Bollywood gears up for 400 crore summer

Bollywood hopes to have a super summer ahead. Thirty big and small budget films with a total of Rs 400 crore riding on them are bracing for release between April and June, and analysts say the business looks good.

Bollywood hopes to have a super summer ahead. Thirty big and small budget films with a total of Rs 400 crore riding on them are bracing for release between April and June, and analysts say the business looks good.



The lineup includes big banner babies such as Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2, Kunal Kohli’s Teri Meri Kahani, Priyadarshan’s Tezz, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Ferrarri Ki Sawaari, Kunal Deshmukh’s Jannat 2, Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous Ishq, Ram Gopal Varma’s Department, Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and Prabhu Deva’s Rowdy Rathore.

"It’s a very promising lineup, with Rs 400 crore at stake. Bollywood is expected to do great business this quarter," says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.



Trade expert Atul Mohan says, "This is a trend that’s come up recently — this quarter of the year is seeing a lot at stake as loads of good films release after the exams are over." The first quarter (Jan-March) may have seen films such as Agneepath, Kahaani and Paan Singh Tomar faring well, but the overall business has been average.





The period will also see small budget films such as Vicky Donor, Zila Ghaziabad and Maximum take the big ticket ones head on. "It’s a good time as the exams are over and everyone wants to chill," says Maximum actor-producer Sonu Sood.

He adds that IPL, scheduled around the same time, is also not on everyone’s mind. Trade analyst Komal Nahta says, “The competition is healthy as there are films of all kinds.” Critics say it’s a great time for viewers, too. “There is lot of variety, which makes the season ahead exciting,” says critic-writer Anupama Chopra.

Akshay Kumar and Asin in a still from Housefull 2.

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