Opinion | From ‘Animal’ to ‘Dhanki’: More celebrations around the corner in Hindi cinema

No wonder the Hindi film industry is looking forward to December with optimism. In the coming days, two of his films with the potential to become blockbusters are set to be released. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s action drama Animal (released on December 1), followed by Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy drama Dhanki (released on December 21). The trailer of Animal has been widely appreciated on social media and marks a great start for the Ranbir Kapoor movie. Due to Shah Rukh Khan and Hirani factors, Dhanki is also going to have a great first weekend. Another film that has the potential to be a big surprise story is Meghna Gulzar’s biographical drama ‘Sam Bahadur’, based on the life of India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (also released on December 1st). ) is. So will it be able to generate the kind of good business the industry expects in December? Certainly it is possible.

This year has proven that many viewers are ready to see movies if initial feedback suggests a good theatrical experience. This year saw three of the biggest blockbusters of all time: Siddharth Anand’s action thriller Pathaan, Atlee’s action thriller Jawan, and Anil Sharma’s period drama Gadar 2. Tiger 3, an action thriller directed by Manesh Sharma, is the third and fifth film in the Tiger series. It emerged as the fourth highest grossing film of the year in the YRF spy universe. This masala entertainer has already earned him over Rs 20 million. 400 million worldwide. Tiger 3’s business suffered as many cricket lovers chose to watch their favorite Indian players play in his ICC Cricket World Cup. The main reason for this is that the Men in Blue looked invincible before losing the final against Australia. Although the film has slowed down significantly, its box office numbers indicate that Salman Khan’s star power remains more or less intact.

While there were some other successes in 2023, the recent commercial performance of director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s biographical drama ‘The 12th Failure’, starring Vikrant Massey in the lead role, is a great example of the It shows how a well-directed mid-sized film can find its place in the sun. At the same time, several films released after early October also failed.

Tiger Shroff’s chiseled physique, enviable martial arts and dancing skills have contributed to his popularity, especially among the youth. After the failure of Ahmed Khan’s action drama “Hero Panti 2” (2022), Vikas Bahl’s dystopian action film “Ganapath: Birth of a Hero” released on October 20, directed by Shroff. It was seen as a kind of comeback. Produced on an estimated budget of Rs 200 crore, ‘Ganapath’ promised an exciting theatrical experience to the viewers. But this movie wasn’t what it could have been. A mish-mash of films set in a dystopian world, they have been let down by weak direction, pathetic writing, lackluster acting, and shoddy production values. The film did not perform well at the box office and was yet another setback for Shroff.

Akshay Kumar had made a special appearance in Amit Rai’s comedy-drama OMG 2, which was a critical acclaim and commercial success. But in reality, Kumar needs a solo hit to prove that he has not lost his once reliable ability to captivate audiences. The actor’s penchant for biographical dramas is well known to viewers and Tinu Suresh Desai’s Mission Raniganj: The Great Rescue of Bharat is one such film. The film is based on Jaswant Singh, a mining engineer and modern-day real-life hero who was instrumental in rescuing his 65 miners trapped in a flooded mine during the 1989 Raniganj coalfield collapse. This is a tribute to Gil. Raniganj’s mission is to be a well-intentioned film, and the choice of subject matter is good, but portraying Gill as a larger-than-life protagonist is a failed experiment. Additionally, dramatized versions of events sacrifice depth to please viewers. What happened after the release of Mission Raniganj was not surprising. Most critics did not like this film. And it was a commercial failure.

Several other releases also slumped after early October. Yaariyan 2, a stand-alone sequel to Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru’s romantic drama Yaariyan (2014) directed by Divya Khosla Kumar, failed to woo the audience. Sarvesh Mewala’s action thriller ‘Tejas’ sank, while Karan Boolani’s sex comedy ‘Thank You Four Come’ also did poorly. Will December be able to deliver on its promise of delivering the long-awaited perfect ending in 2023? If too much is not a problem, it should be.

The author has been a journalist for 30 years, writing about literature and pop culture. His books include the best-selling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, MSD: The Man, The Leader, and the Hall of Fame series of biographies of movie stars. The views expressed in the article above are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect his News18 views.