The Audience Is Rejecting Bollywood’s ‘Sex Sells’ Mantra, Here Is Proof
A steamy lip-lock was once a sure shot way to attract audiences to the theatre. But we looked at the box-office report of 2017 and discovered a startling fact
They say, change is the only constant and the tastes of
Bollywood audience too seem to be changing. The superstars Salman Khan and Shah
Rukh Khan have failed to pull the audiences into theatres with both Tubelight
and Jab Harry Met Sejal failing to set the cash registers ringing.
And then there is the other thing that sells, sex. But
one look at the box-office performance of 2017 releases which promised a dose
of erotica and you will notice something. They have all flopped. It looks like
our audience is jaded, thanks to the overdose of kissing and lovemaking scenes
in Hindi films these days. Plus, with the advent of bold digital content, which
is un-censored, the audience does not need to pay for a film ticket to watch a
steamy scene.
We looked at the box-office report of 2017 and here is
proof:
OK Jaanu
The modern romance starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor had a good
dose of intimate scenes but was rejected by moviegoers.
Rangoon
A stellar star cast including Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid
Kapoor and an unusual lovemaking scene could not save this film from being
declared a flop.
Raabta
Rumoured lovebirds Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon’s onscreen passion did
not impress the audience and Raabta too flopped.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
This film got 48 cuts from the censors because of its heavy dose of sex and
violence. The Tribunal then passed it with minimal cuts but the film starring
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bidita Bag did not set the cash registers ringing.
A Gentleman
The scorching chemistry between Jacqueline Fernandez and Sidharth Malhotra did
not work box-office wonders for this much-hyped release which had a long
kissing scene.
Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai
This film starring Arbaaz Khan, Himansh Kohli and Manjari
Phadnis, didn't grab eyeballs with its trailers. So the makers decided to
'leak' a steamy song from the film which involved a lot of kissing and sex
scenes. But that did not work. Result - the movie was a flop.
In comparison, films in 2015 and 2016 which featured
kissing scenes fared a lot better. Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s liplock for
Ki & Ka (2016) created a lot of curiosity around the film, which did good
business at the box-office.
Befikre truly pushed the envelope with its risqué content
and Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor’s efforts paid off as the film had a good
box-office run despite lukewarm reviews.
Hate Story 3, the erotic thriller starring Zarine Khan,
Karan Singh Grover and Sharman Joshi made more than Rs 50 crore at the
box-office. But the tide seems to have turned in 2017.
So it looks like Bollywood audiences have finally stopped
being lured into theatres just with the promise of a kissing scene. With films
like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which revolved around a social issue, coming to the
fore instead, it is high time that filmmakers realise that sleazy shortcuts
will not work anymore.
Image Source: stills, youtube/TSeries, & hdpics
