Dasara is no Kantara and Bholaa is no Runway

Dasara movie collection: In English, there is a famous saying: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Despite initial hype around the opening collection of Dasara, with reports suggesting it could rival the record-breaking success of “Pushpa,” the film’s lifetime collection fell far short of that mark. Meanwhile, “Bholaa,” which released on the same day, continues to hold steady. In this article, we explore why Dasara may not be remembered as a classic like Kantara and why Ajay Devgn’s “Bholaa” is unlikely to match the failure of “Runaway 34.”

Dasara vs Bholaa: Collection Matters….

On March 30th, Ajay Devgan’s “Bholaa” was released in theaters. While it was based on the Tamil classic “Kaithi,” it was not a scene-by-scene copy. Meanwhile, the same day saw the release of “Dasara,” directed by Shrikant Odela and starring Naveen Raj, also known as Nani. The film initially claimed to outperform “Bhola,” and after its initial collections, many trade analysts confidently declared, “Bholaa to gayo!”

However, the reality tells a different story. “Bholaa” continues to dominate the box office, while “Dasara” quickly lost its momentum within a week in terms of collection. Despite being screened across India and receiving above-average reviews, “Dasara” failed to make a significant impact on the box office, with most of its earnings limited to Telugu-speaking regions.

While “Bholaa” may not have matched the success of “Drishyam 2,” its box office performance suggests it will be the second Bollywood film this year, after “Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar,” to avoid being labeled as a flop.

Bholaa went ahead of “Kaithi”

The underperformance of “Dasara” is a significant blow, considering its marketing and initial reception suggested it would cross 100 crores collection within the first week, domestically. The film, made on a budget of 65 crores, may only earn 100 crores globally, and exceeding 120 crores would be a surprise. In stark contrast, “Kantara” earned over 400 crores, with its Hindi collection alone being five times the original budget, around 80 crores.

The “Dasara” collection was primarily confined to Telugu-speaking regions. Its collection in other languages like Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada was unsatisfactory. Regardless of one’s preference for movies such as “Kantara” and “Pushpa,” it’s hard to deny their blockbuster status and immense popularity in Hindi-speaking regions.

Despite having a limited budget, “Bholaa” has ample time to increase its earnings before the release of Salman Khan’s “Kisi Ka Bhai, Kisi Ki Jaan” on April 21. With over 100 crores already earned, the movie is in a comfortable position to surpass “Shivaay’s” earnings. Moreover, “Bholaa” has already outperformed “Kaithi,” “Shehzada,” and unsuccessful movies like “Vikram Vedha” domestically. It’s worth noting that “Bhola” only released in Hindi, while “Dasara” was released in approximately five languages.

Redefining “Pan India” is inevitable

What can we learn from this episode? Perhaps it’s time to update the definition of ‘Pan India.’ A movie that truly dominates in every aspect and language deserves the title of ‘Pan India’ or ‘multilingual.’ Take Pathan for example, it was released in three languages, but let’s face it, it’s still primarily considered a Bollywood film with doubts looming over its success in the Hindi version. So, what’s the moral of the story? It’s not about how many languages you speak, it’s about how much money you make.

Looks like some filmmakers are trying to cash in on the “Pan India” trend without really understanding what it means. Just because a movie releases in multiple languages doesn’t automatically make it a Pan India film. Take “Sita Ramam” for instance, it truly deserves the title because it broke barriers and won hearts in every language it was dubbed in.

But then we have films like “Kabza” and “Michael” trying to follow in the footsteps of “Vikram” and “KGF” without any real substance. Watching those movies is like taking a laxative, it’s just not worth it. Well, it seems like Dasara had high hopes of being the next ‘Kantara’, but unfortunately, it couldn’t even outdo ‘Sita Ramam’. Once again, Ajay Devgan’s star power proved to be a game-changer in the box office battle.