By Chaitali Wadhwa (Edited by Dikshita Pemmaraju, Assistant Editor at The Indian Economist)
In Bollywood, The 100 Crore Club has become the new definition of box office success. Bollywoods 100 Crore Club is an unofficial designation formed’ by the trade and the media related to films that have grossed 100 crores or more in India after deducting the Entertainment Tax. As of 2012, the 100 crore box office target had become a new benchmark for a film to be declared a hit and those affiliated with the 100 Crore Club were considered part of the elite strata within Bollywood.
The 100 crore club started with the super success of Aamir Khans Ghajini in 2008. The film grossed roughly 115 crores after its release. The concept was so crazy that it sent fans, media and experts into a frenzy. As the years progressed, more and more films joined the club. Two movies in 2010 and 5 in 2011 which include Dabangg, Golmaal 3, Ready, Singham, Ra.One, Don 2 and Bodyguard. Aamir Khan returned a year later with the super-hit 3 Idiots which crossed all barriers and raked in 202 Crores in India.
By the end of 2012, there were 18 films in the 100 crore club. However, with 2013, the number of films in the 100 crore club was pushed to 22. Rs.100 crore isn’t enough anymore. With bigger budgets, grander hype and wider release patterns, Bollywood biggies are now gunning for Rs.200 Crore collections, Dhoom 3 being the most relevant example.
While it’s the trend to make films that give guaranteed returns and are star-driven, and these stars are automatically touted to be the best, where does this put the smaller films that are high on content and story and perhaps not as high on star cast or production value?
A huge number of people go see the film because their favourite actor stars in it, thus increasing the collection. Numbers can be deceptive. Many a film have earned big bucks at the Box Office but have not made such a good impression amongst the masses. There is a lack of quality in film-making nowadays and the focus is on the money the film will earn.
In 2013, several small films made a great difference. Gangs of Wasseypur with Manoj Bajpai and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kahaani with Vidya Balan, and Paan Singh Tomar with Irrfan Khan held some resonance with the audience but didn’t do so well in the Box Office. These films have been strong and varied in content, delving upon storylines that are fresh and unique. Most of these films were huge hits. Barfi! was the only relatively smaller film which managed to cross the 100 Crore benchmark. Other offbeat films including Sridevi’s English Vinglish, Vicky Donor with Ayushmann Khurrana, Annu Kapoor and Yami Gautam and Saif Ali Khan’s Cocktail did well.
It is sad that films which are more reported about, more talked about and more remembered are the ones that break the records at that all-important Box Office. From 2014, it would be a healthy and much-needed change to see films made by makers who want to create an everlasting legacy for cinematic brilliance than to make a dent in box office record collections. Isnt it more important to concentrate on films that are well made rather than those that rake in more money? The aim of film-makers should be to make sensible films that actually have an impact on people rather than just make movies with the aim of making it to the 100 Crore Club.