By Hindustan Times
Vidya Balan is ruling the box-office with two surprise blockbusters. “While The Dirty Picture (2011) is the most important grossing woman-centric film with regards to volume (collections), Kahaani (2012) is a larger hit in relation to pricing,” points out trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
Made for Rs. 5 crore, the thriller has netted around Rs. 65 crore in five weeks, with record takings of 90 per cent within the second weekend, matching Agent Vinod’s (2012) collections within the third weekend and in its fifth weekend, bringing in an way over Rs. 1 crore despite competition from Housefull 2. There’s more moolah coming from music, satellite and residential video rights.
What’s phenomenal is that these numbers have come from a movie with a seven-month pregnant heroine, no nationally recognisable stars excluding Vidya or commercial trappings like songs and sex.
Vikram Malhotra, COO, Viacom 18 Motion, admits that it was the success of Tanu Weds Manu (2011), driven by a feminine actor (Kangana Ranaut), that gave Viacom the arrogance to tackle Kahaani.
“It has proved that if content is strong, well presented and marketed right, despite the fact that unconventional, the gender of the protagonist isn't an issue,” says Vikram, who will push the envelope again in September with Rani Mukherji’s Aaiya, a small budget, unconventional film set in Pune.
Director Sujoy Ghosh is celebrating too: “I hope that Kahaani will bring a brand new algorithm that propagate the realization that there are not any rules in cinema. Backed by a producer willing to take a chance, you will be bold and brave so far as content and format goes.”
So, is the heroine the brand new hero? Sujoy retorts, “That would rely on the story, whether it must be driven by a male or a feminine protagonist.”
