Aamir Khan and Genelia D’souza starrer Sitaare Zameen Par performed well over the weekend and was able to collect good finances. But does that make it a hit already? Let’s do some calculations!
Remember Dunki? The film was also hyped owing to the big name associated with it: Shah Rukh Khan.
Despite grossing an impressive Rs 450 crore worldwide, the film was labelled an underperformer by sections of trade and media. Why? Because when it comes to Shah Rukh Khan, who delivered back-to-back Rs. 1000 crore grossers with Pathaan and Jawan, the bar was set impossibly high.
Add Rajkumar Hirani to the mix, and expectations soared. That said, Dunki still emerged as one of the highest-grossing drama films post-pandemic, despite a tough clash with Salaar and the inherent limitations of the genre.
Now contrast that with Sitaare Zameen Par. Aamir Khan’s return to the big screen opened to an estimated Rs 56 crore weekend in India, with a Monday drop to Rs 8.50 crore. Now, if we go with the numbers, the film won’t be able to make Rs 200-250 crore even in a lifetime!
It means the numbers are far behind what Dunki achieved. Yet, the narrative surrounding Sitaare Zameen Par is surprisingly celebratory! We can see many critics and film enthusiasts calling it a “success.” Why?
Purely because Aamir Khan is seen to be on a comeback trail and the genre is emotional drama! No, that doesn’t work in the film industry, at least, that’s what we know.
At a time when a film like Dunki which was made on a low budget was dismissed as an underperformer, why is Sitaare Zameen Par’s average run hyped so much? This selective lens and hypocrisy seems to have taken Bollywood down too.
