All Show, No Go: Trade experts discuss what went wrong with Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: “There’s no content in the film; there has been an overdose of India vs Pakistan in our films”

By Fenil Seta -

April 17, 2024 - 4:30 PM IST

One of the biggest films of Hindi cinema, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, was released on April 11. A lot of expectations of the industry and trade rested on this film. Sadly, the film opened below expectations, at Rs. 16.07 crores on Thursday. On Friday, it had a sharp drop, earning just Rs. 6.50 crores. The collections rose to Rs. 7.50 crores on Saturday and the four-day collections stand at around Rs. 38 crores. It’s way too low for a film that should have crossed the Rs. 100 crore mark over the weekend.

Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, sighed, “The collections are hugely disappointing. It is one of the lowest Eid collections, which the Indian box office has experienced so far. Eid is one of the biggest holidays of the year. There should have been some solace had Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan opened and then crashed. But the films just did not open, which was a huge cause for alarm.”

We asked trade experts what went wrong with the film. Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “The film has scale, face value and mass appeal. The makers haven’t cut corners. But the problem is that there’s no content in the film. Yes, there’s a lot of action that is very well executed. But there has to be some content and emotional thread to connect with. Secondly, there has been an overdose of India vs Pakistan in our films. Hence, when a film relies on the same template to woo the masses, it doesn’t work irrespective of the cast.”

He continued, “The humour doesn’t work. The romance is as good as missing. Also, they claim that the film boasts of world-class action. Lekin world class action toh Hollywood mein dekh sakte hai. That sole factor cannot draw in audiences. This is reflected in the collections. Ideally, an action film on an Eid weekend should have gone all out.”

Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise in Jaipur, thundered, “Everything went wrong. Nothing went in favour of the film – from the casting to the trailer to marketing. The film was overhyped and it went short of expectations. Also, it’s sad but both Akshay and Tiger are not working at the box office. When your last movie doesn’t click, it affects the prospects of your next film.”

He continued, “Also, Eid pe logon ko Salman Khan ki film dekhne ki aadat hai. Not just this film, but many other Eid releases in the past suffered because of this factor.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan also felt that the marketing and the way Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was projected didn’t work, as intended, “The trailer was not exciting. If you knew your song was weak, you should have realized it later. They should have come out with short teasers, focusing on Bade Miyan and Chote Miyan each. There was a lot of scope (to generate excitement). The trailer was about deshbhakti but the BTS and reels were in the Tom & Jerry zone. So, both contradicted each other.”

He continued, “People at least should have been enticed to come to the cinema halls on the first day. But here we saw that log pehle din se hi theatre nahin aa rahe hai.”

Taran Adarsh also remarked, “They were very aggressive with the promotions, be it Akshay or Tiger. Also, look at the director Ali Abbas Zafar’s credibility. He has made successful films Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). And then you come out with a film like this. The content, or rather the lack of it, has misfired.”

Girish Johar blamed the music for not enhancing the hype, “The songs did not get the ball rolling. The trailer also got mixed reactions. Moreover, Prithviraj Sukumaran is a big star. He was not showcased as a villain. He was masked throughout the campaign. That also did not cut across with the audience very well. Moreover, the story was nothing new. Unfortunately, the film ticked all the wrong boxes.”

Vashu Bhagnani’s viral video, change of release plans

Taran Adarsh also opened up on Vashu Bhagnani’s viral video wherein he made an unbelievable prediction about Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’s lifetime earnings. The veteran producer in the video says “Chinta mat kar. Rs. 1100 crore confirm hai worldwide. 100%!”

On this, Taran Adarsh said, “That video got viral. When a producer makes such a claim in a video which is in the public domain, then automatically expectations multiply tenfold, even for the common man. You feel, ‘Wow, itni achhi film banayi hai’. And then you see the film and you feel disappointed even more.”

Moreover, changing the date of release at the eleventh hour sent a wrong message. Atul Mohan exulted, “It also went against the film. If the Eid was on April 11, there was no need to schedule the release on April 10. First, they decided to have paid previews. Then, it was also cancelled and the film arrived on April 11. Log irritate ho gaye, wondering ‘Kya chal raha hai’. When we struggle to understand what is going on, how will the public know the release plans?”

Taran Adarsh agreed, “The exhibitors were wondering ki film exactly kab aa rahi hai. An exhibitor called me and said, ‘Please producer ko boliye humko final date bataye’. The official communication came in much later.”

Exhibitors suffer

Usually, films with such dismal collections get slammed by the audience. That hasn’t happened here. In the mass pockets, the collections are decent. Kiritbhai T Vaghasia, who runs The Friday Cinema multiplex in Surat, revealed, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’s online reviews were negative. But that’s what the audience wants to see. Maidaan’s reviews, meanwhile, are very positive but the audience doesn’t seem interested”. He also said, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan had good occupancy on Sunday.”

When asked about the audience reaction, he answered, “The audience reaction is average. They complain that they get fatigued from seeing action and blasts.” Raj Bansal agreed, “Even in our cinemas, the reaction is theek-thaak. It’s not a bad film. People are not coming out and complaining ‘Sar dard ho gaya’.

Kiritbhai T Vaghasia further said, “On Thursday, I played 8 shows of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and 7 shows of Maidaan. After the negative response came in, I decided to get back Crew, Madgaon Express and even Yodha from Friday. Now, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan has 5 shows while Maidaan is playing with 4 shows a day.”

The same has happened in cinemas across the country. In Mumbai, single-screen cinema halls like Citylight, Movietime Star City and Plaza have re-released Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Crew and Madgaon Express are also back. Movietime Suburbia is playing two shows of Madgaon Express. Shockingly, PVR Le Reve has scheduled as many as three shows of Crew while Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan have just one show each!

Lifetime prediction

All eyes are now on Monday. Taran Adarsh opined, “The advantage of both films is that there’s no significant release to grab your screens. Monday is a very crucial day. That will give an indicator of how things will materialize in the coming days.”

Atul Mohan predicted, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will do Rs. 75 crores at the most. From Monday, the collections of both films will drop. The Ram Navami holiday on April 17 won’t be much of a help.” Rs. 100 crores is out of the question, according to him, “When your film struggles to even reach double digits, then one can’t expect much.”

When asked if Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will cross the Rs. 75 crores mark, Taran Adarsh rued, “Even if it does, is it really worth it? A film like this should have crossed Rs. 75 crores in 4 days. Even an outdated film like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023) had great collections. At least, people came to see it on the day of Eid last year.”

Raj Bansal, on the other hand, said, “Monday collections should be 50% of Sunday earnings. Only then, the films will be in the race.”

Taran Adarsh, however, is all praise for Vashu Bhagnani for going all out, “I’d give full marks to him. I told him, ‘Aapne toh poori tijori khol di’! When you have a studio backing your film, you can spend as much as you want. But when you are a standalone producer, then it becomes a problem to raise that kind of money. Hence, I give distinction marks to him.”

Also Read: Tiger Shroff’s growing brilliance: Delving into his significance in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan