Okay, Jawan, Gadar 2, Pathaan are blockbusters, but hold on! Bollywood has plenty to worry for | PERFECT WOMAN FASHION AND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Okay, Jawan, Gadar 2, Pathaan are blockbusters, but hold on! Bollywood has plenty to worry for | PERFECT WOMAN FASHION AND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

There is an age-old adage — The show must go on!

That’s true or to put it precisely eternally true. Life goes on irrespective of who calls the shots. Legacy is passed to the new generation and they are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the momentum alive.

Looking back, there are examples galore in this context — be it politics, sports or movies or literature, every generation has a superstar who along with other notable achievers takes the game forward.

But, Bollywood or the Hindi film industry may not have reasons enough to sit back and welcome the new crop of superstars who would successfully discharge the job they have in hand. Or in other words, Hindi films are still hunting for those salable faces that can hold the fort. Let’s analyse threadbare.

The Shah Rukh Khan magic has once again set the box office on fire. After the humongous success of Pathaan, it is now Atlee’s Jawan which is raking in the big moolah. Released yesterday, the movie as per latest reports, has crossed the Rs 150-crore mark worldwide, and in India, it has earned Rs 65 crore on Day 1.

Going by the buzz, Jawan will for sure rewrite box-office history even surpassing SRK’s Pathaan. Coming to this year, the two biggest success stories have been Pathaan (Rs 543.09 core) and Gadar 2 (Rs 510.07 crore). Now guess what both have veteran stars in lead — Shah Rukh Khan (57) and Sunny Deol (65).

Compared to these two movies, the rest featuring Gen X stars have failed to match up to their standards. Films like Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar (Ranbir Kapoor), Dream Girl 2 (Ayushmann Khuranna) and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (Vicky Kaushal) have set the cash registers ringing but they stand nowhere vis-à-vis Pathaan and Gadar 2. Tu Jhoothi… earned Rs 149.05 crore, Zara Hatke… managed Rs 89.28 crore and Dream Girl 2 so far has garnered Rs 94.81 crore at the domestic box office.

If we look back in time (last 25 years), it’s the Khans (SRK, Salman and Aamir), Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan who ruled the roost and still do so. Their movies mean — grand openings and on an average Rs 250-crore business with a few exceptions here and there.

On the contrary, Ranveer’s biggest hit has been Padmaavat (just over Rs 302.15 crore)and Ranbir’s has been Sanju (Rs 342.57 crore). Of course, Tiger Shroff had a War that earned over Rs 318.01 crore in India, but the movie had the young star rubbing shoulders with Hrithik. As far as the rest are concerned — Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Kartik Aaryan and others — do they have the supremacy to carry forward the glories of their seniors?

Talking about Ranveer and Ranbir, post Padmaavat and Sanju, none of their films has created the same impact much to our chagrin. Consistency also matters.

The seniors in the 45-plus bracket are still a force to reckon with. Yes, they are box-office saviours, especially the three Khans. Salman’s last few movies may not have lived up to his fans’ expectations, yet the combined earnings validate his star power.

Coming up is Tiger 3 on Diwali which has a lot at stake in terms of numbers. And when it comes to big bucks, apna Bhai is unparalleled — Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tiger Zinda Hai, Sultan, Ek Tha Tiger and others which have been blockbusters.

Sunny belongs to a different generation that emerged on the scene even before the Khans. Yet, the actor has shocked the audiences with his screen presence courtesy Gadar 2 which has been the fastest to reach the Rs 500-crore club.

Before Pathaan, SRK had a dry run with Raees, Fan and Zero getting a drubbing at the box office — yet he has powered back with the Yash Raj Films movie and now Jawan.

Akshay on the other hand, prefers mid-budget movies shunning the multi-crore club, but his films are also the ones that trade pundits look forward to. Aamir may not have hit the bull’s eye with Thugs of Hindostan and Lal Singh Chaddha but let’s not forget his Dangal which created history at the box office. Box-office domination and Aamir are two sides of the same coin — PK, Three Idiots, Ghajini — he has been a trendsetter. Mind you, Ghajini (2008) was the first Hindi film to earn Rs 100 crore in India.

Roshan Junior has had his moments at the box office with super hits like War, Super 30, Krrish series and others. And out here we are talking about huge hits not the just Rs 100-crore movies.

We all may be rejoicing over the success of Jawan, but if we are to introspect, the ecstasy would make way for agonies. What next after these seniors hang up their boots or switch to character roles? Bollywood over the years has had newer generation of box-office Kings — Raj Kapoor-Dev Anand-Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Mihun Chakraborty, Govinda, Sunny, Anil Kapoor, the three Khans, Ajay and Akshay but after that we are yet to blindly trust an actor who can singlehandedly wield his magic at the box office.

Talk of south, yes Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mamoothy and Kamal Haasan are still active yet there are so many new-age actors who enjoy tremendous clout with movie-goers — Prabhas, Yash, Allu Arjun, Thalapathy Vijay, Suriya, Mahesh Babu, NTR Junior, Ram Charan and others.

On the contrary, Mumbai is gasping to spot that megastar who will shoulder the responsibility in the days to come. Look, the Khans have been around for close to 40 years and it would be harsh on our part to expect them to keep on defying age to satiate the appetite of their fans. Without undermining the achievements of Gadar 2, a sixty-something Sunny may make the mistake of indulging in clichés if he dares to replicate the success of the sequel to his 2001 hit.

Similarly, Shah Rukh continues to mesmerise audiences with his charm but ten years down the line, he may not be acceptable as a man in his 30s on screen. Isn’t it high time that the younger heroes stepped in? But when will they?

It is also left to the producers and directors to take a chance with the Ranveers and Ranbirs. If they wish to stay relevant in the long run, scripts have to be designed in such a manner that these new-age actors can exhibit their larger-than-life on-screen persona.

It would be foolish on our part to go berserk over content and small-budget films. At the end of the day, there is a need for blockbusters that can drive the film industry. Actors like Ayushmann, Vicky and Kartik on whom so much depends, need to walk that extra mile to play with big numbers. Their predecessors took a chance and have been successful. They too should tread that path if they aspire to attain the legendary status.

Or else, it could be doomsday!