Once, filmmakers viewed reaching the Rs 100 crore milestone at the box office as an almost unattainable dream. However, the landscape has changed drastically today. Now, filmmakers aim for Rs 500 to Rs 1000 crore, a goal many films have now achieved. Recently, veteran filmmaker Kabir Khan shared his thoughts on Bollywood’s obsession with box office figures. He mentioned that this fixation has transformed into a competitive game within the industry, which he believes is unhealthy.
He told India Today, “The industry as a whole has become number-oriented, which is quite unhealthy. When I was growing up, we never knew about the opening numbers. I still don’t know how much ‘Sholay’ or ‘Deewar’ made. It’s becoming like a game now, and if it’s a game, people will come to play it.”
He further remarked that the industry is engaging in corporate and bulk ticket bookings to artificially inflate box office numbers, “These are all trends that come and go. Producers, studios, or distributors today feel it may help in business. Honestly, I have no ethical position in it as they are not robbing anyone,” the director added.
Kabir Khan expressed his thoughts by saying, “Today, everyone is citing numbers, and trust me, 90 per cent of them do not know what it exactly means.” He explained, “There are so many numbers thrown – India nett, gross, worldwide nett, and gross. In this fascination with numbers, some players are trying to say let’s get bigger numbers through corporate and bulk. I don’t have a moral position as money is coming into the ecosystem. It’s not a big deal and only a source of concern for people who are tracking numbers to understand what the film is bringing back. Also, it’s a phase and not quite relevant.”
Just a few days back, Kabir Khan had got candid about the ‘slow start’ of his latest directorial Chandu Champion at the box office. Starring Kartik Aaryan, Chandu Champion is based on life and struggles of India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar. While the film has received largely positive reviews from critics, its low box office opening had surprised trade experts.
Talking about the same, Kabir Khan told Times Now, “The slow start did throw us off balance. But luckily, the word-of-mouth was positive. Let’s see how it goes from here. Nowadays, it’s hard to predict anything about the box office. We made a film which we thought would be liked by the audience. I am glad the audience ratio is increasing. These are tough times. We should be grateful for whatever attention the audience gives us.”
Kabir further admitted that Kartik’s image after doing a string of comedies might have affected the film’s performance, as people found it hard to accept him in a serious role suddenly.
“That could be a reason, yes. His fans have certain expectations from him. A new narrative, a new experience from him takes time to sink in. Hopefully, we will be seeing more people coming to the theatres to see our film. Those who have seen it have come out teary eyed, very moved. Kartik’s performance is already been singled out for the awards. We have room to keep growing till Kalki 2898 AD releases on June 27,” Kabir added.
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