Chennai Express’s record breaking spree might not be over but it has definitely set new benchmarks already for the other upcoming biggies that are all set to scorch the silver screen in the next few months till we wrap up 2013 with a bang! With no Salmania around this year, the box office had been witnessing an entirely dull phase largely throughout the year barring some unexpected super successes in Aashiqui 2 or a Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. After YJHD’s dream spell of a mammoth 190 crores biz in the domestic circuit, all eyes were pinned on Rohit Shetty’s SRK-Deepika starrer comedy flick, Chennai Express to twist some tables around for the team.
Shah Rukh, who was in desperate need to prove his powerful hold over his kingdom, after being challenged by his contemporary once-upon-a-time arch rival Salman Khan or the new Gen-Y superstar Ranbir Kapoor, had to resort back to an otherwise mindless yet masaledaar action comedy to do the trick for him. With spectacular opening figures of 33.10 crores this Eid, the highest for any Bollywood film till date, Chennai Express has zoomed in with record speed encashing on its huge entertainment quotient like no other. Rohit Shetty, who amalgamated his comic presentation with SRK’s trademark lover boy character, has finally struck gold yet again. The movie, which has sustained well throughout its opening week, raking in an unprecedented opening week figure of over 156 crores nationwide, Chennai Express is definitely expected to rule the rooster and it is expected to cross the coveted 200 crore+ mark giving some stiff competition to 3 Idiots, which holds the record of the highest lifetime collections at the Indian box office.
Krrish 3, Dhoom 3 And Chennai Express Movie Poster
Whilst Chennai Express has risen through with the shackles of moderate reviews and crude judgmental opinionated views regarding the portrayal of South Indians in the film, Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbaai Dobara has in fact snatched away over 1000 screens from the big budgeted comic caper. A moderate release might have slowed down the pace of OUATIMD on its opening day but the film is expected to pick up well henceforth in mass belts, given Akshay’s huge popularity and the film’s massy appeal, along with the muh-tor bhashanbaazi, a Milan Luthria trademark. Rowdy Rathore, featuring Khiladi Kumar stands as the actor’s best bet till date and it would not be surprising if he pulls OUATIMD too, across the number league with effortless elan. The major problem with OUATIMD, however is not the average reviews but the negative word of mouth that is causing the major backlash depriving the film the opportunity of having huge collections at the BO.
Next up is Besharam, which although does not conventionally fit into our bill of being the highest grosser of the year but well when it is Ranbir, never say never again! Belonging to a legion of cinematic brilliance, this fourth generation Kapoor superstar has definitely proved his mettle with some sketched characters and power packed portrayal on screen. No wonder, Ranbir is the only newcomer who has catapulted into the league of A-listers with assumed conviction as both his previous releases, namely Barfi! And Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani did magical business, with YJHD also being the third highest Bollywood grosser of all time. And with Abhinav Dabangg Kashyap’s ‘Besharam’ up for grabs, it would be nice to watch tapori Ranbir sail through the margins and reach the shores of the 100 crore club, oh-so-easily like YJHD!
Having CE shattering all previous sworn records, welcoming some brilliant new records to be broken, the biggest contenders for the throne definitely are Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3, the two of the most sought after and anticipated releases of the year along with Shah Rukh’s Chennai Express. Krrish 3, which has already created history by becoming the most viewed Bollywood trailer of all times, is a tell-tale superhero saga, the story of which is closely guarded by the maker and his team for all obvious reasons. The trailer, which released amidst a lot of fan fare has been moderately well-designed but could not really raise upto the standards of its precursors. Yet with a fan following as huge as Hrithik’s and having a film after almost a year and half, Krrish 3 is definitely flying notches higher than expected. Although Hrithik only has Agneepath to his name in the list of 100 crore films, Krrish 3 has immense euphoria and mass hysteria ornamenting the superhero sci-fi flick. And given the hype and the anticipation, Krrish 3 will definitely have an earth-shattering response at the box office where all records might just have possibilities to be broken yet again this year.
But the toughest and the most likely contender for the number one spot, which might just battle it out with YJHD and Chennai Express, in terms of collection is going to be Aamir and YRF’s coalition: Dhoom 3. Speed, style and suaveness is what the Dhoom series is famous for and having Aamir Khan at the helm of affairs provides a lot more credibility to the inherent ideas and innovations. A master of his trade, Aamir is definitely the one to look out for and with him essaying the antagonist (Fanaa, anyone?), Dhoom’s Third Edition will definitely be slicker and shinier than ever. An actor who has always tried to prove his versatility doing something new and bringing something very different onto everyone’s platter, Dhoom 3 is going to be one helluva treat for the movie buffs and with the motion poster already out, we are all set for a Dhoom this Christmas. You bet!
Now the point is will Chennai Express be able to cross the famous 200 crore mark and surpass the colossal 3-Idiots lifetime collections? Will OUATIMD capitalize and resist CE from doing the same? Will Besharam be Ranbir’s Dabangg affair? Will Krrish 3 move ahead of all our expectations and set a new benchmark? Or will it just be Aamir Khan yet again, settling to create another record with his chor-police game from Dhoom 3? With two thirds of the year almost coming to an end, its just few more months till we have all answers to our queries.
