The Hindu Business Line : Bollywood scripts success stories in 2005

FOR the Hindi film industry, 2005 should stay memorable. Preliminary estimates indicate both strong growth in box office collections and a rise in the number of films graduating to the big-earner bracket.

In its industry report of May 2005, Yes Bank had estimated the gross box office collections at consumer spending level for all Hindi films to be in the range of Rs 1,060.9 crore (at 15 per cent revenue leakage) and Rs 1,199.3 crore (at 30 per cent leakage). The absolute growth in gross box office collections, over 2001-04, had ranged from Rs 239 crore to Rs 270.2 crore, a growth rate of 29.08 per cent for that four-year period.

According to Mr Sunir Kheterpal, Head (Media & Entertainment Banking), Yes Bank, estimates for 2005 show year-end gross collections in the range of Rs 1,280-1,450 crore. This puts absolute growth in 2005 at Rs 220-250 crore and its year-on-year growth rate at 20-22 per cent. For a complete picture of success income from TV rights, home video rights and overseas rights should be considered too. "The growth rate in total collections across all Hindi films should therefore exceed 25 per cent," Mr Kheterpal said.

The story doesn't end there. In 2004, out of the top 50 Hindi films, nine films had earned in excess of Rs 25 crore at the box office; 13 films made it to above Rs 20 crore and 12 films grossed below Rs 5 crore. In 2005, 12 films are expected to gross above Rs 25 crore, 15 films more than Rs 20 crore and less than five films below Rs 5 crore. Factors contributing to the bullish performance are the growing number of multiplexes (they improve recovery and add value to the screening experience), the higher number of prints used, higher ticket prices and better marketing of films.

According to trade circles, films that did well include Page 3, Black, Kya Kool Hai Hum, Waqt, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Dus, No Entry, Salaam Namaste, Hanuman, Garam Masala and Lucky. Prominent films that failed to enthuse the box office, despite quality in some cases, were Bewafaa, Paheli, Kisna, Padmashri Lalu Prasad Yadav, Blackmail, Tango Charlie, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Parineeta, Viruddh, My Wife's Murder, Chocolate, Bhagmati, Shaadi No 1, Kyon Ki, Jo Bole So Nihaal, Mangal Pandey and Taj Mahal — An Eternal Love Story.

"Serious films worked only when made with class. I think, overall, 2005 fared better than last year in terms of successful films with certain combinations of stars with feel good stories doing well," Mr Vinod Mirani, Editor, Box Office, said.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, admitted to a hospital here on November 28 sending millions of his fans into prayer, starred in four of the successful films of 2005. But his enduring appeal was among few constants in a market, where the nature of films and the film business had changed. "The door is opening to all kind of filmmakers. Previously, connections determined the success of your film. Today, most films made efficiently manage to recover their costs," Ms Vinta Nanda, filmmaker, said.

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