Bollywood’s greatest stars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, who failed to impress with their films “Thugs of Hindostan” and “Bharat” in 2019, are going to roar in 2020 with “Laal Singh Chaddha” and “Radhe”, says India’s top film experts.
“The poster that came out of the film (Laal Singh Chaadha) was super. The integrity was unbeatable and there was so much honesty in his eyes. One poster said so much so I am looking forward to the film", senior trade analyst Komal Nahta told Sputnik.
Girish Johar, one of the topmost senior film trade and business analysts, feels that 2019 was more about content, which was the topmost priority of audiences.
“Audience now wants more sensible, meaty content even if it is massy, commercial entertainment. They don’t want a half baked story. I am sure stars have gazed the response of the audience and hence their forthcoming film in 2020 is surely adding whatever the audiences felt was missing. There are no two doubts about their stardom (Salman Khan and Aamir Khan’s) and roaring for sure in 2020", Johar said.
According to reports, in 2019, the Indian film industry was valued at over INR 180 billion ($2.5 billion) and is estimated to reach up to INR 260 billion (over $3.5 billion) by 2024.
In 2020, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone will be seen portraying the real-life story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal in “Chhapaak” while the very young Janhvi Kapoor will play the lead role in a biopic based on Gunjan Saxena to narrate the story of India’s first Air Force female officer who went to war in the film "Gunjan Saxena The Kargil Girl".
One will also see the unique pairing of Irfan Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan for a spin-off of the 2017 comedy “Hindi Medium” while Ayushmann Khurana will be seen in the sequel of “Shubh Mangal Savdhaan” set to bring awareness about homosexuality to mainstream cinema.
There are other sequels too like “Aaj Kal” starring very young Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan while Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan are set to portray the roles of Govinda and Karisma Kapoor in the reprise of the iconic movie “Coolie No 1”.
“I am an eternal optimist so I would say it’s going to be the best year. I think alongside real and issue-based films and biopics, there are a lot of films with big stars. I think it’s going to be a fantastic mix of films", Nahta told Sputnik.
“People will be entertained as it’s going to be deadly 2020. The year 2019 was a landmark year of Indian cinema as we received approximately 50 percent jump from 2018 and I am hoping 2020 will surpass that. The audiences are active on OTT platforms, mobile phones, and tablets so they have matured in terms of consuming content", seconded Girish Johar.
Delhi-based distributor and trade analyst Joginder Mahajan, who is also the General Secretary of the Motion Pictures Association, believes that with so many films with fresh faces lined up, it’s going to be a great year.
“There are so many productions happening this year with a lineup of new artists so I think it’s going to be a great year for the film industry. Also, the main issue of GST that the industry faced has been sorted by government with the 40 percent and 60 percent entertainment tax having gone down to 28 percent and 18 percent for tickets less than Rs. 100. Also, the growth of multiplexes is going to see new highs this year; so all these factors are going to contribute in big way in 2020", Mahajan continued.
However, Senior Trade analyst, Vinod Mirani suggests that 2020 is going to be the year of Ranveer Singh.
“Ranveer Singh ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaa’ and ‘83’ looks positive. When you make a film about real life, it should be about winning not losing. You can’t make a film on losing. Also Gujratis (people from western Gujarat) are the flavour of the town".
Ranveer Singh stars as a Gujarati man in "Jayeshbhai Jordaar" written-directed by Divyang Thakkar while "83" is a biopic based on the life of veteran cricketer Kapil Dev that talks about the time India won the coveted Cricket World Cup in 1983.
Mirani says, “It’s going to be an unpredictable year for Bollywood as nowadays people admire light entertainment. New stars are becoming very economical nowadays to recover cost of the film. If we talk about films like ‘Chhapaak’, it caters to a limited audience. The film with a strong message will have good critics and awards".
What about the highly-anticipated “Brahmastra” starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt?
“Brahmastra is dicey because of the subject that is mythological and period. It will become costly and not all actors can carry such costly projects. Nowadays even big stars are not able to carry costly films", said Mirani adding that Kangana Ranaut’s "Panga" would have a good chance.
But all the analysts agreed that hardcore entertainment and light comedy would strike a chord with audiences.