Explainer: Why did Bobby Deol’s ‘Bandar’ fail as soon as it was released? Why even the stardom and great reviews of ‘Animal’ did not help?

Bandar Movie Explainer: Bollywood actor Bobby Deol’s film ‘Bandar’ was in discussion for a long time. This movie was directed by Anurag Kashyap. There was a lot of craze about the film before its release. Also, it was being counted among the most different and wonderful films of the year. Even after the release of the trailer, it was discussed a lot on social media. Film critics also called this film one of the best films of Anurag Kashyap. Despite this, when the film was released in theatres, its performance at the box office was very weak. Today, it has been three days since the release of this film but there is no significant increase in its earnings. Let us know what are the reasons why this film seems to be dying in the theatre.

Not much earning even after three days

Bobby Deos’s Bandar film collected a net collection of only Rs 50 lakh on the first day. Even on the second day it has not been able to do business of Rs 1 crore. Today is the third day of the release of this film. Even today its speed does not seem to be as expected. Today, the total earning of this film in three days has reached around Rs 2 crore. In such a situation, the biggest question is why despite receiving so much praise, ‘Bandar’ could not attract the audience to the theatre. Let us understand this entire matter in detail.

‘Bandar’ lags behind in the battle between theater and shows

First of all, you should understand that the success of any film does not only depend on its story or star, but how many screens and how many good shows it gets, it is also equally important. According to the information, Bobby Deol’s ‘Bandar’ got only limited screens across the country. According to reports, the film got a little more than 300 screens. It did not even get morning prime shows in many multiplexes. It got only afternoon shows in most theatres. Its effect was visible in the film’s earnings because most of the people go to the theater in the morning and evening.

Varun Dhawan and Ram Charan’s film was also the reason

The release timing of the film Bandar was also not right because during the same time, Varun Dhawan’s romantic-comedy film ‘Hai Jawaani To Ishq Hona Hai’ and Ram Charan’s pan India film ‘Peddi’ were released in theatres. The fan following of these actors is very big. In such a situation, multiplex owners gave more screens and better show time to their films from which they were expected to earn more. The result was that ‘Bandar’ did not get a chance to reach the audience. However, the number of shows in the cities where it was held was also limited.

Why are such films not played in theatres?

‘Bandar’ is not a typical masala entertainment film of Bollywood. It is a dark psychological drama, which talks about serious issues like false allegations, society’s thinking, justice system and prison system. In the film, Bobby Deol plays the character of a man whose life completely changes after an allegation. Actually, the problem is that a large section of the Indian theater audience still prefers light comedy, action, romance and family drama films for entertainment. In such a situation, a serious film like Bandar often reaches only a limited audience in theatres. Although film critics praised this film, this issue did not prove to be very special for the audience.

Questions raised regarding second half and climax

Many critics reviewing the film agreed that the first part of ‘Bandar’ is very strong. The film connects the audience with the story from the beginning and the main character work was also shown quite well. But after the interval, the film is mostly shown around the jail. From here the film starts slowing down. At the same time, some critics believe that the film starts repeating the same issues again and again. Apart from this, to show the real condition of the jail, many scenes have been kept which may make the audience uncomfortable. This is the reason why the word of mouth of the film did not become as strong as was expected.

Also read: Explainer: When relationships broke and crores were divided…, which Bollywood stars gave more alimony? Know the whole story of expensive divorce

The audience wanted to see Bobby Deol’s animal-like look.

The biggest challenge for this film has been Bobby Deol himself. Actually, many people were expecting him that his character in the film Monkey would look like an animal. His character and work in that film was so brilliant that people did not like his role in Bandar. Actually, Bobby’s fans were expecting to see him in a powerful, dangerous and aggressive avatar. But in ‘Bandar’ the picture appears completely opposite. Here Bobby Deol appears in the role of a broken, mentally disturbed and helpless person. In such a situation, the audience who would have reached the theater expecting to see the swag and action of ‘Animal’, got a completely different kind of film.
Are good stories now more suitable for OTT?

OTT also had an impact

After Corona viral, the number of people watching movies on OTT has increased a lot. Nowadays many people have taken OTT platform subscription. Due to which films based on serious, experimental and social issues often perform better on OTT platforms because the audience there takes time to watch such films. On the contrary, by buying tickets in theatre, people want to have such an experience which is worth watching on the big screen. In which they get a chance to see action, visual spectacle, comedy and big stars on the big screen. Along with this, the case of ‘Monkey’ also appears to be similar. The story and treatment of the film may perhaps be liked more by the OTT audience.

Why didn’t ‘Monkey’ move?

There are many reasons why the film ‘Bandar’ could not bring the audience to the theatre. Due to limited screens, not getting prime shows, competition with big films, serious issues, slow second half and changed screen image of Bobby Deol, the film’s earnings could not increase. This film once again proves that great acting, excellent direction and good reviews alone do not guarantee box office success. In today’s era, marketing, release strategy, audience choice and right timing are equally important.

Also read: Explainer: Why are these stars superstars despite flop films? Know the real story of stardom