‘Raid 2’, ‘Jewel Thief’ get lukewarm response from audience because of cookie-cutter stories Bollywood seems to be relying heavily on cliched formats, but it isn’t working any more, going by the performance of Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 and Saif Ali Khan’s Jewel Thief-The Heist Begins.
Perhaps spurred by the recent success of franchise films, Ajay Devgn returned as upright police officer Amay Patnaik in the sequel to his 2018 hit Raid, but the film fell short on all counts – it was sloppily written, predictable, and a rehash of the familiar ‘honest cop outsmarts bad guys’ routine.
As per movie tracking site Sacnilk, the film, with a run time of a little over 2 hours and 30 minutes, sold just over 1,60,000 tickets across India, opening to Rs 4.05 crores at the box office.
“The actors and makers seem disconnected from the audience. They feel a star-driven vehicle is good enough to get people to watch a film, but no, it isn’t. The empty seats in the theatre tell a different story. Like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn has a film every quarter, so where is the novelty? There is genuine fatigue, and a need for the industry and the stars to rethink,” says an exhibitor in Mumbai.
Similarly, Saif Ali Khan’s much-hyped Jewel Thief-The Heist Begins was a cookie-cutter rehash of successful heist films. The movie, though released on a streaming platform, once again turned the spotlight on Bollywood’s stark landscape which is gasping for both originality and audiences.
“The industry has a copy-paste attitude. Streaming platforms have become a dumping ground for mediocre films. The situation is no better at the theatres, the industry didn’t have a single hit in April. Sadly just a few call the shots in the industry, while the creative independent voices are silenced,” adds the exhibitor.
Vinod Bhanushali, whose Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai won critical acclaim, says there is dire need for infusing new thoughts and processes in the industry. “We have to give a chance to new people across the board. If you need a new perspective, be it in regard to stories, or in the way we make films, we have to encourage new blood as well as talent. The industry is too top-heavy. We need to strengthen the foundation. In Hollywood, if one actor can’t do a film, the producer has a talent pool available. Here, stories are written with an actor in mind, and if he refuses, the effort goes wasted, since there is no second or third person to fall back on,” he laments.
