Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
There is euphoria around actor Kartik Aaryan, irrespective of whether he has a movie coming out or not. His stardom has grown manifold after the success of his last big-screen release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The film was the first mainstream commercial drama to taste success at the box office in 2022. Now, with the release of Shehzada, also his debut film as a producer, he is returning as a boy-next-door. It is a remake of the hit Allu Arjun’s 2020 Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. Film trade experts expect him to live up to the expectations of his fans and also the film industry with Shehzada.
“There are very few actors from his (Kartik) generation who are really considered to be bankable at the box office. He happens to be one of them. So, it’s important that Shehzada does a certain level of business on its opening day because the industry needs more actors on whom it can bank upon and deliver numbers at the box office,” film distributor Akshaye Rathi opined. Besides taking off the burden from senior artists to generate income in the film industry, Rathi also believes that it is important for Kartik to capitalise on Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s success. He said, “Kartik had a great head start after the pandemic with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and it is important that he capitalises on it.”
Kartik Aaryan is often referred to as the rising star of Bollywood and is slowly and steadily entering the A-list league of Bollywood. Even before Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, he delivered hits in films like Luka Chuppi, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Pati Patni Aur Woh and Pyar Ka Punchnama 2. Film producer and trade expert Girish Johar calls him the “new star on the horizon.” Ask him why and he explains, “He has done hits in the past also. He has done varied stuff on OTT platforms (Freddy and Dhamaka). When no films were running, luck was on his side. He ensured the maximum number of audiences watch him in theaters with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. It’s an affinity over a period of time where the public starts to like you on-screen.”
Since Kartik has turned producer for the first time with Shehzada, he would be looking at its performance at the ticket counters closely. But Girish Johar believes that Shehzada’s success or failure won’t affect the actor’s stardom. He opines, “If the film does well, it will be another ace for him, if it does average-ish also, I don’t think that is going to take his stardom away. His detractors might be saying that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 worked because the audience was hungry for entertainment which is why they went in hordes. But, at the end of the day, he also has a huge fan following. He does get a lot of crowds and he is a youth star. If not this film, then maybe his next film will work, he is on the right track. Ups and downs are all a part of it. What you need is stardom which can attract audiences towards you and into the cinema halls, which surely Kartik Aaryan has. He just has to learn from each film and do varied stuff.”
Girish Johar has pegged Shehzada’s opening day collection in the range of Rs 7-8 crore. But, film trade analyst Taran Adarsh thinks the makers of Shehzada “made a mistake by shifting the release date. They could have taken advantage of Valentine’s Day.” Earlier, Shehzada was supposed to release in the theaters on February 10. But owing to the hype around Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, they moved the film’s release by a week. Now, it is clashing with the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Johar also is ‘curious’ why the makers of Shehzada shifted the film’s release when they were getting a solo release on February 10. He says, “As a producer or as anyone connected with the film, you do seek solo window. Ant-Man (and The Wasp: Quantumania) has a huge buzz globally. It’s a Marvel film, and they are opening their fifth phase with this film. Marvel fans in India are excited for it and I was taken aback when the film was shifted.”
He also emphasises that the target audience of Shehzada and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is similar. “Shehzada is a youthful, energetic film. Ant-Man’s target audience is also very urban youth. Shehzada cuts across wider in terms of massier audiences and family audiences, but still, you cannot just close your eyes and wish that Ant-Man wasn’t there,” Girish Johar shares. He predicts that the film will open with a collection of around Rs 13-15 crore.
At the time of writing this story, the advance booking of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is much stronger than Shehzada. The three leading cinema chains of the country, PVR, INOX and Cinepolis, have sold 57,277 tickets of Paul Rudd’s film as against Shehzada’s 7,295 tickets till Wednesday morning, Taran Adarsh shared on Twitter. Film distributor Akshaye Rathi is confident that the Marvel film will perform well in the first three days of its release. He says, “Irrespective of how the movie is, at least for the first three days, the Marvel film will certainly get business, add to that Ant-Man is 3D which Marvel does brilliantly. It is an additional incentive for people to catch it in theaters compared to home.”
All said and done, the film trade experts are also hopeful that Shehzada and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will co-exist at the theaters along with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, the success of which is no news. “In the fourth week of Pathaan, Shezada and Ant-Man will co-exist fabulously. They will get the screens at their convenience,” Rathi ensures. But this doesn’t mean that Pathaan’s golden run in the theaters has come to an end. “Though it has exhausted its business, Pathaan will still work in the mass circuits,” Taran Adarsh explains.
Pathaan has already earned Rs 498.85 cr (all languages) in India. Its worldwide collection has already crossed the Rs 950 crore mark and is racing towards the coveted Rs 1000 cr mark.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
