Clash of the Titans

Friday, January 10 is a red-letter day for the Hindi film industry. Three major Hindi films –Meghna Gulzar’s eagerly awaited biopic Chhapaak, Ajay Devgan’s historical Tanhaji and the out-and-out escapist Rajinikanth entertainer Darbar — where director A.R. Murugadoss directs the Thalaiva for the first time — are all going to hit the theatres simultaneously.

Trade pundit Amod Mehra feels Ajay Devgan’s Tanhaji won’t be affected by Chhapaak. “Chhapaak is basically a multiplex film, so it’d be a limited screen release. It won’t be a competition for Tanhaji, which is an out-and-out commercial film. As it is in 3D, it would be the first choice of exhibitors. Darbar is a regional film dubbed in Hindi. Moreover, Rajinikanth’s last few films have not done well in the North, so Darbar may have some appeal for single screens in B and C centres.

Trade insider Atul Mohan adds that Good Newwz may continue its run as well. “Very exciting and very interesting clash; it is going to kickstart 2020. All three films are important. The South is virtually captured by the Rajini wave, and Reliance is targeting around 1500 screens for the Hindi belt. With around 1500 screens available in India to exploit films, it will be interesting to see how Tanhaji and Chhapaak will manage to get maximum screens in their kitty. Also, let’s not forget Good Newwz is having a fantastic run at the box office and will manage to get good screens and showcasing in its third week also.”

Mohan opines that the Indian box office cannot undermine the Mahesh Babu magic. “An important thing to notice also is that Mahesh Babu is also arriving with his next, and Dhanush also in the Telugu and Tamil belt, respectively. So down South, Hindi releases will be given a scattered release. Now coming back to Tanhaji and Chhapaak, the two films are important for Ajay and Deepika. Deepika is coming back after a long time, riding on a strong woman-centric subject and Ajay Devgn with his most ambitious outing
to date. Tanhaji is also releasing in Marathi, so it will also manage to get good screens in Maharashtra with Hindi plus Marathi,” he notes in conclusion.