The Mumbai film industry is reeling under shock. Kabir Khan’s Tubelight is the first Salman release that did not sport housefull boards across the country on Id.
A representative of a leading multiplex chain says, “We added a show of Baahubali on Monday (Id) at the last minute. It went full. Not one show of Tubelight at our multiplex chain recorded capacity audiences. For last year’s Id release, Sultan, we had to add shows to accommodate the crowds.”
Trade analysts say that this is Salman’s weakest film in years. Says Amod Mehra, “There was talk in the industry, whether Tubelight would cross Baahubali 2 collections. Now all are worried as to whether the film will even break even. Such an unpredictable turn of events!”
However, Atul Mohan feels there is no need for alarm “Tubelight has done decently well. We shouldn’t compare Tubelight with recent Salman films and their business as it is a different film and not a typical Salman Khan commercial potboiler.”
Atul feels the negative reviews may have affected Tubelight’s Id collections. “The film did not get any rave reviews which might have slightly altered the film’s collections, but family audiences are liking it. The only concern is the price at which the film was sold.”
Atul applauds Salman for doing something different. “As an actor, one has to keep rediscovering oneself with various challenging roles. The collections on Sunday were better than the first two days. But on Id, the collections were not satisfactory. Let’s hope for better numbers as the real test begins Wednesday onwards.”
Film critic Raja Sen adds, “Tubelight has earned okay by most measures, but considering it is a Salman Khan Id release, it significantly comes to a cropper. Beaten by the Allu Arun Telugu release, DJ from the South, it showed low occupancy on Friday and could barely pick up over the weekend. The producers are safe with the pre-release deals, but the widest release Hindi film of all time has certainly not matched up to commercial expectations.”
Meanwhile, the superstar is unfazed. Says Salman’s brother Sohail, “Bhai would be worried if his fans felt let down. He is genuinely concerned about the ticket paying audience, which spends its hard-earned money on watching his films. He doesn’t want them to feel disappointed.”
All said and done; perhaps Tubelight did not switch on for the Salman fans, we think.
