Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay gets what Gadar 2, Animal, Dunki, Salaar didn’t – a solo release; Only 1 major Hindi release on February 16 followed by 7 releases two weeks later; Why is there a MAD rush to release films on March 1?

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

February 15, 2024 - 12:00 PM IST

What does Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay have that Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Prabhas’ Salaar didn’t? A solo release! The Guru Randhawa-Saiee Manjrekar starrer is the only major Hindi release on Friday, February 16 (Dashami and Aakhir Palaayan Kab Tak also hit screens on the same day but are very small releases). This is a rare occurrence in Bollywood, which churns out hundreds of films. With only 52 Fridays a year, clashes often take place. But what’s bewildering is how film releases are not spaced out properly.

Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay gets what Gadar 2, Animal, Dunki, Salaar didn’t – a solo release; Only 1 major Hindi release on February 16 followed by 7 releases two weeks later; Why is there a MAD rush to release films on March 1?

Usually, one doesn’t see a release or a small film becomes the big release on the Friday that falls after the release of a biggie. In the case of Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay, last week saw the release of Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. The Shahid Kapoor-Kriti Sanon starrer always seemed promising but was never seen as a film that could affect a similar mid-sized film the next week. Hence, letting this Friday go waste seemed unjustified.

Next Friday, February 23, will see the release of two mid-sized films – Article 370 and Crakk – and a small film, All India Rank. But wait for March 1 when believe it or not, 7 Hindi films are scheduled to arrive in cinemas! These 7 flicks are Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao's production Laapataa Ladies, Bejoy Nambiar's stylish thriller Dange, Satish Kaushik's final venture Kaagaz 2, a critically acclaimed small film Fairy Folk, Pan-India movie Operation Valentine and political flicks Razakar and Accident Or Conspiracy: Godhra.

The overcrowding of March 1 has already stunned the industry and the exhibitors. What has added to the tension of the latter is that there’s one more major film up for release in the same week – the much-awaited Hollywood biggie, Dune: Part Two.

Going by previous experiences, there’s no doubt that at least 2 or 3 films out of these would move as they won’t get the required screens. Yet, 4-5 releases in a week is a lot. One can understand if a National Holiday or a big festival was falling in the first week of March. But there’s no such event in the said period. Why then is there a mad rush to bring so many films on March 1? And why did a few of these movies instead not release on February 16?

There’s no doubt that a lot of thought goes behind finalizing a release date. But in certain cases, the makers and their teams fail to have a basic understanding of selecting the right date. As a result, audiences often find themselves either being flooded with too many options or not having any options at all.

For some inexplicable reason, May 2023 saw only three major Bollywood releases – The Kerala Story, IB 71 and Jogira Sara Ra Ra. A month when schools and colleges are shut deserved far more Hindi releases. In July 2023, the only two significant releases were Neeyat and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

Bollywood Hungama then asked a few producers why they let these two crucial months go waste. Some cited that their film was not ready while a few of them blatantly took other producers’ names and wondered, “Why didn’t they release their film? Why don’t you ask them this question too!”.

Two weeks after Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Gadar 2 and OMG 2 clashed. Thankfully, both were huge hits but Ghoomer, a genuine effort, which was released one week later got crushed. Had it been released in July, it would have had better chances.

2024, too, is going to see dry periods followed by collisions. Our sincere request to the industry is – stop these mindless clashes. Space out your releases well. We have had a historic 2023. Let 2024 also be a year to watch out for and let’s not ruin the momentum due to ill-planning of releases.

Also Read: Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay Teaser: Guru Randhawa and Saiee Manjrekar bring a tedhi-medhi love story