Laughing all the way to the bank!

Every week, the viewer feedback that I receive on my Twitter account gives me an insight on how the spectators are reacting towards a film. This week was no different! Only thing, the quantum of tweets was enormous. While the feedback was extremely mixed, one of the tweets raised a pertinent question: “Did Sajid Khan promise a KAHAANI kind of a film in HOUSEFULL 2? So why are the naysayers grumbling?”

Right from its inception — the moment the two Sajids announced the next installment — it was a foregone conclusion that HOUSEFULL 2 would be a mindless hahathon. Never did Nadiadwala or Khan ever claim that they were making thought-provoking or stimulating cinema like STANLEY KA DABBA, UDAAN or KAHAANI. So why this hulabaloo about the film now?

I recall my first meeting with Manmohan Desai [the first ever interview that I conducted at his Khetwadi office, three decades ago]. Manji, as he was affectionately called, was severely criticized then for the movies he made. The naysayers didn’t spare DHARAM-VEER, PARVARISH, NASEEB, COOLIE and MARD. AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, one of the best films he made, got its share of flak too, he recalled. “I make films to please the masses, not critics,” he remarked. The above-named films were torn to shreds, but that didn’t stop the paying public from thronging the cinema halls and making those movies huge grossers.

HOUSEFULL 2 too has come under a scanner. But the box-office is a different game altogether. This isn’t the first time, frankly. Films like WANTED, DABANGG, READY, BODYGUARD, the GOLMAAL series, WELCOME and NO ENTRY were written off on the day of release. But they survived the harsh condemnation meted out by the critics. This raises a pertinent question: Why is there a divide or disengagement between the critics’ judgment and the inclination and preference of cinema lovers? The phenomenal business of HOUSEFULL 2 in India and also Overseas only goes to prove that the junta janardhan is the Boss. It’s they who call the shots. It’s they who make or break a film!

Now to the vital question: Will HOUSEFULL 2 touch the 100 cr mark? Well, if the film continues to perform the way it is, in its second weekend, yes, it should join the coveted 100 cr Club for sure. Fingers crossed!

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