Demonetisation woes: Hopes pinned on Befikre, Dangal

With the film industry taking a beating with demonetisation, all hopes are now pinned on Aditya Chopra’s Befikre that released this week, and Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Dangal. According to unofficial figures made available from three multiplex chains, producers Yash Raj Films and Aamir Khan Productions have individually secured 3,000 to 4,000 screens for both their movies.

Says a personnel attached to a multiplex, “Both Befikre and Dangal are solo releases. They’ve both secured a maximum number of screens in every multiplex, and the theatres are liable to play the two films in a minimum number of screens as per the contracts. We will happily do it. There’s a huge anticipation for both the movies. Footfalls for recent films like Rock On 2 and Kahaani 2 have been abysmally low.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan feels that both Rock On 2 and Kahaani 2 would’ve met the same woeful fate, even without the ghost of demonetisation hovering over the box office. “I doubt these films would’ve worked even without the financial pressure because their content hasn’t been appreciated much. Demonetisation is being used as an excuse when a movie does badly at the box office, but no one will admit that the content was bad. The only sense the makers of these films showed was that they don’t release it widely, or the losses would be greater.”

Atul adds, “Befikre should turn the tide. In today’s age of upgrades, if a big filmmaker says he’s rebooted himself, it’s a big deal because you see a lot many makers have a downfall for refusing to move ahead with the times. We all know Adi is also a smart businessman and has made a film for today’s audience and is releasing it strategically for them.” Producer Rakesh Roshan says, “If Dangal does a business of Rs 250-Rs 300 crore as expected, then we can definitely look forward to a better 2017.”