2018 - What a year it is turning out to be for Bollywood. In just five months flat, the industry has already delivered 10 clean successes. Ok, make it five months and one day since technically speaking, Veere Di Wedding released on the first day of the sixth month.
Nonetheless, leaving aside the technicalities, one can't remember when was the last time something like this has happened when so many successes had showered theatres all around. And to think of it, this is a lean period. First quarter of the year is supposed to be dull due to the exams season whereas second quarter goes totally dead due to the IPL season. It is only towards the summer season and then around Eid when things begin to look up before it all perks up again towards Diwali.
No wonder, industry always looks forward to October - December timeframe for the biggest successes due to Diwali and Christmas holiday. Par iss baar toh jaise Diwali garmiyon mein hi aa gayi!
This can well be evidenced from the super start that Veere Di Wedding has taken. No one expected an all-female flick with an A certificate to boast of finding such kind of traction from the very first day itself. Leave aside the double digit mark, even a Rs. 5 crore opening would have been considered as a winning start. Still, the film has surprised, and how.
No wonder, these are indeed 'acche din' for the industry, something that started with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat and is now seeing a continuation of that all with Veere Di Wedding.
The best part about most of the successes in 2018 is that not many thought the final verdict would emerge in a manner that one is seeing currently.
Padmaavat was in controversies right through and, at one point in time; it had seemed that the film would just continue to get postponed. What happened shocked everyone as it entered the 300 crore club.
PadMan surprised too, though not in a very good way. A very noble film by Akshay Kumar and R. Balki was set to be a clear 100 crore runner. It fell a little short and emerged a lesser success than it deserved.
Raid was always a success in the making but then the kind of subject and treatment that it carried; one expected Rs. 80-90 crore lifetime. What one saw though was an entry into the 100 crore club.
Baaghi 2 would have been content with Rs100 crore tagging but then it shocked one and all with the biggest opening of the year, hence even surpassing Padmaavat. Eventual outcome? A breeze past the 150 crore mark.
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety was the surprise of the season though. An entry into the Rs. 50 crore club would have been fair enough. However, it had bigger plans. The stocks were doubled and a blockbuster emerged.
Hichki was said to be doomed prior to its release. It was being speculated that even those associated with it were not much hopeful. Well, all speculations were unfounded as the film emerged a sleeper success.
102 Not Out would have been called a fine runner had it gone past Rs. 35 crore mark. It did much better as an entry into Rs. 50 crore club came in. This is the first time ever in history for a film starring veterans.
Raazi was another major surprise waiting to happen. With a grim subject and a realistic treatment, the Alia Bhatt starrer was expected to be a niche affair. No one could see a 100 crore club card waiting for it!
Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran was not even in contention for most. As a matter of fact its sudden release seemed like a desperate attempt to get the film out of the way. Well, Rs. 50 crore club, here it comes.
Veere Di Wedding seemed like a wannabe film for most. It was being said that the film was trying too hard and most would find it tough to digest. All loose talks set to rest; the film is cruising after a superb start.
Talking about collections, as of 1st June this is how the numbers look like for these films:
Padmaavat – Rs. 302.15 crore
Pad Man – Rs. 81.82 crore
Raid – Rs. 103.07 crore
Baaghi 2 – Rs. 164.38 crore
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety – Rs. 108.95 crore
Hichki – Rs. 46. 21 crore
102 Not Out – Rs. 50.88 crore*
Raazi – Rs. 110.89 crore*
Parmanu- The Story of Pokhran – Rs. 37.46 crore*
Veere Di Wedding – Rs. 10.70 crore*
*Still playing
As is the case, a total of Rs. 1018.09 crore has already been accumulated by these 10 films and so much more is yet to come. With especially Veere Di Wedding, Parmanu - The Story of Pokhran and Raazi still in the running, rest assured around Rs. 80 crore more would certainly come in. This means Rs. 1100 crore total split between just these 10 films is definitely on the cards.
The winning season is truly worthy of celebration and to think of it, Race 3 and Sanju are yet to release this month.
Abhi toh party shuru hui hai!
