The ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ vs ‘Chhapaak’ clash is done and the verdict is clear. The former has emerged as a blockbuster while the latter is a flop. The fight was never about which film will collect more. ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ had more appeal and would have anyways been ahead in terms of earnings. But if ‘Chhapaak’ had done well in the range of Rs. 50-60 crore, it would have still emerged as a winner.
Now, a similar clash will be seen tomorrow with ‘Street Dancer’ and ‘Panga’. Again, the former is a biggie and a commercial entertainer. ‘Panga’ meanwhile is niche but with solid potential.
‘Street Dancer’ is the same zone as ‘ABCD – Any Body Can Dance’ (2013) and ‘ABCD – Any Body Can Dance – 2’ (2015). Both films were directed by Remo D’Souza, with the second part starring Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor. ‘Street Dancer’ marks the comeback of all three together and is in the same zone. And what’s more, it’s in 3D just like the first two films. The trailer indicates that the makers have tried their best to ensure that the dance and madness goes one level up. There’s also a patriotism and India-Pakistan friendship element and can work, if it’s handled well. And of course, there’s also Nora Fatehi, whose presence also adds to the film. Songs have worked very well and have got huge number of views. It’s a small indication that audiences, especially youth, are really interested to see it.
‘Street Dancer’, however, has some challenges to face. The buzz is there but not that high. Also, a section of viewers feel that it might be too similar to ‘ABCD’ films. The use of so many remixes is also slammed especially songs like “Lahore” whose original had come out just a couple of years back. Moreover, the super success of ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ means that some shows will be reserved for it. In fact, it’ll be strong in Week 3 as well and might eat into business of Street Dancer, especially if its response is not positive.
But thanks to its massy and youth factor, ‘Street Dancer’ will have a great opening, of more than Rs. 10 crore. It should go to Rs. 15 crore, and that’s crucial because ‘ABCD – Any Body Can Dance – 2’, 4.5 years ago, opened at Rs. 14.28 crore. If ‘Street Dancer’ opens below than this film, then it’ll be a slight loss of reputation. Yet, the makers shouldn’t worry if the content clicks as it can cover lost ground from Saturday. Republic Day sadly falls on Sunday this year but that can also give a slight boost to the collections.
‘Panga’ is directed by acclaimed director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, of ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ (2016) and ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ (2017) fame. The film stars Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill and Neena Gupta with Richa Chadha in a cameo, and tells the story of a mother returning back to the sport she once exceled in – Kabaddi. The trailer is great and it seemed the marketing and launching of songs will keep the hype going. Sadly, that didn’t happen. The music hasn’t worked at all. The makers now solely hope that Kangana Ranaut’s popularity and their content will get people to theatres in hordes, and that too in urban areas only as it has no chances in B and C centres. Moreover, it has competition from ‘Street Dancer’ and ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’.
Kangana Ranaut’s last films like ‘Simran’ (2017) and ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’ (2019) opened at Rs. 4.54 crore and Rs. 2.43 crore respectively (We are not counting ‘Manikarnina – The Queen Of Jhansi’ (2019) as that film was more mainstream, unlike ‘Panga’). ‘Panga’ will have an opening which will be somewhere in between the Day 1 of these films. It should be around Rs. 2.50-3.50 crore range with a slight chance of reaching the Rs. 4 crore mark. If reports are positive, then the film can score big time and collections can even be double on Friday. And then once Monday collections are more than Friday, then the film is a winner and is accepted. This of course will happen if people love it. If reports are negative or if the film, like ‘Chhapaak’, is too dry, then it’ll have a very tough time.
