It seems like half the year just zipped by, and so far, the toast of the industry is Kangana Ranaut whose double role inTanu Weds Manu Returns made it one of the biggest grossers of 2015, abd also pushed her to the top position, without doing any films with the Khans, as she proudly pointed out in several interviews.
The second quarter of the year has been a very interesting one, both in terms of the range of films releases as well as the success ratio. Some like the dance extravaganza ABCD 2 and the budget, star-studded drama, Dil Dhadakne Do were expected to do well, and did. Akshay Kumar starrer Gabbar is Back pleased the single screen audiences at whom it was aimed. The surprises hit Piku, with Deepika Padukone driving the peculiar story about the protagonist’s peculiar relationship with her constipated father (Amitabh Bachchan).
Mohit Suri’s record of success was diluted by the weepy melodrama Hamari Adhuri Kahani, which further depleted the star value of Vidya Balan and Emraam Hashmi, both of whom badly need a hit. Poor Emraan Hashmi had another flop in Mr X by Vikram Bhatt. But the clunker that sent the industry and social media into a tizzy was Anurag Kashyap’s heavily promoted Bombay Velvet, which jeopardized the careers of Ranbir Kapoor, who is having an unlucky run and the box-office and Anushka Sharma, riding high after PK and NH 10. Dibakar Banerjee’s much-awaited and well-marketed Detective Byomkesh Bakshi was appreciated for its production values, just like Bombay Velvet was, but It’s box-office was on the low side.
The big disappointment of the quarter was P Se PM Tak, not just because it was so awful, but because it was directed by Kundan Shah, who will always be in Bollywood’s hall of fame for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. The silly comedy Welcome 2 Karachi fared better than this.
Sunny Leone, who has in the past demonstrated her star power, had duds like Kuch Kuch Locha Hai and Ek Paheli Leela—she could not have chosen worse films to star in.
Kalki Koechlin warmed hearts in the role of a spirited cerebral palsy patient in Margarita With A Straw. The film may not have made hundreds or crores but the appreciation it won was worth a lot more.
The next few weeks are going to have a Bajrangi Bhaijaan snowstorm, but let’s not overlook Neeraj Ghaywan’s little gem Masaan that has been winning international accolades and is the film to watch for in July.