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Actor Gulshan Devaiah attempted to dissect the nuances of the theatrical distribution model, and said that lot of factors influence whether a film does well at the box office or not. He also addressed the commercial failure of his latest film, Ulajh, which starred Janhvi Kapoor in the lead role. Gulshan said that it’s difficult to pinpoint one reason why the political thriller didn’t click with audiences, but said that if it were up to him, every feature film would be released in theatres.
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Gulshan said that he has ‘no idea’ why Ulajh didn’t work, but proceeded to address the various facets of the theatrical business, including ticket prices, competition, and star value. He said, “Why do people go to the theatres? I ask myself this question as well. I went to watch Deadpool & Wolverine because I had a whale of a time watching the first one in theatres. Something is there in every project that draws us. For instance, there is an excitement to watch a Salman Khan film, or a Rajkummar Rao film, or an Alia Bhatt film… There is something that you can expect from them, but even some of their movies don’t work.”
About Ulajh, Gulshan said, “If I myself have certain standards that I like to follow for going to the cinema, then it’s possible that (Ulajh) didn’t appeal to people. Maybe they didn’t like the trailer, it could be a variety of reasons. We don’t really know. We do our best, and sometimes our best isn’t good enough. It’s not the audience’s fault.”
Gulshan said that competition has also increased now, and that audiences always have the option of watching a movie at home. But he said that he rejects the notion of certain films being suited only for streaming platforms. “I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing; it’s good. Because the business of cinema is transitioning… This competition won’t go away, but we have to embrace it,” he said, adding that any kind of film can work given the right circumstances. “Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made films with the biggest stars, but his most successful film is with Vikrant Massey,” he said.
He admitted that it’s a little idealistic to say that every feature film should be released in cinemas, but that’s what he believes. “The theatrical market is cutthroat, it’s very difficult to go into profits… The audience knows that they can buy subscriptions for OTT platforms for Rs 500 a year, so they’ll think twice before spending Rs 1000 for a trip to the cinema. Even if tickets are cheap, there’s food and parking and a lot of other things that eventually add up,” he said.
Also starring Roshan Mathew, Ulajh was released in theatres alongside the Ajay Devgn and Tabu-starrer Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. Both film bombed, while the holdover hit Kalki 2898 AD thrived. This year has been difficult for Bollywood releases, with long gaps between tent-poles forcing producers to re-release older movies.
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