It’s been a roller coaster ride for Bollywood in 2022, with every second film tanking at the box office. But the industry’s biggest hope for a revival was Shah Rukh Khan’s grand comeback plan, with Pathaan being his first movie in 4 years. As the movie released, it faced backlash from right-wing groups, but it soon became a storm, breaking back-to-back records and reviving the spirit of Bollywood. Here’s how SRK changed the course of Bollywood with Pathaan.
Theaters re-opened, single-screen cinemas that were shut due to COVID-19 were opened to screen Pathaan, and other movies like Shehzada bowed down and postponed their release. Pathaan became the first Hindi movie to have Rs 100 crore opening and it bought back the audience to the theaters like never before.
The movie’s success also lies in its unique PR strategy. The makers of Pathaan opted for a strict no-media interaction PR before the release, and all the lead actors including Deepika Padukone and John Abraham had limited or no public appearance prior to Pathaan’s release. SRK himself did not promote his movie anywhere apart from the #AskSRK segment on his Twitter.
Pathaan’s success has renewed the confidence in Bollywood, with several prominent filmmakers and celebs singing praise for SRK and Pathaan. Actor Shahid Kapoor also shared his views on Pathaan’s success and how it helped the industry.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan: How the Movie Changed the Course of Bollywood in 2022
The year 2022 was a difficult one for Bollywood, with every second movie tanking at the box office. But the industry’s biggest hope for a revival was Shah Rukh Khan’s grand comeback plan, with Pathaan being his first movie in 4 years.
As the movie released, it faced backlash from right-wing groups, but it soon became a storm, breaking back-to-back records and reviving the spirit of Bollywood. Here’s how SRK changed the course of Bollywood with Pathaan.
Theaters Re-Opened
During the Covid-19 crisis, several cinema halls, particularly single-screen locations, permanently shut down as they struggled to earn money and operate. However, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan resurrected these single-screen cinemas. According to reports, Pathaan reopened more than 22 single-screen cinemas all across India that were shut permanently due to COVID-19.
Shehzada Postponed
Trade Analyst, Sumit Kadel took to his Twitter and reported that Shehzada has postponed its release date to 17 February instead of the original date of February 10. He wrote, “#KartikAaryan’s #Shehzada pushed by one week & will now release on 17th Feb. Kartik & makers of Shehzada doesn’t want to confront #Pathaan which is doing well & eat out each other business.. The Love & Respect Kartik has for #ShahRukHkhan is praiseworthy..”
First Hindi Movie to Have Rs 100 Crore Opening
The movie became the first Hindi movie to gross ₹100 crore on its first day and also became the fastest Hindi movie to gross ₹250 crore and ₹ 300 crore at the box office. The movie bought back the audience to the theaters like never before and the iconic Gaiety Galaxy theater in Mumbai held a 6 am show just because the demand for tickets was soaring. The movie is on its way to collect ₹700 crore in mere 9 days and is also expected to break the records of Aamir Khan’s Dangal.
No Media Interaction PR Strategy
Bollywood actors and producers invest huge amounts of money and time to promote their movies before release. However, for reasons unknown to us, the makers of Pathaan opted for a strict no-media interaction PR before the release which is quite rare to see in today’s generation that is fueled due to social media. All the lead actors including Deepika Padukone and John Abraham had limited or no public appearance prior to Pathaan’s release. In fact, SRK did not promote his movie anywhere apart from the #AskSRK segment on his Twitter where he interacted with fans directly without the involvement of media. Pathaan and SRK’s PR strategy is rare and quite risky but proved to be successful for them.
Renewed Confidence in Bollywood
The success story of Pathaan has awakened the spirit of Bollywood that was earlier down the drain due to the disastrous years. Several prominent filmmakers and celebs have spoken about how Pathaan was important for the industry. Anurag Kashyap has been singing praise for SRK and Pathaan and said that even though he did not make Pathaan, a movie like that is very important for Bollywood. Actor Shahid Kapoor also shared his views on Pathaan’s success and how it helped the industry.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan has changed the course of Bollywood in 2022, with its unprecedented success. It has re-opened single-screen cinemas, postponed other movies, created a Rs 100 crore opening, and renewed the confidence in Bollywood. SRK’s risk-taking PR strategy and his sheer dedication to the movie has made Pathaan a success story like no other.
Source: in.mashable.com