Explainer: As soon as the festival of Diwali arrives, the excitement in Bollywood also increases. While on one hand people decorate their houses with lamps and lights, on the other hand this festival has special significance in the film world also. Around Diwali, preparations are made to release big films in theatres. Many times makers fix the release date of their films months in advance for the occasion of Diwali. You must have also seen that films of big stars like Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar have been released on this festival.
But have you ever wondered when and how the trend of releasing films on Diwali started in Bollywood? Why do producers consider this festival so special for their films? Is it only the benefit of holidays or is there some bigger strategy related to box office behind this? Let us know the story of this interesting tradition of Bollywood.
How did the relationship between Diwali and Bollywood become stronger?
Festivals have always had special importance in Indian cinema. Diwali is an occasion when people across the country spend time with family and friends. There is excitement in the markets and there is excitement among the people about entertainment along with shopping. This is the reason why filmmakers gradually started seeing Diwali as a big opportunity for the release of films.
In the initial period, there were no things like advance booking, multiplex and digital promotion for the release of films like today. At that time, the success of the film largely depended on the audience's choice, availability of theaters and word of mouth. However, the increasing footfall during festivals made people associated with the film business understand the importance of this opportunity. With time, Diwali became not just a festival of lights and happiness, but also started becoming a big business season for the film industry.
When did the trend of releasing films on Diwali start?
If we talk about this tradition, then the trend of releasing big films around Diwali in Bollywood is several decades old. Amitabh Bachchan's film 'Mard' in 1985 is an interesting example of this. This film, directed by Manmohan Desai, was released on 8 November 1985, while Diwali was celebrated on 12 November that year. The film got a great response from the audience. After this, the trend of releasing big films around Diwali became stronger in the 90s. Shahrukh Khan's film 'Baazigar' was released in the year 1993.
Next year in 1994, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan's comedy film 'Andaz Apna Apna' was released in theatres. In 1995, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol's film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' was released a few days before Diwali and proved to be a big hit. This film not only achieved success at the box office, but also made its place among the most memorable films of Hindi cinema. From here, the excitement among the audience and filmmakers about the release of films around Diwali started increasing.
Shahrukh's films increased the popularity of this trend
The relationship between Diwali and Shahrukh Khan is also very old. Since the 90s, many of his films were released around Diwali and were successful at the box office. In the year 1997, his film 'Dil To Pagal Hai' was released in theaters the next day of Diwali. After this, films like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' in 1998 and 'Mohabbatein' in 2000 entertained the audience a lot. In the year 2007, Shahrukh Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' was also released on the occasion of Diwali. Deepika Padukone debuted in Hindi cinema with this film.
Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor's 'Saawariya' was also released before the film. There was a competition between the two films at the box office, but 'Om Shanti Om' performed brilliantly. Shahrukh Khan released his film 'Happy New Year' in the year 2014 on the next day of Diwali. The film had a tremendous opening at the box office. Shahrukh Khan himself had also denied any superstition behind releasing the film on Diwali. He believed that releasing the film on a holiday was a good decision from business point of view.
Salman and Aamir also played a big bet on Diwali
Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have also made a big contribution in carrying forward the tradition of releasing films on Diwali. In the year 1999, Salman Khan's film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' was released a few days before Diwali. In this film directed by Sooraj Barjatya, actors like Karisma Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre and Tabu were seen along with Salman. Being a family story, the film got good response from the audience.
At the same time, Aamir Khan's film 'Raja Hindustani' was also released around Diwali in the year 1996. Karisma Kapoor was in the lead role with Aamir in the film. Its romantic story and songs attracted the audience a lot. Apart from this, in the year 2015, Salman Khan's 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' was released on the occasion of Diwali. Sonam Kapoor was seen with Salman Khan in this film. The film did well at the box office and became the first choice of the audience during the festival season.
FAQs
1. When did the trend of releasing films on Diwali start in Bollywood?
The trend of releasing big films around Diwali in Bollywood is decades old. This tradition gained a lot of popularity in the 80s and 90s.
2. Why is it beneficial for makers to release films on Diwali?
Due to holidays during Diwali, the audience gets more time to watch films with family. Due to this, there is a possibility of increasing the earnings of films.
3. Which films of Shahrukh Khan were released around Diwali?
Shahrukh Khan's films like 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Om Shanti Om' and 'Happy New Year' were released around Diwali.
4. Is every film released on Diwali a hit at the box office?
No, releasing on Diwali does not guarantee the success of the film. The story, acting, direction and audience response of a film also decide its earnings.