What an eventful year 2011 was. So many hits/successes in a single year are a rarity. Plus, five films joining the 100 cr club in one year itself [READY, BODYGUARD, SINGHAM, RA.ONE and DON 2]... Waah! Mazaa aa gaya!
2012 promises to be an exciting, action-packed year as well. The year sets in motion with a biggie [PLAYERS] and is expected to wrap up with another biggie [DABANGG 2; Christmas 2012 release]. In between, there's a plethora of big-budget and keenly anticipated films that should keep the optimism alive. I am often asked at the end of every year, which film/s in the ensuing year has the potential to strike gold at the ticket window and my answer remains static, let's not pin hopes on merely a couple of films. Did anyone expect NO ONE KILLED JESSICA, TANU WEDS MANU, F.A.L.T.U., HAUNTED, RAGINI MMS, PYAAR KA PUNCHNAMA, DELHI BELLY, MURDER 2 and THE DIRTY PICTURE to strike gold for their investors?
2011 witnessed the revival of masala films and I am confident that well-made masala entertainers will dominate in 2012 as well. Salman, Aamir, SRK, Ajay, Hrithik, Ranbir, Saif, Akshay, Emraan, Imran… every prominent name, who matters in the industry today, is expected to have a release this year. The business is expected to zoom upwards in 2012. The India theatrical business has witnessed an upsurge, while the Satellite prices have also hit the roof. The Overseas territory is great for star-studded films, with more and more markets opening up with each big release. What we need is transparency in numbers, which, in turn, will help the industry grow in times to come.
The top league actors are going through the best phase. At a point of time, in the 80s and 90s, almost all actors were working in 30/40/50 films at any given time. Films would get made in 3/4/5 years, with certain actors working in 3/4/5 shifts every single day, doling out dates for shooting as if they were distributing prasad to their producers. But Aamir Khan brought about a revolution. He decided to concentrate on one film at a time. Subsequently, every actor followed suit and barring Akshay Kumar, who continues to have 5 and 6 releases every year, every top league actor has realized that they need to do lesser number of films to keep their stardom alive. This, in my opinion, is a healthy trend.
I am an eternal optimist and I only hope and pray that 2012 begins and concludes with a bang. And create a lot of noise in between too. Amen!
