Bholaa box office prediction: Will Tabu’s Midas touch help Bollywood recover from curse of remakes? Trade experts weigh in

But Rathi insists that the failure of Devgn’s earlier directorials cannot be blamed on his skills as a film director. “Technically, Ajay Devgn has never gone wrong as a director. In fact, he has always pushed the envelope, be it U Me Aur Hum, where handi-cams were used for the first time, or Shivaay, where the size and scale of the action pushed the envelope, and even Runway 34, where the very technical style of storytelling came into play. He is a very sharp director. What has not hit the bull’s eye is storytelling,” reasoned Rathi while adding that with Bholaa, Devgn won’t be let down by the script as it is borrowed from hit Tamil action-thriller Kaithi.

Bholaa is the remake of the Tamil blockbuster Kaithi, which starred Karthi in the lead. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the 2019 action thriller was about a prisoner who helps the police when they are attacked by a gang of smugglers. The cops then help him reunite with his daughter.

Watch the trailer of Ajay Devgn’s Bholaa

Of late, the Hindi remakes of southern films have failed to get the attention of movie buffs. Be it this year’s Selfiee, Shehzada or last year’s Vikram Vedha and Jersey, all couldn’t click with the audience, mostly because people had watched their original counterparts on OTT platforms. Even the Hindi-dubbed version of the 2019 hit Kaithi is available to stream on SonyLIV.

But film producer and trade expert Girish Johar suggests that everyone is walking this difficult path because “the audience has shrunk in terms of consuming content. They are watching content across various languages.” He believes that if the story is told with conviction, it will find takers at the ticket counters in cinema halls. Optimistic about Bholaa doing well at the box office, Johar pegged the film’s opening day collection in the range of Rs 10-12 crore.

Film distributor Akshaye Rathi also emphasised how Bholaa looks entirely different from Kaithi in the trailer. He asserted, “If you look at the trailer of Bholaa, no way does it remind you of Kaithi, in terms of its feel, the characters and a whole lot of other factors. So, while it’s the same story, the storytelling is drastically different. If you look at it, the story of an uncle betraying the father and the son taking revenge is there in Lion King, Baahubali, and Angneepath also. But each one of these has its signature style of storytelling. The look and feel of Bholaa is entirely different, the technical aspect of filmmaking is different, and the size and scale are different. So, there is a good chance that the film will work.” Bholaa is releasing in over 3500 screens across India.

Besides a good story, which is borrowed from Kaithi, what might work in favour of Bholaa is the coming together of Tabu and Ajay Devgn. While Girish Johar calls Tabu the “lucky charm” of Bollywood in terms of box office collection, Rathi says, “Her and Ajay Devgn coming together create chemistry and fire on the silver screen. Both of them have solid screen presence and are exciting performers.” In 2022, Tabu gave Hindi cinema two of its biggest hits: Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Rs 185.92 cr) and Drishyam 2 (Rs 240.54 cr).

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh pointed out that the film is releasing during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslim devotees observe a strict fast from dawn to dusk, and it is a period when many people are averse to the idea of watching a movie. He said, “Ramadan period might affect the collection to an extent. However, if the content is good enough, it will attract footfall even otherwise. During Ramadan, a sizeable chunk of the Indian audience doesn’t watch movies.”

Besides this, Nani’s much-anticipated film Dasara is also hitting the theaters on the same day as Bholaa. But Johar and Adarsh insist that Bholaa’s target audience is mostly the Hindi-speaking belt. Adarsh said, “In the Telugu belt, it might be affected, but the Hindi belt is more important for a Hindi film. The major chunk of revenue comes from the Hindi belt.”

Until now, Bholaa has had decent advance ticket sales. Now, it will be known on Thursday if Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s charm will once again do the magic for Bollywood.