EXCLUSIVE: Taran Adarsh analyses the first five months of 2024; is hopeful of Akshay Kumar bouncing back; feels Pushpa 2’s dubbed Hindi version can be 2024’s BIGGEST Hindi opener

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about his views on the first five months of 2024, what the rest of the year looks like and a lot more.

How were the first five months of 2024? I won’t say it’s a bad year. 2024 has been good enough, as we have had moderate successes. There were mid-range and low-cost films that left a mark. Comparisons with last year will happen since 2023 started with a bang with Pathaan. The second half, meanwhile, had Gadar 2, Jawan, and Animal etc. But in the first half, it was clearly Pathaan that brought so much euphoria, confidence and positivity back.

In 2024, the major problem was that both the big Eid releases – Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan – met with a disastrous fate. That’s the reason why the industry was taken aback completely. Hits and flops are of course a part and parcel of the industry. But what shocked the industry is that these films didn’t open to the desired numbers on a holiday. One can’t even argue that ‘Eid kal hai. Isliye aaj pre-Eid pe opening nahin lagi’. If any actor gives an excuse like that, please don’t believe it! Both the films were released on the Eid holiday and yet, they were disasters.

One didn’t expect Maidaan to fare so poorly. But then it’s not the kind of film that should have come on Eid. It’s a day when people want to celebrate. They don’t want to watch a serious subject on a festival.

As far as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is concerned, it was a terrible film and it had to flop. Its debacle doesn’t come as a surprise.

Several films performed well this year… Yes. There was Article 370. Then there was a very lovely film, Laapataa Ladies, which did not get its due, but it did quite well in its space. I fell in love with that film, as it’s beautiful. It did not really get those numbers but in that space, it was decent. Srikanth has also done well.

Fighter is an average film as far as the numbers are concerned. But if you look at the expectations, it was an underperformer. After all, it featured Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone with Siddharth Anand as the director. Moreover, it was Sidharth’s next after War (2019) and Pathaan.

Crew also did very well and so Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. The music was the hero of these films. Now the songs in Instagram reels are dominated by Heeramandi. But before that, it was the songs of Crew and prior to it, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’s songs were most popular. Its makers, however, implemented the buy-one-get-one ticket-free offer. I don’t agree with it. Aap logon ko bigaad rahe hai. I have been totally against it from day 1 itself. But ab kya kaarein. Sabki apni soch hoti hai.

Nevertheless, it’s a good sign that films have worked. But one can’t expect Rs. 400 or Rs. 500 crores grosser at the very start of a year. Lekin picture abhi baaki hai. The next 6 months would decide which are the films jo aasmaan pe baithegi ya zameen pe giregi!

Jio Studios had three back-to-back releases. While Article 370 and Shaitaan were commercially successful, Laapataa Ladies is also seen as a success due to unanimous acclaim, superb trending in cinemas and huge viewership on Netflix… Jio Studios gets distinction marks. For them, to see this kind of numbers is so good. Kisi bhi producer ki film chalein toh khushi hoti hai. When films work, more projects get greenlit and made. There was a time until the 90s when mahurats used to be held and it used to be attended by members of the film fraternity. My father had made Harishchandra Taramati (1970) and I remember going on its set as a five-year-old kid. This is my first visit to a film set in my life and for the mahurat, the entire industry was present. This used to happen for every mahurat because people used to celebrate the launch of a film. They were not there to have samosa or peda. This was how the industry was. Now, we celebrate failures more than successes.

Hence, agar koi film chalti hai, toh aur 10 log film announce karte hai aur hazaaron logon ko kaam milta hai. When you make a flop, a producer faces two kinds of losses. One is the revenue loss and then there’s also the reputation loss. When you deliver a flop, dil mein ek kadwahat reh jaati hai ki yeh film kyun nahin chali. Hence, a film should work, be it of any studio or producer.

Ajay Devgn and Kriti Sanon have emerged as top winners. Ajay’s Shaitaan was a Rs. 150 crore grosser while both films of Kriti - Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Crew – worked… When the time is right, everything falls in place. Firstly, the title Shaitaan itself is so strong. If you present the family's emotions well, it can never go wrong. Audiences want to see that kind of film. Also, when it comes to these 1990s actors, they can’t be written off easily, be it Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir, Akshay, Ajay or Hrithik. Yeh logon ko dilon mein baithe hai. Aaj bhi unka wohi rutba aur craze hai.

As for Kriti Sanon, I like her choices. An actor gets written off when he/she delivers multiple flops. You can only silence these detractors with your successes. And that’s what Kriti has done.

Was the election reason justified to keep films away from cinemas? Also, IPL was added to it. But I feel we lost out on two months. Summers have always been the peak period. Though it’s quite hot this year, people do want to step out. And AC theatre mein picture dekhne ka mazaa hi alag hota hai. Hopefully, we’ll recover the ground in the coming months or weeks. Umeed pe duniya kaayam hai. So, let’s not start writing obituaries for Bollywood. I am sure we’ll be getting big numbers in the second half.

Will there be overcrowding in forthcoming months? We can’t help it. There are only 52 Fridays in a year. In the second half of 2024, 26 Fridays will be remaining. And there are more than 26 films up for release, including the South dubbed. Hence, clashes are inevitable.

What are your views on Singham Again not clashing with Pushpa 2 on Independence Day? I am very happy. These are two big films and deserve breathing space.

Will Aamir Khan deliver his first Rs. 400 crore film with Sitaare Zameen Par? It’s too early to say. It’s not even officially announced yet.

Let’s talk about some of the significant releases this year. What are your views on Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3? Both are very important. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 of course is an out-and-out mass commercial film. Chandu Champion is the first big film coming after a gap. Let’s see if it lives up to the expectations. Both are diverse in terms of content and that’s a very good sign for Kartik.

Triptii Dimri has become big after Animal. Do you feel her films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Bad Newz, Dhadak 2 and Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video will benefit from her sudden popularity? Yes, it’ll add to it. I don’t think any actor alone can take a film to success unless you are a Sridevi or Hema Malini. It all boils down to content. An actor’s popularity, of course, is important but content eventually matters.

What do you think of Vicky Kaushal’s historical, Chhava? It’s a very important film but no asset or poster of the film has come out. So, we have to wait and watch how the campaign unfolds.

Will Stree 2 open with a bang? It can be a sure-shot huge opener. Both Stree 2 and Chhava are from Dinesh Vijan’s production house. He’s a very passionate filmmaker.

Will Akshay Kumar bounce back with Sarfira, Khel Khel Mein, Sky Force and Welcome To The Jungle? Why not? I am very hopeful.

Will South dubbed films score at the box office in the remainder of 2024? South films can really bring in the big bucks. Kalki, Indian 2, Pushpa 2, Game Changer and Devara have high chances. There could be a few surprises as well, like how Hanuman became a sleeper hit.

Will Pushpa 2 be the biggest opener of 2024? Yes, it can, as it has that kind of goodwill. The recall value is also strong.

Also Read: EXPLOSIVE: Taran Adarsh ATTACKS the Buy One Get One Offer scheme: “I am strictly against it. Kya aapne film free mein banayi hai ki aap usko free mein dikha rahe ho?”

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