There’s no such thing as bad publicity, as the 19th-century American showman PT Barnum, ever given to over-the-top publicity, demonstrated. However, the same cannot be said of movies in India, as the correlation between pre-release controversy and box office performance establishes.
The Bombay High Court may have given the all-clear to the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab following the kerfuffle over its censorship, but the real verdict will be delivered on June 17, when the movie releases nationwide.
Anurag Kashyap’s cinematic offering is expected to rake in about ₹15 crore in the opening week. However, trade analysts say the audience is the best judge.
Citing examples of movies from the 1970s till now, analysts said that movies that got into legal tangles were themed around sensitive issues.
For example, Aandhi, the Gulzar-directed political drama of 1975, starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen, failed to create any magic though it was said to have been loosely based on the life of Indira Gandhi and her relationship with her estranged husband.
The movie was initially banned as Gandhi was in power, but was released a few months later after protests.
Another such movie was Kissa Kursi Ka , a political drama set during the Emergency period and based on Sanjay Gandhi’s auto-manufacturing plans. The movie, a satire, bombed at the box office in the first week itself.
In recent times, historical biopics such as Jodha Akbar and Bajirao Mastani got into legal trouble. The movies did around ₹200 crore and ₹360 crore, respectively. “These movies might have garnered good numbers worldwide but given the grandeur and budget involved, these numbers are not impressive,” said film analyst Vinod Mirani.
Directors cut A few directors, he said, are prone to controversies. Though he did not name anyone, it was clear he was referring to Anurag Kashyap, whose movies are inspired by true events and usually have a lot of expletives.
Another controversial director is Deepa Mehta, whose movies Earth , Fire and Water were banned for their sexual content and for raising issues centred around social evils.
Says Komal Nahata, another well-known movie analyst: “Though controversies help in generating curiosity among people, everything finally boils down to how well a movie is made. Udta Punjab seems like a good movie because of the content and can be the biggest hit for Shahid Kapoor.”
Of late, some NGOs and individuals have taken to protesting against movies that even remotely mention communal violence, have scenes that can hurt religious sentiments, or falsely depict a person’s life or history.
There are exceptions. Aamir Khan-starrer PK and Akshay Kumar’s Oh My God! received flak for hurting religious sentiments, but went on to become mega blockbusters. In fact, PK was the highest grosser of 2015, earning ₹792 crore.
Hitesh Jain, Partner at ALMT Legal, told BusinessLine that “the bulk of the movies that have been subject to litigation are related to either religion, true incidents or sexual content. Most didn’t become blockbusters because they couldn’t justify the hype.”