Box Office Predictions: Banjo, Wah Taj, Parched, Days of Tafree

When it comes to solo films, he has been quite selective though. His last solo release was Lai Bhaari which was a Marathi film and released a couple of years back. That film was a Blockbuster. His last Hindi solo release was way back in 2012 though – Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya. That film too had actually done decent business and emerged as a plus affair.

Now that Riteish is back with Banjo, all eyes are on how audiences lap up to the film. Since the film has a Mumbai base to it, that territory should fetch the best results. As a producer, Krishika Lulla has traditionally backed some interesting films with an inherent Indian flavor [Happy Bhag Jayegi, NH10, Raanjhanaa] and one expects Banjo to be an extension of that. Word of mouth should take it through.

Other releases of the week are dependent on word of mouth too. Wah Taj has been in the making for a while and now is seeing a release after a modest round of promotion. The film has Shreyas Talpade and Manjari Fadnis in the lead. As a leading man, Shreyas is returning on the big screen four years after Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal, which hadn’t scored well commercially despite Priyadarshan at the helm of affairs. The film looks like a fun affair though.

Parched is a Hindi film set in rural India with an English title, which is an anomaly of sorts. Though Ajay Devgn is backing it up, and hence some sort of media coverage has been gained by the film, it would find a release in select multiplexes and would be entirely dependent on critical acclaim and word of mouth (which would need to start spreading really quick).

Days of Tafree has seen some push by select celebrities on social media but besides that the promotion has been barely there. A non-starcast affair with a bunch of newcomers, the film seemingly aims to get into the Pyaar Ka Punchnama zone. The first task for the film is to get an all-India release.

Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder