Will Tamasha turn the tide in Ranbir's favour?

Analysts expect Tamasha to have a modest opening at Rs 15 cr with the potential to pick up pace

Nestled snugly between the Diwali release of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and the pre-Christmas clash between Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Masti and Shah Rukh Khan’s Diwaale, is the Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer Tamasha. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film was released on Friday with a massive three-week window in India to rake in the moolah.

The movie started its campaign abroad before India — a rare occurrence for a mainstream Bollywood film. It was released on Thursday to cash in on the Thanksgiving weekend. Tamasha was released in 571 screens abroad across the Gulf, North America, Pakistan and Australia. In North America, the film had limited preview shows Wednesday while regular shows started from Thursday onwards. The film is to be released in 27 territories across the globe with subtitles in eight languages.

As is the norm for Bollywood films, the movie was released on Thursday in the Gulf where it reported collections of $235,000 (Rs 1.5 crore). In North America, the film did even better, making $385,000 (Rs 2.5 crore). Other international territories are yet to report collections.

A lot rides on Tamasha for both Ali and Kapoor. Ali’s last venture Highway, while critically acclaimed, was not a money spinner. Kapoor, on the other hand, needs a hit after not one but three consecutive duds — Besharam (2013), Roy (February 2015) and Bombay Velvet (May 2015). The director-actor duo have given audiences 2011’s musical romantic drama Rockstar, which was appreciated and was a somewhat profitable film.

On the other hand, Padukone has been on a career high since 2013 with multiple hits such as Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014) and Piku (May 2015).

Tamasha was released in 2,100 screens in the country, with a distinct skew towards multiplexes. Made at Rs 90 crore, the film is co-produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and UTV Motion Pictures. Trade analysts expect the film to have a modest opening at about Rs 15 crore with the potential to pick up pace as reviews and word-of-mouth make their way to social media. The initial response to the film in India has been mixed, with the lead pair being praised for their performance but the film falling short of expectations.

“It all boils down to what the audiences like. There is no other Bollywood film along with Tamasha which will work in its favour. The lead pair had delivered a hit Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani in 2013 and the Imtiaz-Ranbir combination was behind Rockstar. So the curiosity factor will be there. How the film sustains after the initial reactions,  time will tell,” says a Bollywood analyst.

A blockbuster opening is not a pre-requisite for a film to be a superhit. In the past, the box office has seen films take phenomenal jumps in collections after the initial response. This year, films such as Piku, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and NH10 have proven this. All films started off with collections under Rs 10 crore on the opening day and went onto be highly profitable ventures.