caliber wasting himself over a film like this. Overall, after Chennai Express it was only Grand Masti that made it to the 100 crore club. But it is the gusto of a blockbuster, star laden, audience crazy frenzy that has been missing from the box office.
October could have witnessed a good spin for the industry. With the young superstar Ranbir Kapoor trying his hand at a newer genre of masala flicks, along with Abhinav Kashyap, the man who created the endearing character of Salman Khan’s Chulbul Pandey – the film was an utter misfit of sorts. Casting an actor who has greater caliber than playing a crotch fixing, women stalking buffoon, it is justified that the film did not do well at the box office. Emerging as perhaps the year’s biggest dud, the film has so far collected in the range of 60 crores and on the verge of wrapping up its lifetime collections. October still had hopes from Akshay Kumar starrer Boss. With smashing trailers and Khiladi Kumar returning back in his popular Rowdy avatar, it was almost a shock when the film expected to be a 100 crore failed to reach even 50 crore mark at the domestic box office by the conclusion of its extended first week.
So, basically October too has remained dry for Bollywood unfortunately. And technically speaking, the industry has been oblivious of a super success since Chennai Express. Barring Grand Masti which was the only film that has shown remote promise of even performing exquisitely at the box office, the audiences are still waiting for a glittering blockbuster film ala Chennai Express. With Krrish 3 releasing next week, audiences are waiting with bated breath expecting this film to match up to the blaze of SRK’s Chennai Express. High on VFX and India’s most ambitious screen outing so far, it is yet to see whether the film resolves the dry spell issue that Bollywood has been bearing since the release of the Rohit Shetty directorial. It is yet to see, if Krrish 3 that has a humungous appeal among children will join the ranks of blockbuster like Chennai Express giving Bollywood a fertile November and the parched box office something to be gleeful about this Diwali.
