In 'depressing' times, industry pins hopes on 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'
New Delhi
Aug 3, 2017
Its a "depressing" time for the Hindi
film industry as Bollywoods bigwigs like Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor
have failed to translate their star power into promising box office
collections.
All eyes are now set on Shah Rukh Khan's "Jab Harry Met Sejal", which
has a "huge responsibility" of bringing much needed respite at the
ticket windows with its release on Friday, say trade gurus.
The Imtiaz Ali directorial is bringing back Shah Rukh in his romantic
hero avatar after the intense "Raees", along with his "Rab Ne Bana Di
Jodi" co-star Anushka Sharma.
While Salman's "Tubelight" couldn't light up the box office, Ranbir's
"Jagga Jasoos" too evoked a lukewarm response. So far only films like
"Badrinath Ki Dulhania" and "Hindi Medium" have done well, and
"Lipstick Under My Burkha" too has been attracting the audience since
its release on July 21.
So, hopes from Shah Rukh are really high, trade experts said.
"We are hoping that ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal' will bring in some respite as
the whole industry and the audience is eagerly waiting for this film.
The mood in the industry is very depressing right now because no major
film is working at the box office," film and trade business expert
Girish Johar told IANS.
"Shah Rukh is one of the biggest stars we have had in recent times. He
has a very huge fan following, not only in India, but across the globe.
Also, in this film he is coming back with Anushka, who is one of the
top talents of our country. The film has a very good director and good
music. So, it is looking as something fresh at the box office," he
added.
The film's team is tight-lipped about the number of screens it is due
to release in globally, as well as its budget. But it has been shot in
locations like Prague, Amsterdam, Vienna, Lisbon and Budapest, apart
from Punjab. The story of the movie revolves around a Punjabi tour
guide Harry, who helps Gujarati girl Sejal in finding her engagement
ring.
Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan pointed out how "Jab Harry Met
Sejal" will get a full week to prove its worth as it is not facing any
clash at the box office, unlike Shah Rukh's last few films. In fact,
Shah Rukh himself made a smart move by averting a clash with Akshay
Kumar's much-awaited "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", due for release on August
11.
"Shah Rukh's last few films lost out on some percentage of collection
because of the clash with other big films. But ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal'
will not face the same problem. It will get full one week, which is
good," Mahajan said.
Another interesting factor is that the movie, produced by SRK's Red
Chillies Entertainment, will have a special four-day weekend.
"That will be an interesting factor. As August 7 will be an off (due to
Raksha Bandhan), people will have a good reason to celebrate Raksha
Bandhan with 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'," Mahajan said.
With tracks like "Radha", "Butterfly", "Hawayein" and the latest DJ
Diplo collaboration "Phurrr", the film's music has also set the pace
for good bookings.
"We launched advance bookings for ‘Jab Harry Met Sajal' on our
platform. There is a lot of buzz around the film and we have registered
great initial interest," Paytm spokesperson told IANS.
However, the collection and sustainability of "Jab Harry Met Sejal"
will depend a lot on the content of the film and the subsequent release
of "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", which promises an entertainer with a
message on sanitation and open defecation.
"At the end of the day, good content works, if you see a small film
like ‘Hindi Medium' has done fabulous business earlier this year. Also,
a much smaller film like ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha' has done quite
well. So, whenever the industry stands out in terms of content, public
likes it and they watch the film," Johar said.
New Delhi
Aug 3, 2017
Its a "depressing" time for the Hindi
film industry as Bollywoods bigwigs like Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor
have failed to translate their star power into promising box office
collections.
All eyes are now set on Shah Rukh Khan's "Jab Harry Met Sejal", which
has a "huge responsibility" of bringing much needed respite at the
ticket windows with its release on Friday, say trade gurus.
The Imtiaz Ali directorial is bringing back Shah Rukh in his romantic
hero avatar after the intense "Raees", along with his "Rab Ne Bana Di
Jodi" co-star Anushka Sharma.
While Salman's "Tubelight" couldn't light up the box office, Ranbir's
"Jagga Jasoos" too evoked a lukewarm response. So far only films like
"Badrinath Ki Dulhania" and "Hindi Medium" have done well, and
"Lipstick Under My Burkha" too has been attracting the audience since
its release on July 21.
So, hopes from Shah Rukh are really high, trade experts said.
"We are hoping that ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal' will bring in some respite as
the whole industry and the audience is eagerly waiting for this film.
The mood in the industry is very depressing right now because no major
film is working at the box office," film and trade business expert
Girish Johar told IANS.
"Shah Rukh is one of the biggest stars we have had in recent times. He
has a very huge fan following, not only in India, but across the globe.
Also, in this film he is coming back with Anushka, who is one of the
top talents of our country. The film has a very good director and good
music. So, it is looking as something fresh at the box office," he
added.
The film's team is tight-lipped about the number of screens it is due
to release in globally, as well as its budget. But it has been shot in
locations like Prague, Amsterdam, Vienna, Lisbon and Budapest, apart
from Punjab. The story of the movie revolves around a Punjabi tour
guide Harry, who helps Gujarati girl Sejal in finding her engagement
ring.
Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan pointed out how "Jab Harry Met
Sejal" will get a full week to prove its worth as it is not facing any
clash at the box office, unlike Shah Rukh's last few films. In fact,
Shah Rukh himself made a smart move by averting a clash with Akshay
Kumar's much-awaited "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", due for release on August
11.
"Shah Rukh's last few films lost out on some percentage of collection
because of the clash with other big films. But ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal'
will not face the same problem. It will get full one week, which is
good," Mahajan said.
Another interesting factor is that the movie, produced by SRK's Red
Chillies Entertainment, will have a special four-day weekend.
"That will be an interesting factor. As August 7 will be an off (due to
Raksha Bandhan), people will have a good reason to celebrate Raksha
Bandhan with 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'," Mahajan said.
With tracks like "Radha", "Butterfly", "Hawayein" and the latest DJ
Diplo collaboration "Phurrr", the film's music has also set the pace
for good bookings.
"We launched advance bookings for ‘Jab Harry Met Sajal' on our
platform. There is a lot of buzz around the film and we have registered
great initial interest," Paytm spokesperson told IANS.
However, the collection and sustainability of "Jab Harry Met Sejal"
will depend a lot on the content of the film and the subsequent release
of "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", which promises an entertainer with a
message on sanitation and open defecation.
"At the end of the day, good content works, if you see a small film
like ‘Hindi Medium' has done fabulous business earlier this year. Also,
a much smaller film like ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha' has done quite
well. So, whenever the industry stands out in terms of content, public
likes it and they watch the film," Johar said.
Tags: Shahrukh KhanAnushka SharmaImtiaz AliSalman KhanRanbir KapoorJab Harry Met SejalTubelightRaeesRab Ne Bana Di JodiJagga JasoosHindi MediumLipstick Under My BurkhaBadrinath Ki Dulhania