The Shahid Kapoor-starrer Deva had a disappointing fate at the box office. This was unexpected since the teaser was very well-received. The actor has also done a great job, like always, but sadly, Deva adds to the list of his many flops. Bollywood Hungama spoke to the trade experts to understand why Deva didn’t work and what’s going wrong with Shahid Kapoor.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “The trailer and teaser were fantastic. However, many people felt that the promotions were not optimum. This was an action film that could have opened to bigger numbers than his last two films, Jersey (2022) and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024). However, when you don’t keep the momentum alive, then even a front-loaded film does not open to the expected numbers.”
He added, “Also, there were loose ends in the script, which could have been tied properly. They have every right to make changes in the remake. But in my opinion, there was tremendous shock value in the original version, and that was missing in Deva.”
Trade analyst Atul Mohan stated, “The trailer was quite liked. Shahid seemed to be in the Kabir Singh (2019) zone. But Kabir Singh’s music was a big hit, which was lacking in Deva. Also, people are not enjoying remakes as such. In fact, once they learn that a film is a remake, toh log back foot pe aa jaate hai. Kabir Singh was also a remake but that time was different.” He also added, “Moreover, Mumbai Police (2013) was not a mainstream, commercial film.”
Distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal agreed with Taran Adarsh, “I guess lack of publicity went against the film. Nowadays, the trailers are not impactful but Deva’s trailer was an exception and did a good job. But after that, the buzz died down. Secondly, the film is average.”
Shahid Kapoor’s ‘not-a-remake’ statement backfires
During the promotions of his OTT film Bloody Daddy (2023), Shahid Kapoor claimed that Deva is not a remake. The video got a lot of attention in the past few weeks as the trailer of Deva clearly proved that it’s an adaptation of Mumbai Police. Taran Adarsh thundered, “Why should one hide it? The first scene of the film itself is a giveaway (that’s it a remake). Also, do you want to hide this fact in today’s times of social media? Why don’t you accept it? Agar remake kiya hai, toh kiya hai. You have paid and bought the rights, isn’t it? Whoever thought of this idea, usko salaam karta hoon main!”
He also drew parallels with Himesh Reshammiya’s upcoming release Badass Ravi Kumar, “The first teaser and poster clearly mention ‘80s type ki picture’. Hence, the audience is well prepared and they know what to expect. The problem would have arisen when you would have claimed that it’s not an 80s kind of a movie.”
What goes wrong for Shahid Kapoor?
Shahid Kapoor has always given commendable performances but except for Padmaavat (2018) and Kabir Singh, he has never delivered a Rs. 100 crore plus grosser. When asked why this is happening with a star performer like Shahid, Taran Adarsh replied, “I don’t know. I am not counting Padmaavat as it also starred Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. And if you ask me, Sanjay Leela Bhansali was the biggest name in that film. So, apart from Kabir Singh, his films have rarely opened at double digits. That’s not good as you are known by your last Friday. If you are charging an X amount, you need to deliver numbers at least on day one. Uske baad film ki kismat ke upar depend karta hai. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya did decently well but considering that its music was such a big hit, that film should have ideally opened with a bang.”
Raj Bansal explained, “He hasn’t been able to excel in romantic or action or sports films. Moreover, his selection of films is not good. Also, he hasn’t created a set image. For some heroes, you know that the masses or female audiences are bound to come. That is not the case with his films. They come to cinemas as per the hype for that film and not necessarily due to his star power.”
Atul Mohan made a general appeal to all the young actors, “I fail to understand why an actor does one film at a time. You are young and you can afford to have 2 or 3 films in a year. Earlier, actors used to have 6 to 8 releases in one year. Many of these from the younger lot are not approachable. They don’t want to meet anyone. Their managers are deciding their careers. Even today, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn are ready to meet. But new generation actors refuse to do so. These actors should realize that they reached a point because of their hard work and not due to their agencies. They will have to move ahead in their careers by being instinctive about their projects and not because someone is dictating their choices.”
He also said, “Earlier, heroes used to be a part of the music process. They used to tell producers, ‘Accha gaana daaliye film mein’. That doesn’t happen anymore.” Coming to Shahid Kapoor, Atul Mohan remarked that his films should have hit songs to work, “Even today, we remember his song ‘Saree Ke Fall Sa’ from R…Rajkumar (2013). Kabir Singh also worked mainly due to the songs. The same goes for Vivah (2006), Kaminey (2009) or even Udta Punjab (2016). In short, his success has been complimented by a hit soundtrack.”
An industry insider said on the condition of anonymity, “Shahid Kapoor is a hard-working actor but often, films in which he gave an outstanding performance belonged to the niche category, be it Haider, Kaminey or Udta Punjab. And his mainstream films have not been well made like Shaandaar (2015), Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013) and Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018). I hope to see him in well-made commercial films with great music, on the lines of Vivah (2006) and Jab We Met (2007).”
What worries the trade is that his next film is produced by Vishal Bhardwaj and hence is expected to be another niche, multiplex-friendly film. Atul Mohan said, “Vishal Bhardwaj has given great films but they have never been commercially viable projects.”
But, at the same time, despite such a track record, Shahid Kapoor has thrived thanks to his performances. Taran Adarsh signed off by saying, “For me, the biggest takeaway from Deva was Shahid Kapoor’s outstanding and award-worthy performance. He has proved himself time and again. But eventually, you have to match up with the box office numbers.”
Also Read: Deva song ‘Marji Cha Maalik out: Shahid Kapoor-starrer track is high-energy musical treat
More Pages: Deva Box Office Collection , Deva Movie Review
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