The pre-Diwali week is often considered dull in terms of occupancy in cinemas. Some in the trade even call it the worst week to release a film. However, the rule doesn’t apply to digital films. Even last year, a couple of films like ‘Laxmii’ (2020), ‘Chhalaang’ (2020) and ‘Ludo’ (2020) etc,. released before Diwali and yet got great viewership. With ‘Laxmii’ breaking viewership records as per reports. This year, two interesting films will be releasing this Friday, on October 29, that is a week before Diwali. And both look interesting and hence, can get decent views.
The big one out of the two is ‘Hum Do Hamare Do’. It stars Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal and Ratna Pathak Shah. It is directed by Abhishek Jain, who also recently made Pratik Gandhi starrer web series, ‘Vitthal Teedi’ (2021). Produced by Dinesh Vijan, it tells the story of a man who gets fake parents to impress the woman he loves. The trailer is hilarious and has got noticed. It looks like a complete family entertainer and would have worked well in cinemas. The songs haven’t become hits but the “Bansuri” song has grabbed eyeballs thanks to Kriti’s avatar. If the word of mouth is positive, it can surely get a huge number of views once it releases on Disney+ Hotstar.
The other flick is ‘Dybbuk’, starring Emraan Hashmi and Nikita Dutta. It’s a horror film and a remake of the Malayalam film ‘Ezra’ (2017). The film was shot in 2019 in Mauritius in utmost secrecy. Not a single still or on-location picture ever got leaked. Technically, the film looks rich but one fears that it might turn out to be yet another poor horror film. Also, the awareness is negligible. Many are not aware of this film as the promotions started just 10 days back. On top of it, it has a very weird title. It releases on Amazon Prime and if it’s well made, it can find an audience. It releases two days before Halloween and this factor can help as people like watching horror films during this festival.
