Nobody Knows Anything

The trade has found new respect for Salman,the gushy articles haven’t stopped pouring in— it’s like everybody has suddenly discovered Salman. Funny to note that. Especially since Salman has been here for 22 years and has numerous superhits to his credit including the record breaking Hum Aapke Hain Kaun!… . As for Dabangg,the first theatrical itself set the stage for full-on entertainment and masti. The audience was sold on Robin Hood Pandey much before he came on the big screen.

The Dabangg fever was so high that Karan Johar shifted the release of his Kajol- Kareena Kapoor starrer We Are Family by a week. The box-office result of We Are Family notwithstanding,it was a wise move on Karan’s part. If his film had clashed with Dabanng,then even editorially it would have got lost in the Salman fever. By changing the release,at least the Kajol-Kareena film got a decent chance.

That’s what every producer wants for his film – a fair chance to get top-of-mind awareness. Sajid Nadiadwala wants the same for his latest Anjaana Anjaani. This Ranbir Kapoor- Priyanka Chopra romance was originally slated for release on September 24 but now it will come in a week later on October 1. The reason? The Dabangg wave that refuses to abate and the fact that the producers do not want to release it on the day the Ayodhya verdict is expected. Now the latter bit sounds incredulous because B-town is known to go out of its way to be non-political. But like we all know,in tinseltown,any publicity is good publicity. In the case of Anjaana Anjaani,the extra week will come in handy to pump up the promotion which has been a bit low-key.

Shifting a release date is a double-edged sword. While it gives the producer some extra days to promote his film,it also,in a way,reflects that somewhere there is a frisson of under-confidence. But then when the stakes are so high,you don’t want to leave any stone unturned.

Box-office success is an elusive thing,one can only try and chase it well. But the bottom- line remains: Nobody knows anything.