When the release of two highly anticipated films coincides, a fan war on social media is inevitable. Before the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dunki released on December 21, followed by Salaar – Part 1 – Ceasefire led by Prabhas one day later, some news reports suggested that the makers of Dunki were resorting to questionable methods to get more screens for showcasing their film in North India. The controversy eventually subsided, but it also sowed the seeds of an ugly fan war between the followers of the two megastars on social media after the release of their films.
Had Dunki and Salaar been smaller films starring less big stars, nothing of that sort would have happened. As is the case with most films, their success or failure would have been a lot more dependent on the content’s ability to attract the target audience. Moreover, the average viewer can easily understand that Dunki is a comedy-drama aimed at family audiences, and Salaar is an action-packed entertainer targeting every lover of the most successful genre of modern-day commercial cinema. The two films are vastly different, in other words, but that has not eliminated the possibility or even reduced the intensity of the fan war.
In the initial couple of days, YouTube channels with a few thousand – or even a few hundred – subscribers were sharing ‘views of the public’ who had supposedly watched these films. Comments from viewers, who either praised or criticised these films, were shared in large numbers. These are unreliable because a series of mostly negative or positive comments – say, five or six of them – can be equally misleading. Although the concept of such videos is not new, their number with contrasting viewpoints has reached a different level altogether. It is clear that several channels with such views and reviews are being operated by biased fans of either of the two stars. Is it a surprise? It is not.
Many hashtags, a few of them trending and the rest occasionally noticeable, have given rise to a dispute revolving around corporate bookings and inflated box office collections. Salaar’s official worldwide gross of Rs 402 crore in three days was questioned, with users pointing towards ‘house full’ early morning shows in certain theatres that were displayed on a ticketing app, followed by shows with many empty seats later in the day.
Not much later, some users pointed out that Hombale Films, Salaar’s producers, had deleted the posts with figures from their official handle after sharing them. The fact is, the official estimates of Salaar’s collections are available on the film’s official handle #SalaarTheSaga where the post about the film’s gross collections of Rs 500 crore worldwide was shared a couple of days ago.
Predictably, users from what appears to be the ‘other side’ have alleged that Dunki is being shown in certain theatres with shockingly low occupancy. Many users are insisting that such poor theatrical attendance is the consequence of a bulk or corporate booking ‘scam’, an allegation that was also hurled at SRK when the phenomenally successful Jawan and Pathaan were in the theatres earlier this year. The difference between then and now is that the fan armies of both SRK and Prabhas have been so active that one is forced to wonder, and not for the first time, just how much time innumerable faceless people spend and waste on social media these days.
Although Dunki is not a masala entertainer like Salaar, SRK’s fans were hopeful that the film will enter the Rs 1000 crore club after Jawan and Pathaan, both mass entertainers. Prabhas fans had been expecting that their favourite star’s highly anticipated film would win the box-office battle against the SRK film in the Hindi belt and the overseas market as well. While Dunki will not join the Rs 1,000 crore club, the dream of fans of Prabhas has not come true either. That realisation has disappointed fan armies — and made them angry and bitter, too.
Corporate or bulk bookings of tickets by companies and fan clubs are modern-day realities. Fan clubs do bulk bookings to celebrate the screening of their idol’s films, which is fine as long as everybody who has a ticket watches them. While any kind of bulk booking is not unknown, they can only make a small contribution to a film’s business — if they do. Had they played a seriously important role, on the other hand, no major star would have experienced commercial setbacks in his or her career. Understanding that needs the application of common sense, not the far less common ability to solve complex mathematical problems.
Producer’s figures and trade estimates ultimately determine whether or not a film is commercially successful. The average viewer who does not have access to a data-gathering network must trust these numbers, or, better still, learn to experience the sheer pleasure of enjoying films in the theatres once again.
Were simpler times wiser?
The writer, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Among his books are ‘MSD: The Man, The Leader’, the bestselling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, and the ‘Hall of Fame’ series of film star biographies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
Comments
0 comment