Noted Film Business Astrologer Hirav Shah takes us through a glimpse into Bollywood Post May 2021.

Hirav Shares With Us, The Real Insights
Ok, so Radhe starring Salman Khan Released on 13th May 2021 and Sardar Ka Grandson released a few days later on the 18th.

We all know the Radhe episode and what happened in the media and amongst the public, post release.

Just in case you are not aware, Radhe’s 4.2 million streams don’t equal ₹100 crore. Salman Khan film’s revenue has been highly overestimated. Which means, Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is by no means a ‘break-even film’ in the short term. In the long term, it is yet to be seen…

Let’s move on from Radhe.
Actually, beyond these two films,
there is nothing finalised.
Nothing until now….which means the gloomy days are here. Whether gloom will stay or go is something to be seen.

Also, the release of Toofan has been postponed and, for Bhuj: the Pride of India, it is yet to be announced.

That has only ended up making the situation quite gloomy for those, who like to have their regular quota of Bollywood films at a regular frequency. Yes, there are quite a few web series that are coming in and that’s good news as at least there is something to be enjoyed.

However, Bollywood has its own charm and while one would have expected theatrical business to resume by now, the second wave has turned out to be a party spoiler, and that too with vengeance.

Roohi” released and turned into a decent success but “Mumbai Saga” and “Saina” went down.

There were hopes though that the release of Toofan would perk up things but then the makers have decided to push the film for a later date. From their point of view, it is understandable since they can’t be expected to promote and market the film with the kind of fervor that a biggie like this deserves. That was not the case with Radhe since the digital release (in addition to select theatrical arrival) was announced when the situation wasn’t as bad as currently. However, for newer arrivals, it may well have to wait and watch before an official announcement.

When Are Things Going To Be Better?

For all practical purposes, the best case scenario for things to actually get better for the Bollywood entertainment business would be Diwali. This is also the time by which vaccination drives would have been enhanced and a good chunk of the population would have taken the jab.

Will Makers Wait?

How would aam junta find something to cheer about in the next few months to come?
The question though is, will filmmakers wait till then to bring their offerings to theaters?

For the films that went on floors last year post lockdown, one can still expect that there is work left to be done, and hence releasing them would be far off the mind of the makers. However, how about the films that are ready? One can well assume that those attached to “Sooryavanshi”, “’83”, “Shamshera”, “Shershaah”, “K.G.F – Chapter 2”, “Gangubai Kathiawadi” and “Bunty aur Babli 2”, all of which are ready, could well be thinking about their next plan of action.

It would still be too early to see whether these (and at least a couple of dozen more medium budget films) are yet thinking about an OTT release or instead choosing to wait for at least another six months to arrive. However, for an impatient audience out there which is waiting to catch a dekko of their stars in action on the screen, be it big or small, there is a strong pinch being felt indeed.

South Vs Bollywood

1.South More Proactive- In April 2021, South Indian cinema fast rolled out money-spinners as big films stuck to their release dates in contrast with the Mumbai film industry, which had been deferring releases as covid cases rose and restrictions were imposed in the Hindi speaking markers, adding to its losses.

Tamil films “Master” and “Sulthan” and Telugu offerings such as “Uppena” and “Jathi Ratnalu” set the cash registers ringing soon after theatres were permitted to reopen, providing the much needed breather for South, but this didn’t happen in Bollywood.

Dhanush’s “Karnan’‘ hit the screens and soon restrictions were imposed. But in 3 days, the film collected ₹63 crore worldwide. Mostly early morning shows ran in Tamil Nadu for a few days before things were closed. The film’s Tamil Nadu theatrical rights were sold to ₹25 crores.

So, this naturally proves the South Indian Film Industry is much more proactive than Bollywood. And the South Indian Film Industry is always on their toes, which Bollywood needs to imbibe from them.

2.South Has A Crazy Fan Culture- The strong theatre-going audiences and fan culture in the south have aided better recovery for its film industry, though the percentage is not that big. Yet, it’s better than Bollywood at least.

Big stars in the south enjoy a unique relationship with audiences who are crazy about them enough to worship them, which perhaps explains why Vijay’s covid release Master ranks among his highest grossers. The same kind of pull doesn’t exist in the north or Bollywood.

Not just local offerings, South India has also demonstrated much love for recent Hollywood films such as Godzilla vs Kong, which made more than 60% of its revenue from the region.

3.South Breeding Content- The South is still bringing out four times the amount of content that the rest of India is. This is also a plus point. Dearth of content is a big No No, especially today.

4.Less Dependent On International Markets- It helps that southern cinema is less dependent on international markets, many of which are yet to reopen, than Bollywood and can bring content out, banking on loyal audiences in its home state alone.

Final Thoughts

Lately, Bollywood has also started to pull up its socks knowing there is no other way.
Few strategies they have implemented, is really unique and for the first time like-

Salman Khan and Zee’s Radhe is now available on Apple TV in more than 65 countries. It has thus become the first Bollywood film to air on Apple TV. The countries in which it can be watched on Apple TV include Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Fiji, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Mauritius.

Zee proposes to make the film available on more platforms in over 100 countries.

Now this is what is called “Strategy“, Tells Hirav Shah, Famed Bollywood Strategist & Adviser.

Hope the 2nd wave starts sliding down as dramatically as it went up, then Aam Junta will certainly have a reason to cheer, with their favourite Bollywood & South films at the Cinemas again, Concludes Hirav Shah.

Who Is Hirav Shah

Amidst the pandemic’s second wave, innumerable businesses are really struggling. Despite having resources at hand, they are unable to reach their desired goals and it’s been almost one and half years and still going…

This is where an Astro-strategist plays an important role. Utilizing all the factors of success – talent, hard work, smart work, mindset, strategies, execution and luck, Hirav Shah transforms the business’s direction and leads them to their true deserved success.

Hirav Shah’s Astro-Strategy can certainly work consistently and persistently evolving your business toward the future that it aspires to“.