Film Industry: Ranbir, Shahid, Imran go rustic to woo the box office

Ranbir, Shahid, Imran go rustic to woo the box office

    It’s like trying every trick in the book to break into the bastion of the Khan trio (Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh), Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar. These actors — three of them have been ruling the roost for two decades — are still the highranking guys at the box office, because of the numbers they have churned out. And these numbers, if you observe closely, have a lot to do with the fact that they have been doing mainstream films that connected to India’s heartland.
    Now, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Imran Khan are following in their footsteps. Ranbir is doing Besharm with Abhinav Kashyap of Dabangg fame, Shahid has chosen Prabhudheva’s Namak and Rajkumar Santoshi’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero and Imran, the poster boy of urban cinema, has moved into unfamiliar territory with his choice of Vishal Bharadwaj’s Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola and Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai-2.
Producer Aman Gill points out that in the last five to seven years, box office numbers have gone up. He says, “The multiplex growth has happened in tier two towns, which are across Rajasthan, UP, MP and central India. There has also been big numbers coming in from cities like Agra, Kanpur and Ludhiana. These numbers are based on subjects that have mass appeal as opposed to urban appeal.”
Aamir’s Ghajini, Salman’s Wanted, Dabangg and Bodyguard, Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore, Hrithik Roshan’s Agneepath, Ajay Devgn’s Singham and Bol Bachchan are the films that multiplied at the ticket windows the fastest.
    Of course, there are films like 3 idiots, Don-2 and RA.One that have also made it to the 100-cr club. But the tide, as the trade sees it, is clearly flowing in the direction of rustic subjects.
    Today, Gangs of Wasseypur and Paan Singh Tomar have wowed critics and audiences alike. They may not be in the 100-cr category, but they are definitely significant films.
    Even four years after making their respective debuts in Bollywood, the boys — Ranbir Kapoor (with the exception of Barfi! that crawled into the 100-cr club), Shahid Kapoor and Imran Khan have not been able to achieve the kind of numbers the ‘men’ have been getting.
    Our sources indicate that Ranbir, Shahid and Imran are actually friends and often devise career strategies collectively. Their actions are speaking louder than their words.
    We hear that the boys have realised that if they have to break into the territory so far occupied only by the 40-plus actors (Hrithik is 38, so he is nearly there), they have to get real in their choice of movies.
    Producer R Madesh
    from Chennai says a similar trend is true for Tamil cinema, too. Movies featuring Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijaykanth and Vijay get bigger numbers, because they have appeal in the villages of Tamil Nadu as well as the cities. “On the other hand, movies made by new-age, thinking filmmakers have a limited appeal, as they are primarily aimed at an urban market.”