The relationship between the first half of the past few years and the Hindi film industry has been problematic. Always looks to be a saga of star-crossed lovers, who have moments of spark it doesn’t have a ‘happy ending.’ Even 2023, which was otherwise a bonzer year for Hindi films with fireworks at the box office – it (mostly) happened in the second half of the year except Pathaan in the beginning.
And here we are, in 2024, almost five months later and we continue to face a lull with only sprinkles of encouragement in the form of a few titles. While this is a regularity in terms of the business, what is concerning is how a few delays and postponements have shaken up the ecosystem thus leading to unplanned and ineffective marketing strategies, which has further propelled poor numbers and worrisome outlook for a few upcoming projects.
So Far, Not So Good
Many thought the 200 crore number that Fighter achieved was underwhelming, but the statistics that followed with releases like Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (TBMAUJ) and Yodha made it look like a party we missed celebrating. While TBMAUJ did decent numbers, the debacle of Yodha shook a few. However, we were yet to face the worst when the likes of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (BMCM) and Maidaan arrived and turned out to be huge failures. Especially with BMCM – big money, no substance and the audience outright rejecting it. Sure, we had Shaitaan surpassing expectations and clocking about 150 crores, Crew doing good numbers, and most recently, Madgaon Express playing the turtle race and being consistent – but the devil of this business is that you need those mega-blockbusters with earth-shattering numbers to maintain a balance.
What is the Problem?
Apart from BMCM and Maidaan‘s failure, April was also the worst month as even a good film like Do Aur Do Pyaar (DADP) wasn’t able to attract eyeballs. And that’s where the problem lies, which seems to be a case of wonder even right now. DADP, while having relatively popular names like Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi (riding high on Madgaon Express’ success), almost had no awareness amongst the masses, as to what even was the release date. Yes, it was never meant for the Tier 2 or Tier 3 cities but even with its target audience, it didn’t reach as many as it would have wanted to. A film that witnessed a 19th April release went on to unveil the trailer less than two weeks earlier. Following that, we had a splurge of interviews and appearances from Balan and Gandhi which is routine, and never quite guarantees more people being enabled to watch the film. Market research can start as simply as practising vox pops with people, who aren’t related to the entertainment industry by just asking, ‘Do you know there’s a film like this releasing next week?’ when the answer is ‘No’, you need to ponder upon it.
On a parallel and encouraging note, Srikanth – Aa Raha Hai Sabki Aankhein Kholne needs to be appreciated for the timing and effort put into marketing the film along with the novelty of it. Rajkummar Rao, apart from being relentless with the interviews, was making appearances at a couple of widely appreciated events that included the visually impaired community. This led to moments getting viral and thus reaching more people.
Worrying Times
The biggest worry though is now – as we see some big films lined up ahead and there is just too much congestion for a spot in the audience’s watchlist. Right away, we have Bhaiyya Ji and Mr & Mrs Mahi, who are up for release on 24th May and 31st May respectively. Both had surprisingly late trailer reveals, and especially with Mahi, where the trailer was only released a few days ago. Amidst the ongoing elections and the last quarter of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the buzz is minimal and there is limited time to create awareness.
June Isn’t Far Away
It might take a moment to realise but it is a reality that June has some big releases lined up. The likes of Chandu Champion and Kalki 2898 AD (yes, not a Hindi film but has the appeal to Hindi strata) are lined up for a 14th June clash and 27th June release respectively – which in perspective is now just over a month away. One can argue that Kalki 2898 AD might not need the same amount of marketing and buzz as the other two owing to sporadic reminders coming in various forms but for a film that’s mounted on a gigantic scale, it does need to be puncturing a bigger hole into the minds of people.
The marketing strategies of an array of films have been abysmal so far. Such late arrivals of trailers, corresponding assets and then impending release only add to what seems like a hotchpotch of unclear tactics and understanding of the viewer’s taste and preferences. The least these films need to do is drop footage well in advance and in adequate amounts because you never know, which song, which teaser or which footage will click.
We always live in hope and the hope is that these films do better in this limited time than how the markets have acted so far.
