Bollywood Half Yearly Survey: The Stunning Hits & The Stunning Setbacks!

If we look back on the  first six months of 2017 we see crippling setbacks .Towering over them is the biggest hit of Indian cinema . A look at  the HIGH and the many lows.

The Setbacks:

Ok Jaanu: The first major blow of the year. Shaad Ali’s tepid remake of his mentor Mani Ratnam’s film was as uninsping  as it can get. The “sizzling” chemistry between Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shradha  Kapoor was like  a firecracker doused in water. Just goes to prove,real-life couples should not share screen space.

The Republic Day Kaabil–Raees Combat: Proved damaging to both. Not that either was a classic. But given the two films’ velocity  violence and drama and their leading man Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan’s star-power both films would have performed better if they had come on separate Fridays. Will these movie moghulsnever learn?

Rangoon: If the first half of 2017  is memorable for the Baahubaliblockbuster it also gave us one of the biggest flops of recent years. Reportedly the co-producers Viacom lost close to Rs 65 crores on this selfindulgentmess of a movie while the director Vishal Bhardwaj went home unaffected by the crippling financial blow. It’s time filmmakers took responsibility for their failure.

Raabta: Producer Dinesh Vijeyan’s directorial debut sank without a trace. Films about reincarnation have always been jinxed. Then there is the jinx on real-life couples…We are presuming Sushan Singh Rajput and KritiSanon are a real-life couple.

Tubelight: SalmanKhan’s lowest Eid earner in ten years. Do we need to say more?

The Hits:

Baahubali 2: The Baapof Blockbusters,  continues to break records.

Jolly LLB 2:  AkshayKumar’s well-intended legal drama about an insensitive lawyer developing a conscience touched a raw nerve in many. The film consolidated Akshay’s image as the conscientious superstar.

Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya:  Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan are the  new hit-making machines of Bollywood. They  not only share a superb chemistry they seem  to care about audiences’ money and tastes. This was producer Karan Johar’s second blockbuster after  Baahubali in the first half of 2017.Or should we say, his fourth blockbuster of the year after his twins Roohi and Yash?

Hindi Medium:  The Neerjaof 2017. Started on a tame note and went on to become a life-changing look at the pitfalls of  our education system. Irrfan Khan’s first big commercial success in Bollywood.

Sachin A  Billion Dreams: Though the Sachin Tendulkar bio-pic was not the hit it was expected to be it nonetheless performed well enough to be considered an honorable success.

The Honourable Failures(The ones that got 4-star reviews and not the  audience they deserve)

G Kutta Se: The most honourable failure of the year about “honour killing” is a stunning bludgeoning stark gruesome and unforgettable masterpiece. If you haven’t seen it as yet do so now before it’s too late. Director Rahul Dahiya’s remarkable debut.

Anarkali Of Arrah: Again, this fabulous film about a feisty  erotic dancer played by the awesome Swara Bhaskara got rave reviews but no boxoffice success. Avinash Das made  his amazing directorial debut with this whammy of a film on women’s empowerment.

Mukti Bhavan:  A funny-tragic tale of dying and atonement , not many films can laugh at the face  of death. This one did. Again a masterpiece  from a debutant director Shubhashish Bhutiani.

Dear Maya: Debutant director Sunaina Bhatnagar’s film had Manisha Koirala reminding us why she is the most ethereal actress of her generation.

A Death In The Gunj: KonkonaSen Sharma’s directorial debut was outstanding for creating the aura of an era gone-by with all its nuances in place.