After a string of duds, Yash Raj Films (YRF) will be asking for Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic from the box office this week.
MUMBAI: After a string of duds, Yash Raj Films (YRF) will be asking for Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic from the box office this week.
For a banner that was dictating terms to distributors, multiplexes and even stars, the Kunal Kohli-directed Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (TPTM) is a make-or-break film, coming as it does this Friday after a series of flops.
Film folklore has it that the fear of YRF was so palpable and widespread in the last few years that no movie release would be timed either a week before or a week after a Yash Raj film hit the screens. Things have obviously changed.
This time around, TPTM is up against two big releases next Friday (July 4) as Aamir Khan’s nephew Imran debuts with Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na and Harman Baweja does ditto with Love Story 2050.
“Yash Raj would certainly want Thoda Pyaar to become a hit so that it can salvage its image,” says veteran trade analyst Amod Mehra, adding, “The worrying part is neither do audiences adore the banner nor does the industry fear the banner anymore.”
The only other release the banner has had this year was Tashan – a multi-starrer and a much-hyped film – which bombed at the BO.
The only super-hit they have had in recent times is Chak De! India.
Tashan garnered only Rs10.56 crore in five weeks in the domestic market. Aaja Nachle was a total flop show with earnings of Rs7.45 crore in five weeks across India. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom fared a little better earning Rs12.69 crore in five weeks, while Laaga Chunari Mein Daag did not wash with the movie-goers grossing barely Rs9.64 crore in four weeks. Chak De! India, which ran for 11 weeks across the country, grossed a phenomenal Rs35.24 crore, letting YRF breathe easy.
Another trade analyst Suleman Mobhani blames Yash Raj’s downslide on the trend of churning out more and more films each year at the cost of quality.
“The industry in general has put quality on the backseat. Each production house wants to make more and more films each year and so predictable scripts are being made into films,” he says.
Film distributors suggest Yash Raj should take a relook at its content to stem losses. “Today an audience goes to a see a film for the content. They are not enamoured by stars anymore. Even distributors are interested in taking up films with content,” says Rajesh Thadani, a film distributor.
When contacted, a Yash Raj spokesperson declined to comment.
Feelers are not that good
The music of Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic is a big let down. Except for the peppy Lazy Lamhe, the album has not struck a chord. Moreover, analysts are not impressed with the promos either. “First, they projected it as a children’s film in the promos. Then they showed the romance between Saif and Rani and now there is sex and seduction (through Amisha Patel’s steamy video). The audiences don’t know what to expect,” says Amod Mehra.
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