Yashraj films has not been having a very good
two weeks. Their latest release Jhoom Baraabar
Jhoom has disappointed the trade and the audience
alike and seems to have virtually reached
a point of no return. That might not have
hurt them much, they are a big production
house but something else too did not work
as intended and Yashraj seem to be very close
to pushing the panic button; even a very big
production house cannot afford two failures
in a row.
Along with Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom was released the theatrical
promo of Chak De India which stars none other than Shah
Rukh Khan and 15 girls (the Indian hockey team). Shah
Rukh Khan plays the role of the coach of the team going
through tough times. The promo of the movie was screened
during the interval of Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom and had a
running length of close to 3 minutes in which Shah Rukh
Khan introduces each member of the team to the audience
with some foot tapping music in the background.
But the problem here seems to be that the audiences don’t
seem to have liked the promo that much. Their response
has been termed as a bit low key and Yashraj was certainly
not expecting this. The meek response might be due to
the reason that the promo appears at the end of the first
half of JBJ which reportedly drains one’s spirits
completely. But Yashraj might not take the chance and
rumors are rife that they may pull the Chak De India promo
off theaters very soon.
What’s happening all of a sudden? Big banner movies
falling flat, promos of Bollywood’s biggest star
not working the magic. The industry can take hope from
the timeless phrase – ‘This will pass’.