REPORT
Revealed: 'Rustom' or 'Mohenjo Daro'
which movie has an upper hand?
I
n the Independence Day clash between Akshay Kumar's 'Rustom' and Hrithik Roshan's 'Mohenjo Daro',
a difference of 300-400 screens will be all that counts.
It takes two to tango, but that is hardly the case when
two much-anticipated films declare war on each other
at the box office. With just three weeks to go for the Independence Day clash between Hrithik Roshan's 'Mohenjo Daro' and Akshay Kumar's 'Rustom', both camps
are going the whole hog to generate maximum publicity
for their film. After all, trade buzz will determine which of
the two secures more screens and shows. A well-placed
industry source says, "'Rustom' makers are mainly targeting the multiplex audience while the 'Mohenjo Daro'
team is aiming for a
wider release. Though
the former has generated more curiosity, it
will probably settle for
2,000-2,500 screens.
Hrithik's film is likely
to get 300-400 more
screens."'Rustom' is a
romantic thriller, loosely based on the infamous 1959 incident
when Naval commander KM Nanavati was
tried for shooting his
wife's paramour in a fit
of rage when he caught
them together. This is
director Neeraj Pandey
and Akshay's third collaboration after 'Special 26' (2013) and 'Baby' (2015),
with production cost pegged at around Rs 45 crore. Akshay has been paired opposite Ileana D'Cruz.'Mohenjo
Daro' is Hrithik's second film with his Jodhaa Akbar
director, Ashutosh Gowariker; the epic adventure-romance is set in 2600 BC in that ancient city of the Indus
Valley Civilisation era. This one is reportedly made on a
budget of Rs 100 crore. Hrithik will romance newcomer
Pooja Hedge. Trade analyst Girish Wankhede feels this
isn't a regular clash between two big films toplined by
big names. "This is an extension of regular clashes of
blockbusters fighting for screen space during festivals
and holidays. The I-Day weekend offers a window for
a blockbuster release, and both have great potential. It
will be somewhat like the way screens were divided between 'Dilwale' and 'Bajirao Mastani' last December. The
bigger, more popular film will fetch around 300 screens
more than the other. That means one of them will get
around 2,000 screens and the other, 2,300-2400. 'Rustom' looks more promising and appropriate to generate
bigger revenue," he explains. Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi
believes both films have the scope to mint good money
at the box office: "While the clout and exhibitor relations
of Disney [studio backing 'Mohenjo Daro'] cannot be undermined, the merit of Rustom's promos will ensure that
both films get adequate screen space."
Clash course
Girish Johar of Zee Studios, which is co-producing
'Rustom' along with Kriarj Entertainment, says August
12 marks the beginning of a long weekend and can very well
accommodate
two
films. "Exhibitors are
a learned lot; they
understand the audience's tastes and
from there, stems the
demand of a particular film. No one wants
to lose money and
especially, the opportunity of a long weekend. Exhibitors know
which film is creating
a buzz at the ground
level and accordingly,
allots screen space.
Hoarding of screens
has been made illegal by the government and the same
was proved in case of 'Dilwale' v/s 'Bajirao Mastani'. It
is the exhibitors' prerogative to screen a film as per the
audience's demand, keeping that particular time, region
and space in mind. Both films will get good scope to
showcase the strength of their content with only a two to
five per cent edge over the other film," he says. A source
close to Disney, which is backing 'Mohenjo Daro', says,
"The clash is nothing new for the studio. They have a
longstanding relationship with exhibitors and a solid experience when it comes to film clashes at the box office - be it 'Bang Bang' vs 'Haider', 'Chennai Express' vs
'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara', or 'Iron Man 3'
vs 'Aashiqui 2'. Moreover, Hrithik will be seen on the big
screen after a gap of two years, so his fans are hungry
for his film."
27 | BOOM