FAN UNDERPERFORMS; WILL RAEES SUCCEED?
The unthinkable has happen. Shah Rukh Khan starrer Fan has underperformed and how. The Day 1 collections were nice but the drop on Day 2 and 3 made it evident that the film will have a tough time at the box office. However, its drop on Monday sealed its fate. Fan will now won't even cross 100 crore which is shocking since for a mega star like SRK, crossing 100 crore is a child's play. However, one has to also take into account that the film wasn't a conventional entertainer. Hence, it was never going to do extraordinary business anyways. 3 ½ years back, Aamir Khan starrer Talaash closed at 90 crore lifetime business. No eyebrows were raised then since like Fan, Talaash was also a niche film and the reports were mixed.
If the response to Fan was better, it would have done better business for sure and might have even made it to 150 crore club. But the film had its flaws and hence it's understandable why it hasn't worked. But this also raises questions about SRK's credibility though he doesn't have to really worry as such. But it's important to note that his last 3 films have underperformed. Happy New Year was a Diwali release in 2014 and it did great business but it could have been better. Dilwale released last year on Christmas along with Bajirao Mastani and the film did shockingly average business. The mixed response and competition in the form of Bajirao Mastani led to the underperformance. And now Fan has not worked well at the box office.
All eyes are now set on Raees, SRK?s next big film. The teaser that was unveiled last year enhanced expectations for the film to a great extent. And thankfully, it?s a conventional entertainer as well. However, it won?t have a solo release. It?s clashing with Sultan on Eid. Sultan stars Salman Khan and it?s also a film that seems to be a winner going by the hype and the recently released teaser. If Raees clashes with Sultan, it can again lead to a division of business and SRK might once again suffer. At this juncture, he should not be taking such risks and many people from the trade and industry are hoping that these two biggies should not clash. Let?s hope for the best!
