As we hit the half-way mark of 2012, we take stock of the hits and misses during the first six months of the year. Here’s the report card
Could it get any better? We are a superstitious industry and it may not be a good omen to count our chickens but, considering its boom time in the Hindi film industry, count them we must. So here goes.
Business is booming with every successive Friday. The number of cinemas in India is growing, and despite the exorbitant ticket prices, people are willing to shell out and even come back for an encore. And it’s not just Hindi movies; regional cinema and dubbed Hollywood films are also doing pretty well at the ticket counter.
Yes, Bollywood is on song. Actors are charging skyrocketing sums but producers are willing to pay the price. This is fair indication that business is only expected to grow.
Here’s another reason to pop the champagne. More than 10 movies have crossed the Rs 100-crore mark and there are some more probables lined up for the second half of 2012. The first half has already delivered three movies – Agneepath, Housefull 2 and Rowdy
Rathore – which crossed the magical Rs 100-crore figure. And if all three were masala entertainers, there were many films which would constitute ‘meaningful cinema’ and made on modest budgets that also did well.
If last year saw 54 movies releasing in the first six months, 2012 had 70. The success ratio this year too is much better than that of last year. Interestingly, filmmakers are saying “bring it on” and are releasing their movies during major cricket tournaments, shraddh or weeks considered jinxed.
And why wait for the ‘right time’ or ‘lucky week’? In a country where more than a hundred films are made but have only 52 Fridays to release, there’s no choice but to ignore the superstitious and auspicious. And guess what? They’re drawing colourful results. The line-up for the next six months, starting with this week’s Bol Bachchan, is mouth-watering and 2012 promises to be a whopper for the trade.
We asked some top-notch professionals, distributors and exhibitors to assess the first six months of 2012. We also asked them which film caught their eye and to name those that did not live up to expectations. Here’s a report card on how the Hindi film industry has performed in the first half of 2012.