At a recent public event, Salman Khan was asked if he was worried about the subdued response to his new release Tubelight. He stared back at the journalist, grinned and then stretched his arms saying, “Do I look worried?”
He then went on to explain why the film took a weak opening. “People expected a different film. An Id film with the singing and dancing. They can’t see me cry.”
He was confident that the movie would do well. But trade experts say the film may lose up to Rs 60 crore–Rs 65 crore. A major producer says the losses may be even higher.
“Tubelight may be Salman’s first deficit film. And he needs to accept that instead of acting defiant in public. When he says he is not worried, he is probably right. His financial liabilities regarding the film have been taken care of, as his films lose nothing even if the movie underperforms, which it is likely to do. It is the distributors who are likely to suffer the damage.”
Would Salman compensate the distributors? They’ve begun to queue at Salman’s doorstep. Says the producer, “It would be the right thing for Salman to do because the distributors are likely to suffer substantial losses. But it all depends on Salman’s discretion. If he feels he owes it to the distributors, he will. In the past, Rajinikanth had reimbursed distributors for losses caused by the failure of his films. In Bollywood, Pahlaj Nihalani compensated distributors for losses suffered for two of his films Andaaz and Aandhiyan.” Perhaps it is time for Salman to show what being human is all about.
