The Definition of a Blockbuster

What is the definition of a blockbuster?

A film that earns an ROI and a lot of profits over & above, is a blockbuster.

The End!

NO! I don’t see it that way.

I first encountered this phenomenon during the festival of Diwali in 2011. I was working in the SA RE GA MA (HMV) office as an Assistant Director for an upcoming film. The music company had produced a film and it was up for release in the month of October. It was called ‘Soundtrack’. You can read about the film here.

Now, this film was made in a tight budget, it had some very good songs and the promotion of this film can defined as ‘abysmal’.

Since the year 2000 when Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’ released, a radical shift was created in the way films were being made and promoted in the Hindi Film Industry. One of those changes were that the producers or productions houses dividing a year in to big festivals and releasing big star movies during these festivals.

Salman Khan movies will release during Eid. Shah Rukh Khan movies will release in Diwali. Aamir Khan will be different from everyone and release his movies during Christmas. All the other films would just tag along.

This is exactly what happened in 2011. Salman Khan’s ‘Bodyguard’ released on 31st August 2011 (Eid of 2011). No one would dare to release a film during this time because ‘who the hell wants to compete with Bhai?’. So, no big releases took place during this time and moreover ‘Bodyguard’ was unbeaten until ‘Ra-One’ released on 26th Oct 2011.

Coming back to ‘Soundtrack’. The film was made in about 1 CR. All over India it earned about 60L. ‘Bodyguard’ on the other hand earned in billions. ‘Soundtrack’ tanked and so did my dream of working in a film. The film that we were working was also shelved.

Why the comparison you may ask?

I went to watch ‘Bodyguard’ and I saw people walk out of the theatre mid movie or during the interval. Those who stayed back were on their phones, chit chatting, discussing Kareena Kapoor’s kurtis in the film (they were awesome btw!) and mostly when I saw people come out of the theatre, they were irritated and unhappy. I happened to overhear a gentlemen say, ‘300 rupaye ka ticket liya, yeh bakwaas dekhne ke liye!’.

After this I went to watch ‘Soundtrack’. To my surprise, the theatre was full. No one left the theatre mid way, people stayed back and watched the entire movie, came out of the theatre with a smile on their faces. I overheard a lot of people again and not a single abuse for the film or the makers.

Something similar happened with an amazing movie ‘Chhichhore’. When the film ended, I saw people standing up and clapping for the film. But then when I look at what the Trades had to say, they categorized the film as moderate hit.

MODERATE HIT! Are you serious?

This phenomenon made me question the definition of a blockbuster. Why do we define a film’s success with money? Look at the process logically. A film is promoted before the release but no one knows anything more about the film during the promotions. So, the ones who are excited about a film will go, pay first & then watch it. Why so? And after watching a film, if they don’t like it; are they getting their money back? NO! So, that money which they paid to watch a film will be counted as a success for a film irrespective whether they liked the film or not. Is that fair?

Undoubtedly, OTT platforms have made a lot sense. Pay for the entire year or month and watch what you want to. If you don’t like a film you started watching, you can stop it mid way and the pinch of payment won’t even bother because there are other options available.

Can we expect something like that for the regular film goers? The ones who go to the theatre, pay for the ticket, watch the movie and ultimately may or may not like the movie. If we buy something from an online e-commerce app, it arrives, we try it and we don’t like, there’s always an option to return. What kind of options are available for a film that I paid for and didn’t like? Is there a way that a film maker can hear me out as an individual? Is there a way where my opinion for a film reaches the makers so that they know what may have worked for them and what did not? Is there an individual review system in place? If not, we must make one. Because every penny counts.

A film must truly be termed as a blockbuster only when it is enjoyed by the audience at every level (from direction to performances) and because of that it earns the ROI as well as the profits over and above. The process needs to reverse.