2013 Bollywood’s Roller Coaster Ride

With the release of Dhoom 3, the year has come to an end for Bollywood. The year 2013 has seen many blockbusters from the industry and many disappointments too. First quarter of 2013 for Bollywood had been extremely at a low ebb in recent years. Unlike earlier recent years many biggies were released in the first quarter of 2013 and most of them bite the dust in the process. What is more astonishing is that no film went to become a super hit or blockbuster during that time period. Only five films saved face and performed reasonably well during that time frame.

Race 2 was the saving grace of 2013 and went to be registered the first big hit in 2013. It was the only film to cross 100-crore net mark in the first quarter of 2013. Kai Po Che, ABCD and Jolly LLB were the surprise hits with literally everyone involved with the film making good profits. Special 26 was another big release of the year, which just managed to attain the semi-hit status at the box office. But the biggest disappointment was Himmatwala without a doubt. Before release, the film was certain to cross 100-crore net barrier as per trade analysts. Even the director of the film Sajid Khan was touting it as the next 150-crore film. But all claim of him fallen flat and film struggled to reach 50-55-crore mark. Small budget film segment of the industry got mixed response. While Aashiqui 2, ABCD—Any Body Can Dance, Special 26 and Grand Masti did wonderful business, movies like Zanjeer, Zila Gaziabad, Boss, Policegiri failed to seek the attention of the cine-goers. Sources claim that Aashiqui 2 collected about Rs. 85 crore, ABCD makers pocketed Rs. 46 crore, Kai Po Che earned Rs. 50 crore, Fukrey took home Rs. 36 crore, Special 26 earned Rs. 67 crore, Chashme Buddoor grossed Rs. 40 crore, Madras Café Rs. 45 crore and Go Goa Gone Rs. 25 crore.

This year, the much-hyped Rs. 100-crore club was also overhauled and swamped, as Chennai Express did record collection of Rs. 216 crore at the box office. On the other hand, Krrish 3, which gave India its own superhero, broke all the records and collected a revenue of Rs 240 crore. In what trade experts called a mixed year for Bollywood, the estimated turnover so far has been Rs. 2,633 crore, and Dhoom 3 is expected to add to the gains and it is estimated that the film will break all the records soon. Around 166 films have been released so far and the total collection of the year 2013 is already higher than that of last year’s collection which was Rs 2,423 crore. But 2013 seemingly lags behind in number of blockbusters.

Last year, as many as nine films—Agneepath, Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Ek Tha Tiger, Barfi!, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Son Of Sardaar, Bol Bachchan and Dabangg 2—joined the Rs. 100-crore club. In comparison, only seven films—Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Krrish 3, Ram-Leela and Grand Masti managed to surpass the Rs. 100-crore collection mark this year. Regardless of few bumper blockbusters, trade experts have termed the year 2013 a mixed year. They are of the opinion that 2013 has been a mixed year for the industry, as there were a few big films and a few average films that did well on the box-office. Industry saw some of the biggest films like Krrish 3 and Chennai Express and several others films that did exceptionally well on the box-office. Though the numbers of films grossing Rs. 100 crore were a few, they set a new record. Chennai Express collected Rs. 226 crore, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Rs. 185 crore, Krrish 3 close to Rs. 250 crore, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Rs.109 crore, Ram-Leela Rs. 110 crore, and Grand Masti Rs. 103 crore. Industry never had Rs. 175 or Rs. 200 crore collections in 2012.

Every year Bollywood enthralls the audience with a bevy of debutantes and 2013 also saw many new faces. Although a lot of established South actors are making inroads into Bollywood with some rather exciting films on hand, there is also a crop of newcomers who hold tremendous promise and potential. From TV actor Sushant Singh Rajput to controversy queen Poonam Pandey, many new faces came to the fore in 2013. The Kolaveri Di singer and Tamil actor Dhanush made his debut in Bollywood with movie Raanjhanna. This actor came to the limelight for the sensational hit, Kolaveri Di. His movie Raanjhanaa earned 20.08 crore on its opening weekend. Another South Indian actor Ram Charan Teja, son of Cheeranjeevi, Minister of Tourism, made his debut in much-hyped remake of Zanjeer, a 70s movie starring Amitabh Bachchan. Tamanna Bhatia, another celebrated South Indian actress, made her debut with Himmatwala, but failed to capture the imagination of Bollywood lovers. Sushant Singh Rajput became popular among people for his role in the TV series, Pavitra Rishta, but his fan following increased after the release of Kai Po Che. He was seen along with debutante Vani Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in his next outing. The controversy queen, Poonam Pandey debuted in Bollywood with the movie, Nasha. This model-turned-actress is well known for her boldness and for her comfort level to go bare. While all the debutantes sizzled the screen, very few of them caught the imagination of the people.

Year 2013 has been a mixed year for the industry—many big films falling completely flat and movies like Grand Masti, an adult comedy, foraying into 100-crore club. The year has seen many up and downs. Small-budget films also had mixed response from the audience. Earlier, this segment was a sure success formula for many producers, but this year, they also had to see failure. With Chennai Express and Krrish 3 set the record for box office collections over 200 crore and Dhoom 3 dubbed the 300-crore film, Bollywood is experiencing a new high and with Salman Khan’s Jai Ho and Shahrukh Khan’s Happy New Year, 2014 is looking promising for Bollywood.

By Nilabh Krishna