Can Akshay Kumars Bell Bottom reboot Bollywood?
Since the Bollywood superstar announced Bell Bottom for theatrical release on July 27, the excitement has been on the rise. Fans as well as industry watchers applauded the move. The hope that, if the practicalities of the pandemic permit, Akshays move will kick off the first step in box office normalcy for the Hindi film trade. After all, the business has been holding for some time that with the vaccination in place and the world cautiously opening up in the final phase of unlocking, all it would take for the Hindi film business to pick up again is a big success. This, in turn, required a movie with the right entertainment quotient, pre-release hype and, most importantly, a star who doesnt have to go to great lengths to attract crowds. Akshays Bell Bottom is a retro spy thriller set in the 80s, is filmed primarily in the UK, mixes sleek spy action with pop-patriotic drama, is said to be based on a true story , and co-stars Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta. The combo would instantly seem salable, a complete artist. Bollywood is hoping the film will have the same impact as Ravi Tejas Krack for Telugu film industry and Vijays Master for Tamil cinema in January, when the big-screen trade in the South made a brave attempt to getting back into business even as the first offer to unlock cinemas took place this year. For the record, Krack, made with a budget of around Rs 16 crore and released on January 9, managed over 60 crore in just four weeks, having collected a first weekend collection of around Rs 23 crore. The release of Master, coinciding with Makar Sankranti (January 14), was an ambitious decision, with the film supposedly budgeted at around Rs 125-135 crore. Master did spectacularly despite the pandemic protocol in theaters and the audience reluctant to venture out. The film grossed Rs 250 crore worldwide according to India Today. Of course, subject to theatrical opening, a few other Hindi films were scheduled for theatrical release in July. Before the second wave of Covid hits, Shershaah with Sidharth Malhotra was announced for July 2. Ayushmann Khurrana was set to return to theaters with Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui on July 9, as was the low-budget comedy 14 Phere starring Vikrant Massey and Kriti Kharbanda. Alia Bhatt star Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Gangubai Kathiawadi was due out after Akshays Bell Bottom on August 30th. None of the above films listed as possible July 2021 releases have officially confirmed their release to date, and no one in the business wants to risk guessing if these films will be pushed back again. Perhaps creators fear theatrical business across India will not open enough by the first half of July, or even if it does, audiences might not be convinced enough to s venture into theaters. At best, theaters could open by the end of July given the current situation (to understand the immediate situation, Maharashtra, one of the most important domestic markets for Bollywood films, recently said that the opening Regular cinemas would only take place in level one areas while level two areas would be 50 percent occupied). On Akshays Bell Bottom, its interesting that July 27, her chosen release date, is a Tuesday. Which means that Akshay and his battalion of producers (Vashu and Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani) have given themselves three days ahead. This would hopefully garner word of mouth Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, before the weekend begins on Friday the 30th. For a movie like Bell Bottom, which isnt a mainstream mainstream artist, a bit of a buzz would seem. be the right thing to do, in the age of ultra-careful unlocking. Akshay currently has half a dozen films lined up. Of these, Bell Bottom, Sooryavanshi, Atrangi Re and Prithiviraj were slated for release in 2021. Rumors suggesting that Akshay wishes to release Sooryavanshi on Gandhi Jayanti have not been confirmed. nor denied. Two more of the superstars films, Bachchan Pandey and Ram Setu, are slated for release next year, and Akshay is said to have completed nearly all of the filming except Ram Setu. A quick review of this list tells you right away that Akshays focus with its releases this year and next is interestingly all-round entertainment. Subject to pandemic realities, if Bell Bottom starts the Bollywood theatrical business off on a high note, it would certainly give Akshay an edge over other superstars. In a time when OTT has been rich in the absence of film activity, Akshays superstar Salman Khan recently learned from Radhe that the digital space doesnt care much about the power of the traditional superstar to. Bollywood. Akshay himself would also be aware of this. He had dropped Laxmii on OTT last year and the impact was far from a blockbuster. Disclaimer: This article was posted automatically from an agency feed without any text changes and has not been reviewed by an editor