Industry analyses why Sonam’s Neerja proved to be a money-spinner

Ram Madhvani’s Neerja is a hit. Atul Kasbekar, Fox Star Studios (producers) and the director are grinning from ear to ear. The first week collections have ended at 35 crore plus. What changed it all for this film which had a collection of only Rs 4 crore on Day One? 

The word in the distribution circuit is that the public flocks to theatres if you give them a film in real space. Another recent case in point is Airlift, which too skyrocketed after a slow start.

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“That’s right,” says leading distributor and exhibitor Ramesh Sippy. He adds, “The public identifies with real-life incidents or subjects which they can relate to. Take the example of Airlift, Talvar and The Lunchbox.”

However, Sippy fails to agree that a start of Rs 4 crore for Neerja was slow. “Such movies, if good, always catch up by word of mouth. Without doubt, Neerja is a good movie. It was bound to succeed.” 

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Endorsing Sippy, leading distributor Anil Thadani adds, “Such films never had any market until recently. Today, people feel that they’re not cheated if they see films which are not fiction.”

Do filmmakers endorse this? A quick question to the trade before we go over to some top directors. Are people fed up of fiction? 

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Replies Sippy, “People are fed up, of not fiction but fantasy. Go to HBO channel, you will see a lot of cars flying. Bajrangi Bhaijaan clicked because the story seemed real. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo did not live up to expectations because it had stuff which people have already seen. Don’t cast a big star and push anything down people’s throats. Wrong content leads to wrong casting, which in turn leads to wrong budgeting.”

Over to those who have helmed cinema- real-life stories and otherwise. 

R Balki (Paa, Cheeni Kum) is not sitting on the other side of the fence. “I don’t think that too many people knew about flight purser Neerja Bhanot in detail--- and we love details. We are a curious lot, aren’t we?  Besides, we love seeing films which are emotional and Neerja is one which moves you.”

Moving on to Sonam, Balki adds, “Sonam is beautifully cast in the film. I had loved her in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, she had only a 30-minute role in that film but sparkled in every frame of hers.” 

Supporting real space cinema, Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB) adds, “I am not against potboilers and at times, even I love them. But today, you can say that our audience has permanently changed. That is simply because of awareness. Let me explain. Today, people are watching the best of world cinema on their smartphones. So they compare the content back home with that. Unless you come up with evolved content, you are most likely to be rejected.”

However, Rajkumar Santoshi (Ghayal, Andaz Apna Apna, Damini) disagrees that films in the real space will always work. “I don’t believe in trends. I believe that a well-made film will always work. If my Andaz Apna Apna or Damini had hit theatres today, they would have still worked. Don’t try to squeeze in two adult comedies if two others have worked in the recent past. Don’t try to push two action films if two such others have churned out profits, lately.” He has a point, doesn’t he?

Omung Kumar (Mary Kom), who is coming up with another real-life story Sarbjit, says, “Real space cinema gives you less scope of dishonesty. Importantly, such stories are very conversational. So, there is a word of mouth. And if you have conviction in the truth which you have put out, there is no reason why that word of mouth won’t be positive.”

Rahul Rawail (of Betaab, Arjun fame) opines that films inspired by real-life events are welcome but you need to make the audience identify with them. “Ram succeeded in doing that; he made you feel exactly what the real-life characters of his story must have felt at the time of the hijack. How many directors can do that?,” Rawail questions.

Producer of Airlift, Vikram Malhotra, has the last word. A word of caution for the industry. Malhotra fears that there might be an upsurge in such films now. “It’s not films in real space but films centred around real life heroes that have worked. Isn’t Bajirao revered? Isn’t Ranjit Katyal admired? Isn’t Neerja a hero?”

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Conclusion: Make honest films, not clever ones. Content will take care of itself, so will the budget.  

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