The Salman Khan-starrer Sultan has had a grand opening at the box-office. Despite Eid being postponed to Thursday July 7, the film that released on Wednesday, July 6, is set to break all box-office records if initial reports are an indication.
So, here we go—once again we have to look to a Khan to bail the industry out of crisis. A journey that started in the late ‘80s continues till today. The three Khans: Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir can rake in the moolah which the likes of Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh can’t.
But have we actually sat down and foreseen a scenario when the Khans are relegated to character roles? What happens then? Does the industry have a second line of megastars coming up? The answer is no.
Let’s have a rundown on the new crop of stars set to take over from the Khans. Apart from seniors like Akshay, Ajay, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan, Ranveer, Shahid Kapur, Ranbir, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Arjun Kapoor and Tiger Shroff are considered to be forces to reckon with at the box-office. But at a time when the industry is growing and the producers’ expectation is on a high, even a novice would admit that these above-mentioned actors cannot match up to the aura of the three Khans.
When Dilwale and Fan (SRK) fail to spell magic at the box-office, trade pundits start worrying. When a Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Salman) does not perform as expected despite crossing the Rs. 200-crore mark in India, the pressure on the film industry piles up. Remember Talaash starring Aamir in the lead that almost sank without a trace? The perfectionist had to belt out Dhoom 3 and PK to compensate for the drubbing that Talaash received. So, the might of the Khans still rules. But what next?
They are in their early fifties, and probably, they can continue to play the lead for three more years at most. But do we have a replacement for the trio?
Looking back, Dilip Kumar was replaced by Rajesh Khanna. And Amitabh Bachchan dethroned Rajesh to be the Numero Uno. After Big B decided to flirt with politics, we have had the likes of Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Govinda, Sunny Deol, Sunjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff who gave hits after hits to get the industry going. Then came the Khans, Akshay and Ajay and to a certain extent Suniel Shetty who held sway over the audiences. And then it was Hrithik’s turn.
But in terms of business, the three Khans have left others behind. It’s been more than twenty years and they still rule the roost. But how long can they see the industry through? The gap between the three megastars and the rest in terms of volume is only expanding. Akshay, Ajay and Hrithik may be big stars, but have a look at the business of their films, and you get the answer.
Ajay’s biggest hit Singham Returns netted Rs. 141 crore at the domestic box-office. Hrithik did well with Krrish 3 to notch up around Rs. 240 crore but only once. Akshay scored the highest with Rowdy Rathore (Rs 131 crore). Compare this with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan…, Kick, Chennai Express, Happy New Year, PK and Dhoom 3 with an either Salman or SRK or Aamir in the lead, the volume of business increases manifold.
Ranbir was hailed as the next big thing, but he has had a bumpy ride as a safe bet. Ranveer shows promise, but to expect him to carry forward the legacy of Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir is too much for the asking as of now. So far as the rest are concerned, they have a long, long way to go before one can put his money on them.
A time comes when superstars need to play their age: Big B has done it and so have Dilip Kumar and others. But to expect them to churn out blockbusters after a certain point of time would be hoping against hope. Big B's Black, Paa and Piku are box-office successes, but it’s the storyline that has also contributed to their ‘glorious’ run at the BO.
It’s business that matters more than critical acclaim. No matter what actors say, if their films don’t make profit, they run out of favour after a certain point of time.
Looking ahead, amongst the releases coming up, it’s SRK’s Raees and Aamir’s Dangal that the industry is looking forward to. Trade analysts would vouch that if Sultan turns out to be the first blockbuster this year, Raees and Dangal should follow suit. Come on we are not talking about Rs. 150 crore. It’s all about crossing boundaries in terms of crores, a forte of the Khans.
Dilwale needed SRK and Kajol as faces of the movie with Varun and Kriti Sanon playing second fiddle. Nobody dares to look beyond two 50-something stars to play wrestlers in Sultan and Dangal. Looking at super-duper hits, we need the Khans.
A Sunil Gavaskar makes way for a Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar passes the baton to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. But whom do the Khans rely on?
Think over it.
Also read: https://digantaguha.blogspot.in/2016/06/the-industry-needs-you-sultan.html
So, here we go—once again we have to look to a Khan to bail the industry out of crisis. A journey that started in the late ‘80s continues till today. The three Khans: Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir can rake in the moolah which the likes of Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh can’t.
But have we actually sat down and foreseen a scenario when the Khans are relegated to character roles? What happens then? Does the industry have a second line of megastars coming up? The answer is no.
Let’s have a rundown on the new crop of stars set to take over from the Khans. Apart from seniors like Akshay, Ajay, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan, Ranveer, Shahid Kapur, Ranbir, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Arjun Kapoor and Tiger Shroff are considered to be forces to reckon with at the box-office. But at a time when the industry is growing and the producers’ expectation is on a high, even a novice would admit that these above-mentioned actors cannot match up to the aura of the three Khans.
When Dilwale and Fan (SRK) fail to spell magic at the box-office, trade pundits start worrying. When a Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Salman) does not perform as expected despite crossing the Rs. 200-crore mark in India, the pressure on the film industry piles up. Remember Talaash starring Aamir in the lead that almost sank without a trace? The perfectionist had to belt out Dhoom 3 and PK to compensate for the drubbing that Talaash received. So, the might of the Khans still rules. But what next?
They are in their early fifties, and probably, they can continue to play the lead for three more years at most. But do we have a replacement for the trio?
Looking back, Dilip Kumar was replaced by Rajesh Khanna. And Amitabh Bachchan dethroned Rajesh to be the Numero Uno. After Big B decided to flirt with politics, we have had the likes of Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Govinda, Sunny Deol, Sunjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff who gave hits after hits to get the industry going. Then came the Khans, Akshay and Ajay and to a certain extent Suniel Shetty who held sway over the audiences. And then it was Hrithik’s turn.
But in terms of business, the three Khans have left others behind. It’s been more than twenty years and they still rule the roost. But how long can they see the industry through? The gap between the three megastars and the rest in terms of volume is only expanding. Akshay, Ajay and Hrithik may be big stars, but have a look at the business of their films, and you get the answer.
Ajay’s biggest hit Singham Returns netted Rs. 141 crore at the domestic box-office. Hrithik did well with Krrish 3 to notch up around Rs. 240 crore but only once. Akshay scored the highest with Rowdy Rathore (Rs 131 crore). Compare this with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan…, Kick, Chennai Express, Happy New Year, PK and Dhoom 3 with an either Salman or SRK or Aamir in the lead, the volume of business increases manifold.
Ranbir was hailed as the next big thing, but he has had a bumpy ride as a safe bet. Ranveer shows promise, but to expect him to carry forward the legacy of Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir is too much for the asking as of now. So far as the rest are concerned, they have a long, long way to go before one can put his money on them.
A time comes when superstars need to play their age: Big B has done it and so have Dilip Kumar and others. But to expect them to churn out blockbusters after a certain point of time would be hoping against hope. Big B's Black, Paa and Piku are box-office successes, but it’s the storyline that has also contributed to their ‘glorious’ run at the BO.
It’s business that matters more than critical acclaim. No matter what actors say, if their films don’t make profit, they run out of favour after a certain point of time.
Looking ahead, amongst the releases coming up, it’s SRK’s Raees and Aamir’s Dangal that the industry is looking forward to. Trade analysts would vouch that if Sultan turns out to be the first blockbuster this year, Raees and Dangal should follow suit. Come on we are not talking about Rs. 150 crore. It’s all about crossing boundaries in terms of crores, a forte of the Khans.
Dilwale needed SRK and Kajol as faces of the movie with Varun and Kriti Sanon playing second fiddle. Nobody dares to look beyond two 50-something stars to play wrestlers in Sultan and Dangal. Looking at super-duper hits, we need the Khans.
A Sunil Gavaskar makes way for a Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar passes the baton to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. But whom do the Khans rely on?
Think over it.
Also read: https://digantaguha.blogspot.in/2016/06/the-industry-needs-you-sultan.html
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