‘Bang Bang’ vs ‘Haider’: Not a clash of Titans but of genres

If you are looking for a ‘clash of the titans’ sort of a situation here, you would fail, for it is a clash of two different genres. As mentioned, ‘Bang Bang’ belongs to the genre of high-adrenaline action drama, whereas ‘Haider’ is more of an ‘arty’ type cinema. It doesn’t have flashy songs, dances perse. What ‘Haider’ showcases is Shakespearen tragedy – Hamlet – in an Indianized version.

Also read – Vidya, Huma, Ali Zafar, other Bollywood celebs heap praise on Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Haider’

Trade analysts say it’s completely unfair to compare the two movies and we agree. But one can’t help but draw the comparisons. So, what do we have? Let’s go one step at a time.

Talking about ‘Bang Bang’, if you make a list of what goes into making a blockbuster, you have all the ingredients.
A superstar with a history of hits? Hrithik Roshan – Check.
A gorgeous, glamourous actress? Katrina Kaif – Check.
Action? Check.
Romance? Hrithik Kat’s chemistry – Check.
Marketing strategy? Bang Bang Dares – Check.
Foot tapping music? Meherbaan, Bang Bang, Tu Tu Tu Meri – Check.

Boy! The movie is going to be a hit. But are we sure?

Also read – ‘Bang Bang’ to release in more than 4500 screens; biggest Bollywood release ever

The Indian audience has always been very unpredictable. One can never say what the ‘janta-janardan’ will eventually like.

So what if ‘Bang Bang’ fizzles out? It’s always better to calculate the losses that can be.

Hrithik Roshan has much at stake. His last outing ‘Krrish 3’ was a runaway hit, but the Roshans were also accused to misappropriate the actual earnings of the movie. Also, the expectations with him are way huger. And this time around, the expectations would be to surpass the collections of ‘Krrish 3’, that were tuoted to be more than Rs 3 bn.

Katrina Kaif also has much to prove. Deepika Padukone is reigning the hearts of people and box office in equal measures. Will the beauty be able to topple Deepika?

Siddharth Anand, who has earlier given hits like ‘Bachna Ae Haseenon’, ‘Salaam Namaste’ among others, is coming out with another star high-on-drama movie. Will he succeed?

Tough questions, indeed!

‘Haider’, on the other hand, is as different from ‘Bang Bang’, as chalk and cheese. It completes Vishal Bharadwaj’s trilogy of Shakespearen tragedies. Enough said!

We have always been a fan of Vishal’s work, be it Omkara or Maqbool or Kaminey. While these movie have never been high grossers, they have been appreciated and admired for their quality and content. Omkara grossed $16,466,144 world wide, while Maqbool managed to overcome its expenses.

Also read – Hrithik Roshan’s ‘coolest’ Bang Bang Dare is for Salman Khan, not for ‘Haider’ Shahid Kapoor

Vishal Bharadwaj’s last outing with Shahid Kapoor was an average hit with Rs 710 mn collections, but it gave Shahid’s career a much needed boost. Not only his fans, but also the directors began seeking him for roles other than the cliched romantic ones.

So, one doesn’t expect huge collections from ‘Haider’ anyways, not even Vishal Bharadwaj, we’re sure. But one thing is for sure, if it become a big hit, as Anurag Kashyap quoted at the screening, it’ll be a big encouragement for film makers who make movies like this.

Shahid Kapoor, though being a very fine actor, has always struggled with numbers. His choices fail to create wonders, which his talent always does. Even in the movies that haven’t worked, his acting has always been praised. His last hit was ‘R Rajkumar’ and prior to that was…..? Ooops! We don’t remember!

That’s the fact of the matter.

Will Shahid be able to delete this oblivion? Will he able to do justice to the immense talent that he possesses? He has nothing to lose, but will he gain much?

Shraddha Kapoor has mesmerized all in ‘Aashiqui 2’ and acted in a 100-crore movie ‘Ek Villain’. Can she prove lucky this time too?

Also read – Hai Der! Its time for Shahid’s Bang Bang Dare; will Hrithik give in to the bonhomie?

‘Haider’ boasts of some stellar starcast – Tabu, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon and as the reviews have already started pouring in, people are loving it, already. But it remains to be seen whether this love transforms to box office collections.

Two completely different plots, two completely targets! We are not comparing….but when there’s a race, there has to be winner.

Who will be the winner this time?

Shall we suggest? Let the art of filmmaking win this time. Let Hrithik earn the moolah and let Shahid taste success.

Go for both, we say.