Trade experts discuss what went wrong with Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: “It did whatever business it could because of Salman Khan. Take Salman Khan out of the film and it would have fallen like a pack of cards”

By Fenil Seta -

May 11, 2023 - 4:30 PM IST

The Salman Khan-starrer Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan did well in the first week due to the Eid holiday. But the film dropped significantly in Week 2. Its lifetime collections are expected to be in the range of Rs. 110 and Rs. 112 crores.

Trade experts discuss what went wrong with Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: “It did whatever business it could because of Salman Khan. Take Salman Khan out of the film and it would have fallen like a pack of cards”

We asked trade experts what went wrong with Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, said, “Barring Salman Khan, everything was wrong with the film. The songs were not upto the mark. The song ‘Lets Dance Chotu Motu’, which was launched just a few days before release, discouraged the public from watching it. It was a bad move. Something like this has rarely happened with a big film when the fact is that closer to the release, the excitement levels should instead enhance. Also, the storytelling was dated.”

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh sighed, “After watching the first half, I was wondering, ‘yeh kis sadi ki picture hai?’. I liked the second half though. The film did whatever business it could because of Salman Khan. Take Salman Khan out of the film and it would have fallen like a pack of cards. But it’s a lesson for Salman Khan and an eye-opener for the industry that you need to take your stardom seriously.”

Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise in Jaipur, remarked, “It was a very badly made film. I have not met a single person who has said, ‘Picture kamaal ki thi’. Interestingly, kisi ne Salman Khan ki buraai nahin ki hai. Buraai hui hai toh director aur script ki. Even those who don’t understand much about filmmaking complained that ‘direction aur story bahut kharaab hai’.”

Bad choices lead to underwhelming box-office collections
Salman Khan’s stardom went to another level with the success of Wanted and Dabangg. But off late, his films haven’t been able to do huge business. Dabangg 3 collected Rs. 146.11 crores and was widely panned. Radhe didn’t release in cinemas but its word of mouth was mostly negative.

Taran Adarsh said, “It’s sad that his choices have deteriorated, from Sultan and Bajrangi Bhaijaan to films like Race 3, Radhe and now Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. You can’t expect Sachin Tendulkar to hit a six on every ball. Similarly, I don’t expect all Salman Khan films to do Rs. 300 crores. Having said that, you are in such a commanding position. Aapki zara si jhalak pe log seetiyaan aur taaliyaan bajane lagte hai, as evident in Pathaan. The least you can do is work with better directors and on better scripts. Don’t work in trash films. Please step out of your comfort zone.”

Girish Johar opined, “Such a below-average Salman Khan film has still fetched Rs. 100 crores in today’s times. Salman, hence, is the biggest star we have right now. The audiences want to watch him eagerly. His swag is unmatchable. He needs to ensure he delivers as per the audiences’ expectations.”

Raj Bansal suggested, “He should choose good directors and production houses. If he does that, he’ll continue to rule for sure”

Taran Adarsh added, “I would love to see him working with S S Rajamouli, Rohit Shetty, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. They’ll extract fine performances from him and these films will also be huge openers. Box office needs to be considered. With due respect, why is he doing mediocre films? Look at the way Kabir Khan handled him. I agree that Tubelight didn’t work. But look at Bajrangi Bhaijaan.”

Girish Johar also said, “Salman Khan is in a unique position as his mass audience base is quite strong. But he needs to realize a chunk of the revenue is coming from the multiplexes, in top-tier cities. So his films need to entertain not just the masses but also city-based audiences. Even the urban youth wants to see Salman Khan, but in a smarter, sleeker and more intelligent manner, and hopefully playing his age. He needs to be careful about what films he selects and he should also choose the right director. We want him to build more on his swag so that his stardom doesn’t go downhill.”

All eyes on Tiger 3
Thankfully, Salman Khan has Tiger 3 in his kitty which is expected to do very well. Taran Adarsh stated, “I am very, very hopeful about Tiger 3. He’ll bounce back in a very big way. Tiger will roar again! But after that, what? I hope he doesn’t end up doing films with Remo Dsouza or Farhad Samji once again.”

Girish Johar said, “I am pretty much confident that Tiger 3 will rake in huge numbers. Whatever little we know of, it’ll be a slick, intelligent film that’ll appeal to all kinds of audiences.”

Raj Bansal, meanwhile, predicted, “Tiger 3 will create new records.”

To conclude
Taran Adarsh signed off by saying, “I hope that during his next film announcement, we all jump in joy and scream ‘Wow’ and not ‘Oh no, not again’!”

Also Read: Mumbai Police issues lookout circular against man threatening Salman Khan