BOLLYWOOD BOX OFFICE REVIEW 2002
Robeel Takes A Look Back At A Miserable Year

It's hardly breaking news that Bollywood has suffered a terrible year in terms of box office success. The industry followed the same old formula that normally results in success, but this year the audience stayed far, far away. Perhaps that is where Bollywood has faltered. The audience is after something different. They have tired of being offered the same plot rehashed countless times. They don't want to settle solely for something visually appealing. They want a strong story and script, applause worthy performances, good music and tight editing. It looks like the industry will need to pull up their socks next year to meet the higher expectations…

However the box office has been kind to some. Director Vikram Bhatt struck gold with his innovative horror flick Raaz, starring newcomers Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea. The film became the surprise blockbuster of the year, raking in huge amounts of money for its makers. Considering the fact that it was made for a small budget, Raaz is perhaps the textbook example of how amazing profit can still be made in Bollywood.

Several other low cost films followed the success of Raaz, some of which also made money thanks to their low budget. The controversy surrounding the release of Ek Choti Se Love Story, starring Manisha Koirala, helped pack cinemas with curious audience members waiting to find out what the fuss was about. The film was a good money earner for its makers. The special effect filled 16 December, starring Milind Soman, did surprisingly good business and was generally well made despite a small budget and non-star cast. Yeh Dil Aashiqana was another money-maker. Shabana Azmi turned witch for the kiddies flick Makdee, which also found small scale appreciation.

The honour of becoming the year's biggest earner however went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai. The movie met with a mixed response from critics, but the majority of the audience welcomed it with open arms. As well as conquering India, the film was a big hit overseas, breaking various records. Although it was the costliest Indian film ever, Devdas not only broke even, but also made profit for its makers. It has now been sent to the Oscars, where more money and prestige could well be earned.

The threesome from Devdas (Shah Rukh, Madhuri and Aishwarya) also meet with more humble success in the long delayed yet still somewhat anticipated Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam, which also starred Salman Khan. The fact that the movie was years in the making had a huge affect on its box office outcome and the film only did well in certain parts of India, whilst also losing money is in some areas. However its biggest success came overseas, where it raked in lots of money, thanks to the popularity of its stars amongst NRIs.

The audience seemed to like slick thrillers and action films. Four in particular found limited success, namely Aankhen (Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal and Sushmita Sen), Humraaz (Bobby Deol, Amisha Patel and Akshaye Khanna), Awaara Pagal Deewana (Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Preeti Jhangiani and Amrita Arora) and Deewangee (Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Urmila Matondkar).

The year also ended on a high with the success of the much-awaited Kaante, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty. Although the final verdict on the film is still awaited, the initial response has been fantastic and the film should, at worst, be termed average.

The disasters of the year were definitely the Bhagat Singh films. The industry seriously misjudged audience interest in the subject area. Several films were made following the life and times of the historical figure, but all failed, including big budget versions by Sunny Deol and Raj Kumar Santoshi, which lost huge amounts of money.

However, being such as bad year, the failures don't stop as Bhagat Singh films. The list seems endless. Karisma Kapoor's much-awaited Shakthi - The Power and Haan Maine Bhi Pyar Kiya performed very badly. The Anil Kapoor comedy Badhai Ho Badhai failed everywhere. Hathyar, the sequel to the blockbuster Vaastav didn't match the success of the original. Kareena and Tusshar disappointed in Jeena Sirf Mere Liye. David Dhawan's comedies Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Chor Maachaye Shor and Yeh Hai Jalwa were surprise flops. The list, unfortunately, goes on and on…

WRITTEN BY ROBEEL HAQ