Highest Grossing Bollywood Films

Since this list is not adjusted for inflation, it tends to favour films in more recent years with nearly eighty percent of the films in the top 30 being released after 2010. Figures are given in Indian rupees. For an inflation-adjusted list Click Here.

List of highest-grossing Bollywood films in India

LAST UPDATED ON: APRIL 15, 2013
 

Rank	Movie	Year	Studio(s)	Net Collections
1	3 Idiots	2009	Vinod Chopra Productions	Rs. 2,02,00,00,000
2	Ek Tha Tiger	2012	Yash Raj Films	Rs. 1,99,30,00,000
3	Dabangg 2	2012	Arbaaz Khan Productions	Rs. 1,50,83,00,000
4	Bodyguard	2011	Reliance Entertainment/ Reel Life Production	Rs. 1,47,99,00,000
5	Dabangg	2010	Arbaaz Khan Productions/ Shree Ashtavinayak	Rs. 1,47,00,00,000
6	Rowdy Rathore	2012	UTV Motion Pictures	Rs. 1,32,99,00,000
7	Ready	2011	Sohail Khan Productions/ T-Series/Rawail Grandsons     Entertainment	Rs. 1,30,00,00,000
8	Agneepath	2012	Dharma Productions	Rs. 122,61,00,000
9	Jab Tak Hai Jaan	2012	Yash Raj Films	Rs. 1,21,60,00,000
10	Ghajini	2008	Geetha Arts	Rs. 1,17,48,22,756
11	Ra.One	2011	Eros International Ltd./ Red Chillies Entertainment	Rs. 1,14,71,00,000
12	Housefull 2	2012	Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment	Rs. 1,09,10,00,000
13	Don 2	2011	Excel Entertainment/ Red Chillies Entertainment	Rs. 1,08,29,00,000
14	Barfi!	2012	Ishana Movies	Rs. 1,06,14,00,000
15	Son Of Sardaar	2012	Ajay Devgan Films/ YRV Infra Media	Rs. 105,74,00,000
16	Golmaal 3	2010	Shree Ashtavinayak	Rs. 1,03,50,00,000
17	Singham	2011	Reliance Entertainment	Rs. 1,00,47,00,000
18	Bol Bachchan	2012	Fox Star Studios	Rs. 1,00,36,00,000
19	Race 2*	2013	Illuminati Films/ Tips Films	Rs. 96,34,00,000
20	Raajneeti	2010	Prakash Jha Productions/ UTV Motion Pictures	Rs. 94,89,66,316
21	Talaash	2012	Excel Entertainment/ Aamir Khan Productions	Rs. 90,75,00,000
22	Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara	2011	Eros International/ Excel Entertainment	Rs. 81,46,05,346
23	OMG - Oh My God!	2012	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures	Rs. 81,46,00,000
24	The Dirty Picture	2011	ALT Entertainment/ Balaji Motion Pictures	Rs. 76,48,00,000
25	Singh is Kinng	2008	Studio 18/ Blockbuster Movie Entertainers	Rs. 75,58,81,177
26	Cocktail	2012	Eros International	Rs. 73,84,00,000
27	Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi	2008	Yash Raj Films	Rs. 73,52,37,848
28	Welcome	2007	Base Industries Group	Rs. 72,23,95,290
29	Raaz 3	2012	Vishesh Films/ Fox Star Studios	Rs. 71,10,00,000
30	Lage Raho Munna Bhai	2006	Vinod Chopra Productions	Rs. 70,00,00,000

*10 Week domestic nett total

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

A Lost Cause!

By Anant Mathur (July 15, 2010)

If you want to know how to convince filmgoers that your flop film is a hit there's no better example than Boney Kapoor & Milenge Milenge.

Boney Kapoor is using the media and trying to convince anyone who’s listening, that Milenge Milenge, which will barely make 8 crores at the box office (if it's still running next week), is a hit. The film has cost approximately 14 crores which is funny in itself because it was being said, before its release, that the film cost 30 crores.

The status of a film is determined by its box office performance. Going by the box office performance of Milenge Milenge so far, it’s safe to say the film is a super flop. But Boney Kapoor, who has given us entertaining films (Woh 7 din, Mr. India, Company, No Entry) in the past, is still fighting for this lost cause. Why? Only he knows.

It’s being reported by the media that Boney Kapoor has sold the satellite right of the film for 8.5 crores, the music rights for 2 crores and home video rights for 1.5 crores, etc. etc. So, it appears, the dumb media jumped on the band wagon and started saying the film will make 4 to 5 crores in profits for Boney Kapoor and are ready to declare it a hit.

I just want to add that, if this is how they're measuring success nowadays, then My Name Is Khan, Kites and Raavan are hits too. Because Fox (My Name Is Khan) and Reliance (Kites and Raavan) both made profits when you take satellite, music and home video rights into account.
 

But realistically folks, everyone in the industry knows this is not how the success of a film is measured. It's the box office performance that counts in order for a film to be declared a hit or flop. And in the case of Milenge Milenge there's no hope for the film. It's a super flop no matter what Boney Kapoor's figures say, besides it’s a known fact that figures are manipulated in the industry all the time. We don't even know if Milenge Milenge is doing the kind of business they're saying it’s doing. The truth could also be that it has only made 2 crores in total at the box office and the 8 crores figure is being tossed around just to improve the prospects of the film. It won’t be the first time this has been done and I’m sure it’s not the last.

Until Boney Kapoor shows us how each rupee was spent and exactly how many movie tickets have been sold, one can't help but feel Milenge Milenge is a flop.
 

If I may be so bold as to give Boney Kapoor some advice, I would suggest that he count his losses and forget this film. Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor haven’t had many hits in the last few years and I doubt their box office value will improve unless they both start giving one hit after another.
 
Boney Kapoor has a sweetheart of a girl (Sonam Kapoor) in his own backyard, so instead of worrying about the failure of Milenge Milenge he should make a movie with Sonam (miss hot property right now) and laugh all the way to the bank. Or better still, go the RGV way (who remade James) and remake Milenge Milenge with Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan and call it Serendipity (Oops! Sorry just slipped out), that has a better chance of being a hit than the current version.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

Box Office Blunder!

By Anant Mathur (July 15, 2010)

There's a new trend in Bollywood. So many big films have flopped in the last two years that producers and distributors are now including the revenue from satellite rights into the earnings of a film to convince people that the film is a hit and not a flop.

The success of a film is measured by how the film performs at the box office. If it's a super hit at the box office, then TV channels will have to shell out more money than if it's flop. Recently, it was reported that the satellite rights of 3 Idiots were bought by Sony for 35 crores. Now for a big hit like that one can understand a TV channel having to shell out so much dough.
 

What bothers me is when UTV says it's sold the satellite rights for I Hate Luv Storys for 10 crores, music for 4 crores and Home Video for 2 crores, prior to the release of the film. TV Channels in India are so desperate for content that they're willing to give a film 10 crores before they even know how it performs at the box office. Wow!

I Hate Luv Storys needs to earn 40-45 crores nett from India for recovery. The First weeks collections of I Hate Luv Storys are 22 Crores and in the second week the film has fallen 80 percent in collection at most places. So there's no way, the film is going to recover its cost at the box office and should be termed a flop. But because the geniuses at UTV have take a new approach to how the success of a film is measure, they will determine that it's a hit because when you add all the revenues it generates (Box Office, Satellite rights, Music Rights, Home Video) it will probably make them a couple of crores in profit. And as we know, in India if a film makes 10 rupees above the cost it's considered a hit.

How they can call I Hate Luv Storys a hit is beyond me. First of all, it's received mixed reactions from the audience and most critics have only given it 3 stars (reviews I'm sure have been paid for by UTV). The excellent promos helped it earn 22 crores in the first week, but the fall in second weeks collections should be evidence enough that the film is no good. In todays times, a hit film lasts at least 7-8 weeks in the multiplexes. It's highly doubtful, I Hate Luv Storys will last that long.

Lasting two week in the multiplex doesn’t mean a film is a hit, even Krantiveer – The Revolution (a super flop) was able to last 2 weeks in theaters. If a trend needs to change in Bollywood, it’s not how collections are calculated, it should be how success is measured, unless a film can last 7-8 weeks in multiplexes it should be considered a flop no matter what the collections are.

The problem with this scenario of including all the films rights is that other than the theatrical revenue all money from other sources goes to the producer. So, in hit or flop terms, a film is a hit if it recovers its cost - meaning the costs the distributor has to pay (film rights+prints+promotion). Now if the revenue from Satellite Rights, Music Rights, etc. is only going to the producer, it's not contributing towards the distributors' costs now is it? Therefore, including all the revenue a film generates doesn't really work since the cost are only covered by theatrical revenue and the film is still a flop. No matter what the filmmakers say unless the film can recover it's cost from theatrical revenue the distributors lose money and the film is a flop. Contrary to what many believe, the producers rarely lose money these days. The way the business is going these days, producers earn a profit before the film is even released. 

My Name is Khan had a budget of 50 crores, but the distributors (Fox) paid Karan Johar (producer) 110 crores before the release of the film. And although the film made over 73 crores at the box office, because the distributor couldn't recover their cost, it's forever labelled a flop. Had Karan Johar sold MNIK for 60 crores the film would've been a hit. So, even though Karan Johar is laughing all the way to the bank, it the film that suffers.

Similarly, Rakesh Roshan (producer) received 100 crores from Reliance (distributor) for Kites which had a budget of 60 Crores, prior to the release of the film. Now, if the distributors are willing to shell out such ridiculous amounts of money for films that haven't seen the light of day. Obviously, when the film flops (Kites collected 42 crores) the distributors will lose big. 

This overpricing by producers needs to stop or else the industry will keep suffering and distributors will lose faith in the producers. 

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

Laka Laka - Malayalam Version of Shakira's Waka Waka!

By Anant Mathur (July 5, 2010)

Oh my god. I just saw this, it's hilarious! Check it out.

It's a sad, sad, sad, sad world!

By Anant Mathur (July 02, 2010)
 

I recently came across this bit of news, please visit this link before continuing: Priyadarshan's Prateik starrer shelved

Well, if you didn’t read the item on the above link, the gist of it is that renowned filmmaker Priyadarshan was trying to make a film with Prateik Babbar (Smita Patil and Raj Babbar's son) and some newcomers but no producer wants to back a film with newcomers so it’s been shelved.

I believe the corporate houses and media are to be blamed for this. Ever since the corporate houses came into the film industry the focus has become the stars (instead of scripts and filmmakers) and the media has been supporting them with their tails wagging. If the likes of Priyadarshan have trouble making films with newcomers you can only imagine what hope a new filmmaker has.

I'm willing to bet that if Shahrukh Khan's driver wants to make a film with Shahrukh Khan - all the corporate houses and producers will support him (regardless of how bad the script is). But a successful filmmaker like Priyadarshan with more hits than Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Mani Ratnam, Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar combined can't get a producer to back his project with newcomers. It’s indeed a very sad day for the film industry. 

Punit Malhotra, nephew of costume designer Manish Malhotra (who is very good friends with Karan Johar) is making his directorial debut with I Hate Luv Storys and guess who’s producing the film… Karan Johar - surprise! And what experience does Punit have, you ask? None, obviously! He went to HR College of Commerce and Economics and did modeling and acting afterwards - when that failed he turned to direction. Punit has never gone to film school or done anything creative, but who cares he knows Karan Johar. We all know that a Karan Johar film, regardless of director or script, fetches a hefty price, so Karan has already made the money back prior to the release of IHLS. I’m sure if Punit wants Karan will get Shahrukh Khan to do a cameo in his film. And if the film earns 3 stars from paid reviews, Punit’s name will be added to the list of brilliant young Indian filmmakers because in India brilliance is worth 3 stars not 5. Who needs qualified filmmakers when unqualified friends and relatives are readily available! After all, Karan Johar's only qualification is that he is the son of a film producer.

When will producers and corporate houses learn? Doesn't the recent debacle with Raavan, Kites, Veer, My Name Is Khan, What's Your Raashee, Blue, Kambakkht Ishq, Chandni Chowk to China and Yuvvraaj teach them anything? Stop fooling around with stars and concentrate on good scripts. The audience won't be flocking to the theatres much longer not when they can watch the same shit you dish out for free on TV, not to mention other activities such as IPL which can keep them busy and away from the multiplexes. Remember, you need the audience they don't need you! The audience can watch your film on TV a few months after it releases and for free, so why should they support you in the multiplexes?
 
The reason bollywood only has 5-6 hits (if that many) each year is because there are only 10 actors in the whole country of over 1 billion people that producers rely on. The film industry needs new blood and not just talentless star kids. Look at Hollywood, even a no name guy is signed to a 100 million dollar film and the film does a business of 5 to 6 times that amount (how many people knew Leonardo DiCaprio before Titanic?). In India, if a film is made for 50 crores and it earns 55 crores the producers are happy, why? If your budget is 50 crores the film should make 250 crores at least, otherwise stop making such expensive films. Only 3 Idiots and Ghajini have ever crossed more than 100 crores at the box office in india. There's no scope for films with 50 or 100 crore budgets. If films can't gross more than 50-60 crores your budgets should be 10-15 crores and not more than what the film can recover. It’s not the films that fail it’s the cost that is killing them. If My Name is Khan was sold for 25 crores it would’ve made over 60 crores in profit and would’ve been a massive hit. Even though Karan Johar made lots of money by selling it for 100 crores, the film will forever be considered a box office disappointment.

The filmmakers also need to stop throwing eye-candy into the face of the audience, no one cares about special effects or 3D unless it is combined with a good script. If having special effects or shooting in 3D enhance the script then by all means do it. But don't just do it because you think the audience will come and watch your films and it won’t matter what the story is. This approach might work a couple of times, but the audience will be wise to these tricks and not come to any future releases.
 

Ghajini, A Wednesday, Raajneeti and 3 Idiots are proof that if you make a good film the audience will run to a multiplex. It’s not piracy that’s killing the film industry, it’s the big budgets and shoddy scripts. Piracy is only in the equation because no one wants to waste 200-300 of their hard earned rupees on films which are no better than the sorry saas-bahu serials they can see on TV for free.

Obviously there’s a huge demand for filmed entertainment in India, but the way to an audience’s heart is not through the stars its through good films regardless of the star cast or filmmakers. Several years ago a film called Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye with Prem Krishen and Rameshwari hit the screens and although it didn't turn it's lead pair into superstars, the film was a runaway hit and is still remembered to this day.

No actor is bigger than the film itself. Great films can turn ordinary actors into superstars, but even a superstar can't change the fate of a bad film. If successful films are to be made producers and corporate houses need to concentrate on the script more and the superstar quotient less.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

I Don’t Mind Luv Storys?

By Anant Mathur (June 27, 2010)

After the debacle of the last big budget Ash Cow (oops! Cash Cow) Raavan, all eyes are now on the Karan Johar produced I Hate Luv Storys.
 

One can’t help wonder about the title of this film. Not only that it’s spelled wrong because by god it makes a lot more marketing sense, since no one would want to see “I Hate Love Stories”, where’s the fun in that – But one also suspects that the title doesn’t go with the film. I’m fairly certain, as with most Bollywood Lacklusters these days, at the climax of this film, the hero ends up liking Luv Storys - so why this title?

Calling it “I Don’t Mind Luv Storys” or “How I Learned to Like Luv Storys” might make more sense. And if the hero still hates Luv Storys by the time the curtain falls, then what was the point of making such a film in the first place? It just means the character ends up right where he started and the audience is gypped yet again, big surprise!
 

From what little I have seen of the promos, the film doesn’t seem all that interesting and barring a few Karan Johar style puns and gay jokes, it’s likely not very entertaining either. I feel sorry for the actors whose time and hard work is wasted on such films. They need to say no to such scripts even if it is a Karan Johar film.

Well, here’s hoping I am wrong and that the film is entertaining regardless of the title so the struggling industry can get some more money into the pockets of Karan Johar and UTV who really need it more than any other person in this world.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved

Tip # 2: Research

By Anant Mathur (June 18, 2010)
 

When we watch films, the most noticeable thing about them is the performance. A great performance can make you believe that the people you’re watching are real. On the other hand, a bad one could ruin the entire experience. It makes you wonder how these people were even hired for the parts.

The first thing actors and writers need to do when they start a film is research. Research doesn’t mean that you come up with a look for your character. A believable character is someone who the audience grows attached to. But a character is only believable if you get the nuances right.

If you’re going to play Hitler you need to learn how the man behaved, what he believed, basically you’re trying to be him. You don’t become Adolph Hitler by putting on a Hitler costume a lot of research has to go into the part so you can be believable. Similarly, if you’re playing a police officer, don’t just wear the uniform; learn the behaviors, attitudes and responsibilities of an officer. Police officers go through rigorous training to be the men they are, a writer and actor should know all these details to help them create a convincing character on screen. Speak to police officers; find out what makes them tick before you start writing or acting. Most Bollywood filmmakers forget this, and only concentrate on the look of the characters.
 

It’s extremely important for actors and writers to know the script inside out. Read and re-read should be the mantra. Sometime writers start a story at a certain point and by the time they reach the end, what they said at the beginning doesn’t connect with the ending - it makes one wonder if these guys ever read what they write. It’s almost as if they write the story but are too lazy to go over it again to make sure there are no loose ends. A film script should go through at least 2 or 3 rewrites before you arrive at the final version.

An actor should understand the character and how he/she has evolved throughout the story. Make notes. Write a bio for the character based on the script. Treat the character as if he/she is a real person. This will give you the ability to perform the role with confidence.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

Student Video of Super Mario

By Anant Mathur (June 12, 2010)

A team of students in Japan created this amazing stop-motion video based on the Nintendo game Super Mario Bros. Mario is made of pastel Post-It notes and moves around the school, leaping down stairs and up the classroom walls, avoiding turtles and collecting coins.

While not much is known in the U.S. about the project, according to the blog Tokyo Mango, the video is gaining international buzz. The whiz kids took two weeks and 5,000 Yen (about $55) to create their 1 ½ minute masterpiece for the annual school festival bunkasai.

Take a look. (Watch the left side of the screen to see Mario emerge from the recycling bin.)

Tip # 18: Character Development

By Anant Mathur (June 11, 2010)

I have often written about Character Development or lack there of in Hindi films. Changing an actor's look (giving him a beard or changing her hairstyle) doesn't mean he/she has become the character - there's more to it than that. I would like to elaborate further on the subject in this post.





WHAT IS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?
 
Character Development is the gradual revelation of information about a character that the audience needs to know in order to understand the character’s motivations and intent.
 

GET REAL!
 
It is very important to be realistic when developing a character for fiction. Look and learn from the environment around you. Watch how a bum on the street behaves or what a bus driver does, how a bartender serves alcohol, or how a taxi driver drives his cab. Each one of these people do things differently – heck, even two cabbies would drive a taxi differently.
 

DO YOU HAVE REFERENCES?
 
When you’re a screenwriter it’s vital to have access to references. Today, the easiest way to do research is by going online – but whether it's books, internet, television, movies, music, your gym teacher or even your uncle Joe - anything could inspire you to develop a character.

I personally like to keep the latest Psychology text handy. Perhaps the most import aspect of developing a character is his/her emotional state. If the lead character is a drunkard, there are certain things this person will or won’t do based on his mental state. So, it becomes very important to understand how a drunkard feels and acts.

Another question that may need to be answered: Is he addicted to alcohol or just a one time drunk? An addict may have several reasons or a back story which may explain to us why he is in that emotional state. The best way to learn about this type of behaviour – aside from getting drunk yourself or having a drunkard in the family – is to take a look at a Psychology text book. A Psychology text will allow you to see the behaviour patterns of a person affected by alcoholism and other such diseases which will help you create a suitable character for your story.
 

FIRST THINGS FIRST!
 
Before writing a screenplay or story, it is very import to know your character. The first thing you should do is create a character profile.

On a piece of paper, write down the character’s Name, Age, Height, Eye color, Hair color. Also jot down these 3 questions: What is the major goal of this character? Why is this goal so important? Do any events in the characters past affect the importance of this goal? Lastly, explain your character’s life till now, situation with family, his motivations, his pet peeves - anything that you feel defines this character.

A few of things you write about your character may not be part of the final screenplay, but it is important to jot everything down, they will help you define the character’s personality and although the words may not be in the screenplay the spirit of the character will be based on them.

THINGS TO CONSIDER!

All of us are greatly influenced by our relationships. How is this character’s relationship with his family members? Are there certain values or behaviors the character has inherited from them? Is he rebelling against them? Let’s say there are two actors one’s father supported and encouraged him and the other’s father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor, obviously both of them would’ve had different relationships with their families.

Does he have a funny sounding name or a funny nickname? If his friends call him “Mutt” it gives him a totally different persona than if they call him “Stinky.” Some people are embarrassed by their names or nick names, how does you character feel about his?

What does he do everyday? Unless you have a really boring script, chances are your character does something everyday. For example he goes to work, attends meetings, has lunch with co-workers, lands a new account or saves an old one. You should know what his schedule is so you can plan your story around it – perhaps terrorist take over the building, but is it while he’s in a meeting or eating lunch or having a cup of coffee – it’s important to know where he might be so you can write the next scene.

What are his pet peeves? A pet peeve could tell a lot about a character. Perhaps he gets irritated whenever he sees people who drive while talking on cell phones or while eating. This could reveal that he believes in driving safety.

Does your character have any bad habits? Is he addicted to anything other than alcohol? Perhaps he drives around and smashes up shops when no one is around. Perhaps he eats too many potato chips.

All stories involve some kind of complication(s) the character must overcome. Most of the time it’s the character's traits and personality that pull him through and show what he’s made of. Jett Rink becomes an oil tycoon in Giant because of his hard work and patience; he was dealt a certain hand and made the best of the opportunity. What’s your character's biggest strength?


IN CONCLUSION
 
There are many aspects of character development and your character could be as deep as someone you know in real life. These basic principles will guide you in strengthening your characters and coming up with a great story/screenplay.

Some writers like to go into even more detail than what I have mentioned above. If you would like to learn more about character development, I suggest you check out the following books:

Writer's Guide to Character Traits - Linda N. Edelstein, PH.D.
Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time - Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Story Structure Architect – Victoria Lynn Schmidt, PH.D.
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint - Nancy Kress
Psychology (9th Edition) - David G. Myers
The Principles of Psychology, Vol.1 - William James
Psychology: Concepts and Applications - Jeffrey S. Nevid

 

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

Amazing Wedding Proposal

I came across this video recently and I think it's easily one of the coolest wedding proposals ever! See for yourself.

An amazingly orchestrated wedding proposal that I caught live in Madison Square Park. After the surprise production number in the park for this girl, they rode off in a horse drawn carriage. In the dance the slip of paper the guys are waving around is a poloroid. The song the guys dance to was "their song."

Tip # 6: Acting

By Anant Mathur (June 05, 2010)

There are two parts to every scene in a film – the foreground and the background. Though most actors perform when they’re in the foreground, it’s a totally different story when they’re part of the background. It’s something I’ve always found lacking in bollywood films - when the lead actors of a film are in the background of a scene they’re just standing around, and most of them don’t do anything.

The job of every actor is to act even if they’re not the focus of the scene, so if you just stand around you’re not doing your job.

For example, in a scene: You’re at a party and the focus is a couple dancing on the dance floor, but you’re standing among many people behind them, well don’t just stand there and watch. Instead, maybe talk to some next to you or walk over and shake somebody’s hand as if you’ve just noticed them arrive. Your director will love you for it!

One thing actors should always remember is the best place to learn is the environment around them. We live each day in a scene, there are other people around us all the time, we speak to some of them - that’s dialogue! Sometimes someone else is the center of attention and we’re in the background but we’re doing something not just standing around.

Let’s take another example, if your child is doing something funny, you don’t just stand their watching him - your expression changes or you might react with a certain emotion if he falls or throws something. That’s how acting is! You’re not just standing around with one expression on your face; you’re reacting to the situation around you. Not only does that make you a better actor, it also makes the scene come alive.

Your most important lessons won’t come from the acting classrooms; they will come from your life. The wider the range of your experience, the more you can draw from when you perform. Learn all you can about psychology, sports, movies, history, arts, music, science, etc. Each field will help you develop as a person. Do different jobs; work at a gas station, pharmacy, factory, stock exchange, lawyer’s office, restaurant, doctor’s office, government organization, Wal-Mart, radio station, etc.

The best way to learn is by watching people in your daily life. Everyone reacts differently to the situations they find themselves in. If two people are ordering coffee chances are they won’t do it the exact same way. And if the coffee shop is out of coffee they won’t react the same way, one might get angry; the other could simply go to another shop. People don’t do things the way you do, that’s how your characters are, they’re not you, you’re playing someone else, and so they need to be as different from you as possible.

An old man’s walk is different from a young man or a nerd. A child might walk the same way as his father or grandfather does – perhaps the three of them walk with their hands behind their back. There are certain words some people will never say, it’s the same with characters – the vocabulary is unique for each individual – a cop won’t talk the same way a businessman or politician and the language may differ by region as well.

What you should do is keep a notebook with you and write down dialogue, mannerisms, and interesting situations you see in your daily life. It would also help if you travel and meet people from different cultures. How do people eat in Africa? What does it feel like to be on top of the Eiffel Tower? How does it feel to ride a horse on a race track?

Do something you’ve never done before, such as bungee jumping, repairing a computer, running a marathon. Take a risk. Lose in love. Win in Love. Travel alone. Travel with friends. Travel with family. All this experience will only help you in growing as an actor. Remember: All knowledge is learning and therefore, good.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

Kites not flying with audience!

By Anant Mathur (June 05, 2010)

After collecting approx. 30.5 crores in its opening weekend "Kites" has crashed big time. It's expected the first weeks collections will be around 37-39 crores in the first week. Total collections for "Kites" are expected to be around 45 crores.

Kites Collapses in Second Week

First week collections

Kites Crashes On Monday

Kites Set To Flop

Kites Remix Fails too!

My Name Is Khan and I'm Full of BS

By Anant Mathur (May 28, 2010)

I finally had the unfortunate opportunity of watching My Name is Khan (MNIK) on DVD. I’ve always believed that a Rajesh Khanna film called “Red Rose” is the worst Hindi film ever made, that is, until I saw My Name Is Khan – the honor now belongs to MNIK. I can’t believe the critics gave this sorry piece of celluloid a 4.5 or 5 star reviews. The film is not even worthy of receiving negative stars, that’s how dreadful it is. If Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and MNIK are the kind of films we can expect from Karan Johar, he should stop making films. If you haven’t seen MNIK, I suggest you stop reading here. If you have seen the film, please continue.

 
******SPOILER ALERT******

When will Bollywood get over its 9/11 hangover? What makes Bollywood filmmakers think they know what happened during 9/11 in North America? Apparently, as My Name Is Khan reveals, they know absolutely nothing!

The greatest problem with “My Name Is Khan” is the time line and I don't understand why no one has picked up on it. We’re shown that Rizwan Khan meets Mandira Rathod pre 9/11 in San Francisco of all places. She has a kid (Sameer Rathod a.k.a. Sam) who’s about 13 years old. Rizwan and Mandira get married and shortly after witness planes crashing into the two towers as its shown live on TV. The 9/11 disaster occured in 2001, yet the time line keeps jumping between 2001 and 2007-2008 periods; this is the biggest flaw of this film.

In June 2008, Rizwan Khan says it’s been 179 days since Sam’s death which means Sam died in 2007. Apparently, Sam is still 13 years old in 2007 - six years after Rizwan met the 13 year old - unless he has taken some potion for eternal youth, he should be 19. Sam is killed on November 27, 2007 because children in school are picking on him for being Muslim (even though he’s a Hindu). Mandira tells Rizwan if she didn't marry him Sam would be alive. She suggests Rizwan ask the president why this happened and maybe he can stop all this Muslim hate. So step-father Rizwan Khan’s journey to meet the president begins.
 
What boggles the mind is if 9/11 happened in 2001 why in the world is Rizwan Khan going to see the president in 2007. It’s not very believable that in a place like California, thousands of miles from New York (where 9/11 actually occurred) children would beat up a kid for being Muslim and riots would occur 6 years after the fact. There’s no reason for the time shifts between 2001 and 2007-2008, the film would have worked if Karan Johar stayed in 2001. The only explanation I can think of for the time shift is the Hurricane sequence when we find Rizwan in Wilhemina, Georgia (a city that doesn’t exist in reality). The Wilhemina, Georgia sequences have nothing to do with the story of the film and only add unwanted time to an already long film. In fact, Georgia is not known for hurricanes and there were no hurricanes in the state in 2007 or 2008, so even those details are wrong! Had Karan Johar done an ounce of research he’d have known that.

It’s sad to see that Karan Johar has no idea what really happened during and post 9/11 in North America or any clue about the George W. Bush presidency or any knowledge of where hurricanes occur and yet he’s made a film about all this.
 
When Rizwan is having an attack, upon seeing yellow (he has a fear for the color) and stops in the middle of the street with a cable car approaching, the people get out of the cable car and are abusive towards him. In India this is very likely but, this would never happen in North America, here people are informed about such things, especially in a big city like Frisco, people would actually try to help him.

In another scene in 2007, we’re shown people rioting and beating up Muslims or threatening them. Sorry Karan Johar, North America is not like India where anyone can start race riots and get away with it, law and order is still paramount here. And those riots never really happened in Frisco so why make them up?

Not once in the film is Rizwan treated badly for being a Muslim. Mama Jenny whose son is killed in Afghanistan, by Muslims, loves him. Even people at immigration cleared him without any problems when he arrives at the airport. The only time he gets arrested is when he starts shouting “My Name is Khan and I’m not a terrorist” at a ralley. That’s just another factor showing how lame this film is. The scenes with the reporters look like they’re forcefully added to the film.

Rizwan suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (AS), but nothing is said about what this disease really is or how it affects different people, what causes it or what can be done to help people who have this - we're only given a generic description. When you have a platform such as Karan Johar did, it’s very sad that he doesn’t use it to inform and educate people; this was also the case with R. Balki’s “Paa”.

If Indian filmmakers can’t talk about or explain a disease they shouldn’t make a story around it, it’s very insulting to people who suffer from these diseases. They’re not creating any awareness. After people watched My Name is Khan no one cared about what AS is. Karan Johar should watch films like Philadelphia (1993) to learn how to construct a touching story. Philadelphia made people aware and changed the perspective of many people. I highly doubt My Name is Khan will do any such thing. 

There isn't even a mention of how many people suffer from AS for goodness sake. It took me 2 minutes to find out that an estimated 60 million people suffer from Autism around the world and AS affects 20 million people worldwide. Boys are three to four times more likely than girls to have AS. If Karan Johar can waste 2 minutes on showing the names of sponsors and friends, the least he can do is devote 10 seconds to an insert with statistics about AS.

There are lots of reasons Rizwan could have suffered from the disease, we’re told that he has the disease in childhood, before his father died, so it can’t be because of his father’s death. Nothing else happens in his life, that we’re told about to cause it. What’s the reason? Was he born with it? Did he develop it later? Can he be cured? No explanation is given. We’re also told that Rizwan is afraid of the color yellow but again the why, how, where and when are missing.
 

Another thing I didn’t understand is why Rizwan is travelling the country running after President George W. Bush; why not stay in Washington. You'll never guess where he meets the president at the end... Washington - SURPRISE! And when he does meet the president it’s not even the one he was chasing all those months, elections have happened and it’s the president elect that he meets (some black dude who doesn’t look anything like Mr. Obama).

I have said this many times: Indian filmmakers need to start doing research, it’s sad that in the world of today with Wikipedia and thousand of other ways to do research online, Indian filmmakers still come up with such bullshit and buy the reviews to con people into watching their films.

Unless they’re making these films for uneducated fools who have never seen a single film in their lives, this bullshit needs to end. The audience is used to well researched Hollywood films in North America, if Bollywood can't do the same they should stop releasing their films in North America, the audience here won’t buy your crap. Kajol is wasted in this film and Shahrukh hams yet again, trying to imitate Dustin Hoffman’s Rain Man and Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump doesn’t make you a great actor Mr. Khan. Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman are remembered for their portrayals of Forrest Gump and Rain Man, but such will not be the case with this forgettable Shahrukh Khan performance. SRK showed much promise when he first arrived in Bollywood – Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra have ruined his talent.

Hard to fathom why Fox Searchlights released MNIK? It’s depressing to see India is so backwards in terms of story telling, at least get the bloody time line right!! Throughout the film Rizwan keeps saying “I can repair anything” and even has a sign in the later reels, how one wishes he could repair the screenplay of this film.

I don’t want this post to get too long, but I would like point out that I haven’t even touched on half of the other problems with this film like how did all those people (friends and family of Rizwan) get to Wilhemina – a town of just over 200 people – in the middle of a hurricane? I’m sure there’s no airport in Wilhemina and Georgia is on the opposite side of the United States, over 2000 miles away, from Frisco and Rizwan's friends and family.

All the money spent on making and promotion of My Name Is Khan could’ve been better spent making 10 sensible films like “A Wednesday”.

I would like to end by saying My Name Is Khan is VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!!

P.S.: I came across this comic about MNIK and I think it’s 1000 times better than the actual movie. I hope you will enjoy it and get the bad taste of MNIK out of your system. Please click on this link for the comic:

http://www.thevigilidiot.com/2010/02/16/my-name-is-khan/

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.

The Price of Success!

By Anant Mathur (May 23, 2010)

For a long long time I have been saying that critics are paid for writing reviews in Bollywood. This became even more evident after the Producer’s Strike in 2009. Ever since the strike, critics have been giving 3 to 4 stars (out of 5) to every big film that’s released. After seeing these films I find that most of them don’t even deserve 1 star.   

A prime example is the recent release Housefull. Many critics gave it 4 stars or more and praised it madly, but there were a select few who reviewed it honestly and gave it what it deserved (1 star). Now, I'm all for every film having it's target audience and maybe some viewers not liking a film as much as the others. But critics take an academic approach to films and try to come to understand why a film works, how it works, what it means, and what effects it has on people - without being biased. Thus, I find it hard to digest that the difference would be so drastic that some critics give the film 4 stars while others are giving the same film 1 star. 

Below are links for Housefull reviews by two of the country’s top critics. One is witty, honest and hilarious. The other is just hilarious and obviously paid for by the producer or distributor. I leave it to you to decide which one you believe, but after seeing the film I could only believe the one which gave it 1 star.

Khalid Mohamed's Review of Housefull
Taran Adarsh's Review of Housefull
 

The latest bollywood release "KITES" is getting mixed reviews. I haven’t seen the film, but after seeing the trailer, I have no interest in seeing it on the big screen. The film seems to be very high on gloss and low on story, then again, most love stories are. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the positive Kites reviews are the ones that may have been paid for. Below are some links for reviews of Kites, you decide:

Khalid Mohamed's Review of Kites
Komal Nahta's Review of Kites
Taran Adarsh's Review of Kites
Subhash K. Jha's Review of Kites
Nikhat Kazmi's TOI Review
Mayank Shankar's HT Review
Raja Sen's Review for Rediff
J. Catsoulis NY Times Review
Kevin Thomas' L.A. Times Review
Peter Debruge's Review for Variety
Sarita Tanwars Review for Mid-Day
S. Gupta's Indian Express Review
Anpama Chopra's NDTV Review
Rajeev Masand's CNN-IBN Review
Martin D'Souza's Review of Kites
Apurva's Review for Chakpak
Sampuran's Ent. Daily Review

The way success is measured in bollywood is all wrong. If a film costs 2 crores to produce, collects 3 crores and is taken down after the second week, it’s considered a hit - only because it made more money than its cost. Whereas, if a film costs 50 crores and collects 45 crores, it’s considered a flop even though it was in release for more than 5 weeks and drew 15 times more business than the small budget film. Amazing!

In order to tell if a film is truly successful we must look at how it performs in the weeks following its initial release and not its budget. For example if a film makes 20 crores in the first week of release but falls 80 percent in the second week (earning 4 crores) and another 90 percent in the third week (earning 40 Lakhs for a total of 24.4 crores), it should be considered a terrible film no matter what the budget is. The reason being, in the first week the film made an exuberant amount of money because of strong promotions, star power, etc. But once the audience realized it was no good, the collections dropped dramatically and it was off the screens in 3 weeks. It doesn’t matter if the paid critics gave it 4 stars, the target audience has spoken. If the film is any good it would’ve lasted for more than 3 weeks.
 

Let’s take another example, 3 Idiots collected 54 crores in it’s first week, 50 crores in the second week (a drop of only 8% in collections). This suggests that the film is pretty decent and audiences have liked it and seen it on more than one occasion. In the third week the collections were steady at 28 crores (a drop of 44%). Fourth weeks collections were 14 crores (a drop of another 50%). In the fifth week the film was still going strong (collecting 9 crores – a drop of 36% from the previous week). This example shows the progression of a hit film over the course of the first five weeks in release. As you can see the collections never fell below 50% from week to week and even in week five, 3 idiots made more money than most movies do in their first week. Unlike flop films which are considered hits because of their first week’s collections, a true hit has considerably smaller drops in collection from week to week and stay on the big screen for more than 5 weeks. 3 Idiot was the highest grossing film for 4 straight weeks and stayed in the top 5 (in collections) for 12 weeks.

Kites will likely be declared a hit after the first week of release. On average Hindi films have a 500 screen release. Kites is being released on 2,500 screens worldwide, more than twice that of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (1200 screens). It is commonly believed that distributors of KANK knew the film would flop and thus designed a wide release that would ensure the film makes its money back in the first week. Like KANK, distributors of Kites expect to make their money back in the first week as well and probably will. But I think it’s the weeks following the initial release that will tell the real tale of whether the film is loved by audiences or not.

With 10 thousand shows daily, a hyped up film like Kites is bound to make its money back in the first week, just the names associated with the film will pull in audiences in week one. The producers and distributors of Kites along with the media may declare it a hit after the first week, but whether the audience truly loves it won’t be known till at least 3 weeks after its release when the numbers can really be compared.

Collections of KANK fell more than 65 percent in the second week and the trend continued for the next three week. The first week’s collections of KANK were just about 15 crores. For weeks four and five collectively it was a less than 1 crore. Week five’s collections were a dismal 23 lakhs after which the film was yanked (total collections: 24 crores). My Name is Khan had the same fate; it too had a wide release of over 1500 screens, did bumper business in the first week (due to the names attached) then dropped tremendously in the following weeks. Now compare this to a film that’s loved by the audiences like 3 idiots and you’ll understand what I mean.

"A Wednesday" lasted for more than 7 weeks and even though it didn't make as much money as Kites will probably make in the first day, it's a good film because the audience went to see it week after week. It wasn't released on 2,500 screens and didn't have the promotional budget or star power of Kites but it lasted longer than most "wide release" films do.

Another advantage Kites has is its distributor Reliance owns 525 screens worldwide and close to 200 screens in the United States. So, even if Kites is taken off other screens after the first week, reliance can keep it going on their screens for weeks, the audience will wonder why it's still running and may go to see it for curiosity's sake. 

I would like to end this post with the same issue that started it, the reviews of critics. In my opinion, buying reviews is the wrong way of promoting any film. Not only are producers cheating the audience, but they fail to realize the audience will smarten up and stop coming to see their movies; YashRaj Film has been experiencing the audience’s wrath for several years now.

I believe that over the last few years critical reviews have hurt the success of films. If the critics didn’t review films on the day they were released they would have a better chance of success than they currently do. Instead of getting into bed with the critics, Producers should be able to get a court order preventing critics from reviewing films until after the first week of release. This way the audience can decide if the film is good without the critics influencing their judgment. And films will likely not be taken off screens after 2 days or in some cases 2 shows.

The audience should be the final authority in the success or failure of a film, but when their judgment is manipulated by a critic’s review, it’s unfair to the success of the film. In the end, critics usually send the wrong message and it’s the film that pays the price.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.