Gone are the days when multi-hero projects ensured terrific collections during the opening weekend. But not so today! The opening of ARMAAN clearly indicates that multi-starrers don't necessarily ensure a cent percent opening.
Yet, a section of the film industry feels that making a multi-hero project is more viable than making a solo-hero film. On the other hand, there are those who swear by solo-hero projects.
Strangely, the excitement for ARMAAN was missing before its release. Despite starring some of the best talents in the industry, the film was not 'hot' amongst the common man.
Besides a notable star cast, several impressive names were associated with the film. It also marked the debut of a successful writer, Honey Irani, as director. Unfortunately, ARMAAN was nowhere close to Honey's earlier gems [scripts].
So, what went wrong? Why didn't the film take a bumper start all over? The reasons are aplenty –
* One, the music did not catch on with the youth. In today's times, more specifically during the vacations, the youth form a sizeable chunk of theatre-going audience. The music of this film, although melodious, wasn't as appealing as ISHQ VISHK or ANDAAZ.
* Two, the 'look' of the characters in the film drew flak. Amitabh's silver wig and Preity's hairstyle didn't gel well with the masses.
* Three, the film gave an impression of being a 'serious' fare, starring mature actors. Balancing the cast with a young hero would've helped.
Although the film reminded of a 1960s hit, somehow, ARMAAN didn't have enough engaging moments to keep you glued to the screen. Besides being too slow-paced, Amitabh's 'exit' slightly before the interval also went against the film.
TOUGH COMPETITION
ANDAAZ, BHOOT, JAAL – THE TRAP, MUMBAI SE AAYA MERA DOST, QAYAMAT, DARNA MANA HAI, CHALTE CHALTE, KUCH NA KAHO, KOI… MIL GAYA… the number of biggies lined up for release in the coming weeks will decide the future of Bollywood. But the questions that come to my mind are –
* Won't they cut into each other's business?
* Does the common man have the time, money or inclination to watch two or three films in a single week?
* With the ticket rates being so high, won't these films, releasing in rapid succession, suffer due to this reason?
What the industry needs today is not one, but ten hits. Having one success and twenty flops won't help. Let's hope and pray that the biggies bring back the 1960s and 1970s era when it rained hits!
