Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The Badshah of Bollywood has undoubtedly delivered the maximum hits over the better part of his 25 year old film career. But what is interesting to note is that most of his films that have gone on to become blockbusters have released or rather designed or planned to be released days before Diwali. We wonder what’s SRK’s fascination with this particular period of the year.

And despite the competition that his films face from other big banners and production houses, a movie that features Shah Rukh Khan is guaranteed to taste success.

Diwali according to film-analyst Taran Adarsh is a convenient time for films to get released. He says, “People have the spending power and are in the mood to celebrate. And Bollywood is the biggest high for the cinegoer.

And since they have the spending capacity people love to go out for dinners and outings to cinema halls. So any film that gets released during this auspicious phase has a good enough chance of a guaranteed hit.

Yet Taran also admits to the fact that a favourable phase is not enough for the film to be categorized as a hit. The film needs to have substance in its story as well. “It ultimately boils down to content and nothing else. Even a Naach by Ram Gopal Varma that got released alongside SRK’s Veer Zaara was not accepted by the audiences which shows how important content is for a film though it may get released during Diwali. Thus for any film the bottom-line has to be content.”

One of the first few SRK films to have got released during the season of Diwali, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman became a sort of benchmark for the slew of films that got churned out thereafter during the same time period.

Baazigar in November 1993 was next where Shah Rukh Khan donned a negative character for the first time on the 70mm screen and the film proved to be a huge success at the Box Office.

Yet the biggest blockbuster that paved the way for Shah Rukh Khan’s future stardom was Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengewhich got released in October 1995. It turned out to be the longest running film in theatres of all time. If DDLJ failed to prove his hold as one of the biggest romantic heroes of Bollywood then Dil To Paagal Hai cleared all the doubts with a success that was more than resounding.

SRK then joined hands with a director friend who was to turn very dear in the future- Karan Johar and the result was there for all to see in the form of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that became a trendsetter for Bollywood films that followed thereon.

Aditya Chopra brought together Hindi film industry’s two biggest giants- Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan along with Aishwarya Rai for company in Mohabbatein in October 2000. The film worked despite big opposition from Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission Kashmir starring Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan.

Then came the only exception of an SRK movie that got released during Diwali and proved to be quite a dampener at the turnstiles. Asoka was directed by ace choreographer Santosh Sivan and Kareena Kapoor starred in it too but that did not make a difference to the film’s fate. The film released alongside Sunny Deol’s Indian which too was a wash-out.

SRK had a slight lull and there was no film of his that hit theatres for the next couple of years until Karan Johar thought and conceived Kal Ho Na Ho in 2003. Shah Rukh Khan’s undying act a la Rajesh Khanna in Anand was well received.

He then teamed up with Yash Chopra yet again for the gritty love story Veer Zaara. The film was a hit across the border in Pakistan too. The film was the biggest hit amongst its three oppositions.

Shah Rukh and Farhan Akhtar together then attempted a remake of Amitabh’s portrayal of Don with Don- The Chase Begins Again and sure enough it still found favour with audiences. In fact, the Akshay Kumar- Salman Khan starrer Jaaneman releasing alongside it could not stand up against the film.

If we take a closer look at these films, one can’t help but notice how Shah Rukh Khan has always worked with people or a group of people whose thinking was aligned to his.

Initially when the King Khan began his career, he formed a comfort zone with director Aziz Mirza and his favourite co-star to date Juhi Chawla. This trio made quite a few movies together before Shah Rukh Khan found favour with Yash Raj and formed their own coterie. This combination worked for quite a while but then he actor needed fresh thought and perspective of today’s times.

And he found that with Karan Johar with the duo churning out a number of films that have sizzled and rocked at the Box Office. The point is that we have always seen SRK working for people with whom he shares a certain equation and compatibility for showing results when it really mattered.

Taran Adarsh does feel that once an actor becomes a successful name in the industry, he looks to minimize his risks. “After a point of time in their careers, all actors somewhere or the other do plan their films. Once these stars reach a high with their performances in their films, it becomes difficult to maintain the same intensity throughout and hence they resort to planning and designing the release of their respective movies,” says Taran.

Also something else that mattered to Shah Rukh according to leading numerologist Niraj Mancchanda is the fact that the actor is a Scorpio by sun sign. Niraj says, “SRK is born on November 2nd which makes him a Scorpio and since most of his films get released during his own Scorpion phase which begins from October 22nd to November 22nd, luck is always working in his favour. Besides his film titles too add up to lucky numbers like Mohabbatein which adds u to 37 is powered by the numerical 1 and Veer Zaara adds up to 42 is powered by the number 6 which combines well with Yash Raj who were the ones who produced these films. In the same way Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is powered by the number 2 and so is his birth number. So surely Diwali is a lucky phase for him.”

But Niraj is also quick to point out that Shah Rukh need not look to work with powerful people today as he has become a brand in himself. Shedding further light on the matter, Niraj says, “SRK is today is a successful brand that can today sell anything, leave alone a film. And he has also set up his own home productions in Red Chillies Entertainment and can concentrate on making money for he has built up a brand name. He is an opportunist today and can afford to work exclusively with successful and powerful people in the industry. All that Shah Rukh may be doing is planning in such a manner that it hits theatres in Diwali but he still works with an outside banner like in Chak De and still makes enough money, doesn’t he?

We aren’t drawing any conclusions out here but just pointing out to something that stands out among others. Shah Rukh Khan may be doing it intentionally or otherwise. For just as Taran says he is on a high today and can plan out his innings in tinsel ville or as Niraj Mancchanda reasons, it might be the luck factor that is making sure SRK is still the Badshah of Bollywood.

IndiaTimes.com