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Ram Charan’s much-awaited Game Changer failed to grab eyeballs, its box office collections are consistently dipping despite a spectacular opening day collections on Makar Sankranti, 14th January. The film got mixed reviews. Mounted on a budget of Rs 400 crore, the Shankar directorial has made a little over Rs 110 core, and is struggling to stay afloat. Three years in the making, no expenses spared for pre- and post-production, and yet the film failed to make a mark, following Indian 2 on Shankar’s list of flops.
When a big-ticket film, led by top-billed actors and helmed by a box office-savvy director fails to deliver, who does the buck stop with? To be fair to Ram Charan, he acted well, gave it his best in every shot. The film managed a good opening due to him. It was the film’s storyline that many felt was flawed. And that’s not the actor’s fault. Popular matinee star Suriya’s period drama Kanguva, made with a Rs 350 crore budget, tanked, recovering barely 30 per cent of its production costs. Filmmaker Atlee’s hyped action drama Baby John starring Varun Dhawan failed to impress, and both critics and audiences gave it a thumbs down.
Buck stops with the director
Trade analyst Sumit Kadel says, “Post the failure of Indian 2, Shankar’s style of filmmaking was criticised for being outdated. The director didn’t reinvent himself for Game Changer. That apart, the spends on the film were way too high, the songs didn’t strike a chord and the constant delays in its making went against Game Changer.”?
“When a project fails to resonate with audiences, it’s natural for critics and fans alike to turn on the director, in this instance, Shankar. As a seasoned filmmaker, he carries the weight of not only his reputation but also the substantial investments made by producers and investments of time and effort by actors. When such a seasoned director doesn’t deliver to expectations, he inevitably takes the brunt of the blame,” says film analyst Girish Wankhede.
The debacle of Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s mega budget Bade Miya Chote Miyan was squarely put on director Ali Abbas Zafar. Producers Vashu and Jackyy Bhagnani blamed the director of wasting funds, as well as the film’s failure.
Star attraction
Trade circles and critics, express the view that the opening day numbers are wholly dependent on the star and their market value, irrespective of the content, which is secondary.
“When a film becomes a hit, it is always attributed to the actor and their star power; no one credits the director unless it is a billed director. Sadly, the writer is never acknowledged for their efforts, though the story is always key. So when a film flops, then it is the actor’s flop, after all, they are front facing on the billboards and the marketing, and the tickets are being sold on their name,” says film critic Joginder Tuteja.
But to be fair to the actors, in every film, they put in their best — work so hard to get the dance moves, the fight sequences... right. They literally slog and do whatever the director tells them to do. The final product, they have no idea how it will shape up because a lot depends on the editing too.
So it’s the director who should take responsibility.
"In the South, the directors are regarded as the true captains of the ship, and the buck starts and stops with them. Whether it is RRR, or Pushpa 2, the director is credited with the success of the film, since it’s his vision. However, in Bollywood, this equation doesn’t work, because the director is a mere tool. Hindi cinema caters to the star system, their demands and dictates. The marketing and production teams too yield to them. The director, who is to lead the film, is unable to give it the colour and shape they want. In Bollywood, it is always a star’s film while in the South it is always a director’s film.” --- Filmmaker and writer Amit Rai of OMG 2 fame
English (US) ·