The last Friday of the year is usually empty and sans any release. The second last Friday is when there’s a film release and it’s usually so big that no other film releases in the last week. Small films like ‘Ugly’ (2014) tried their luck but a big release is unheard of. This year is unusual since Rohit Shetty is all set to present his big-budget cop drama, ‘Simmba’, today.
‘Simmba’ stars Ranveer Singh in his massiest role till date. Moreover, it also marks the coming together of Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar since the latter’s Dharma Productions is presenting the film. ‘Simmba’ has comedy but it is more in the ‘Singham’ zone. In fact, the trailer surprised everyone since ‘Singham’ himself is present in the film. The scene of Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn together will surely be the highlight of the film. It has already upped the film’s buzz. Moreover, the song “Aankh Maarey” has become a chartbuster and it features the ‘Golmaal’ gang making an appearance. The female lead in ‘Simmba’ is Sara Ali Khan who has already achieved praise for her debut film ‘Kedarnath’. It released this month itself and has emerged as a Hit. ‘Simmba’ talks about crimes against women and this bit would surely impress the female and family audiences while action would cater to the masses and males. Hence, ‘Simmba’ surely has an all-round appeal and if it works, it can go anywhere.
The much-awaited Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Zero’ released last Friday and if it had become a huge hit, then ‘Simmba’ would have faced in procuring lot of screens. Shockingly, ‘Zero’ has underperformed heavily, sending shockwaves in the trade. It has also proved beneficial for ‘Simmba’ since it can have a huge release. Next Friday will have no release and hence it has two open weeks to score. Not to forget, it’s the Holiday season and Tuesday January 1 is a holiday. The collections would also go up from Monday December 31 onwards.
Looking at the hype, presence of Ranveer Singh and brand Rohit Shetty, songs, massy element and of course the ‘Singham’ connection, ‘Simmba’ is all set for a huge opening. It can open at around Rs. 25 crore range. If the response is positive, the weekend will be a huge Rs. 80-90 crore. With holidays in the weekdays, Week 1 can be in the range of Rs. 140-150 crore, or maybe even higher! However, if the response is poor and it turns out to be a poor clone of ‘Singham’, the collections can come down pretty fast.
With the debacle of ‘Zero’, it’s even more important that ‘Simmba’ does well. 2018 has seen some shocks but more or less, it has been a great year. The super-success of ‘Simmba’ would ensure it ends on a high.
