Bollywood gears up for the festive season

Ten weeks and almost Rs5 billion (Dh367.87million) on the line, the Bollywood festive season has never looked more action-packed or nail biting for the filmmakers who have heavily invested their life earnings into this money spinner enterprise.

It is anybody’s guess if the budgets and the finally tally of the marketing blitzkrieg is justified, but it is probably safe to say that the next few months will either make or break careers.

The festive season starts

The season has already kicked off with the Dussera release, “Rascals”, which has been co-produced and also stars Sanjay Dutt, alongside Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal and Kangana Ranaut.

For Dutt, the film was a make or break career gamble, considering his previous outing, “Chatur Singh Two Star” crashed and burned at the box office, while “Double Dhamaal” was panned by critics; 2010 was even bigger dismissal year for the A-list actor.

However, luck and the festive spirit has been on his side, with the David Dhawan-directed “Rascals” garnering the third highest opening for the year, after Salman Khan’s “Ready” and “Bodyguard”.

For critics and many of those who have seen the movie in Dubai, the news comes as a shocker that “Rascals’” collections hit nearly Rs70 million on its first day, with industry pundits predicting that the film could very well hit the Rs30m mark by close of Sunday.

Said trade analyst, Prakash Pandit, from Mumbai: “Even though the film has been panned by critics, with not a single favourable review in its wake, what really works for it is this festive season.

“People in India are in a celebratory mood, and what better way to enjoy the season than by taking the family for an evening to the movies. It was a gamble that has worked for the filmmakers.”

Diwali brings in the big bucks

Traditionally, the Indian festival of lights has always lit a spark for filmmakers who eagerly await the date to be one of the first to stake their claim on the historically most lucrative festive period.

And this Diwali the party spirit is firmly in place, with superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s sci-fi adventure, “Ra.One”, flying in with an estimated budget of Rs1.5bn, making it one of the most expensive films to ever be made.

Being distributed on a 2D and 3D format, the family drama is rumoured to have already turned over a profit with its media endorsements and selling its music and satellite rights.

In fact, following close in the footsteps of ace actor, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh has left no stone unturned to ensure the film is bombarded into our homes and our line of sigh in every way possible.

Co-produced by Khan’s very own Red Chillies Entertainment, the campaigning began as early as January of this year, when the film’s first sneak peek was unveiled over micro blogging site, Twitter.

Once the social media enthusiasts were hooked in, Khan’s next target were the sports fanatics, who got a glimpse of the first 10-second trailer during the World Cup semi-final match between India and Australia in March.

An industry insider, on the condition of anonymity, said: “Shah Rukh has been a marketing genius with “Ra.One”, making this the first film to sell the telecast rights to its music launch for approximately Rs100m to the Star TV network.”

And if that’s not enough, other gimmicks up Khan’s sleeve have included: a special YouTube channel dedicated to all things “Ra.One”; a clothing line; endorsements of mobile phones and watches; a tie-up with Western Union money transfers; and a Sony PlayStation game.

The game, which was launched on October 5, has already been panned by critics at the GamesFest that recently concluded in Dubai. However, early market research indicates that Khan will score a hit in his home market.

Other products include McDonald’s happy meal toys containing a “Ra.One” miniature toy in India. Kids who are lucky to get a special coupon will be entitled to meet King Khan himself.

The production house is also expected to launch G.One, an online store – named after Khan’s character in the film – which will sell endorsed merchandises, including stationary, lunch boxes, baby bottles and more. The actor has tied up with leading brands to make this dream happen.

The insider added: “Shah Rukh has already recovered a large chunk of his money through in-film branding. While, word is Rs400m have been set aside for marketing, with Rs140m dedicated to the run-up to the release in its final weeks, with another Rs150 for online marketing.”

We expect the travel budget to be just as huge, what with three world premieres, including one in Dubai on October 24, followed by one in London the next day and then Toronto.

The organiser of the Dubai premiere, Rashid Saeed of Essar Events, said: “It is Shah Rukh Khan and it is Diwali time. Needless to say, people will come out in hordes to catch their favourite stars live and the buzz will continue to affect the film’s box office receipts in the corresponding days.”

In the shadow of “Ra.One”

Following a two-week hiatus, the urban, gritty “Rockstar” will target the tail end of the Eid Al Adha festivities, with Ranbir Kapoor and newcomer Nargis Fakhri having nearly Rs700m riding on their young shoulders.

Industry pundits have already predicted the film will make a profitable turn at the box office, but could see its business affected should “Ra.One” prove to be a record breaker in international markets too.

Once the buzz of “Ra.One” dies down, other releases are expected to make its way out of the woodworks, starting with the madcap comedy “Desi Boyz”, a Rs700m-budgeted film, which will see Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangda Singh in the lead.

The UAE National Day will see Ekta Kapoor’s much talked about, “The Dirty Picture”, which is based on the life and death of South Indian sex siren, Silk Smitha. While we are unsure how much of the film will be censored here, the Rs250m-budgeted film will see Vidya Balan shock audiences, with Naseerudin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor trying to catch up.

Rounding up the Christmas festivities is “Don 2”, releasing on December 22, with a budget of Rs1bn, or thereabouts.

Farhan Akhtar returns in the director’s chair to bring forth the sequel, with Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra reprising their roles.

Needless to say, a lot is riding on Khan’s “Ra.One” to ensure his next few releases bring in the audience at the big bucks. For Khan’s sake, let’s hope the season of giving rings true for his box office dreams.

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