Comedies to rule the roost in 2019 as genre sees more reception amid audience
From adventure to horror, Indian films have explored probably every skin of comedy.
March 01, 2019 / 12:30 IST
Image: Twitter/@ajaydevgn
Laughter is the best medicine and Bollywood is proving this with its multi-starrer release Total Dhamaal. The movie crossed Rs 100 crore worldwide in four days of its release.The film is making waves both on the home turf and overseas. In India, the film has collected around Rs 94 crore in the first week and its opening day numbers in the overseas markets stands at over Rs 24 crore.According to trade analysts, Total Dhamaal’s entry in the Rs 100 crore club is guaranteed during its second weekend. This wouldn’t be the first time a film from the comedy genre has surpassed expectations and delivered good results. In fact, comedy and its many sub-genres have been a good bet for the film industry in the last few years.In 2017, five of the 10 highest grossing films were comedies. Last year as well, films like Badhaai Ho and Stree turned out to be sleeper hits of 2018.So, what makes comedy such a successful genre?In conversation with Moneycontrol, Saurabh Varma, CMO, Inox Leisure Ltd, said, “The Indian audience loves going to movies. Watching films in cinemas all over India is like an event for the whole family during the weekend where no one minds a film that provides them an option of escaping from the real world. Comedy works the best in the 'escape cinema' format.” He added that the “Indian languages have the twang that enhances comic dialogues and people relate to it with more than drama. Comedy is the most saleable genre in Hindi cinema”.While many believe that Bollywood’s comedies are shrouded in the silly, there have been coming-of-age stories that tickled the funny bones of the movie-goers. If Bollywood offered films like Masti franchise or Golmaal and its sequels, then it also delivered movies like Khosla ka Ghosla, Hindi Medium, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, among others. “We have many Indias under one India. Everyone has a take on every film and every event. Some like it and there will be an audience that may not like a film that the masses and audiences have liked. There may be some slapstick comedies that may have released in the past but the quality of comedy movies have improved tremendously and have been appreciated worldwide,” said Varma.From adventure to horror, Indian films have explored probably every skin of comedy. Stree, Total Dhamaal, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, from down south films like Kanchana series are few examples. The surprising part is any form of comedy is being accepted in the Indian market. In fact, even dark comedies like Newton and Andhadhun were well received at the box office. The latter not only amazed the industry and cinephiles with its content but also its revenue. With an investment of Rs 32 crore, the film gathered over Rs 73 crore and ran for nearly three months. The Rajkkumar Rao-starrer Newton, which had put the spotlight on the election process in India, was India's entry for the 90th Oscars. In addition, the film did business of over Rs 22 crore with a budget of Rs 9 crore. These successes confirm that the taste of the Indian audience is changing and they enjoy subtle and layered humour. Varma believes that “comedies set in grass rooted India cuts across the globe and is loved universally.” And this is probably why producers are betting big on this genre. So much so that the budget for films from this category are going higher.Along with the recently released Total Dhamaal which is made at a budget of over Rs 100 crore, another big budget comedy venture Housefull 4 is upping the investment. Housefull 4 which is likely to release during Diwali this year is touted as the first 3D comedy film of India. The year will see over 17 comedy releases and according to Varma films like “Jhoontha Kahin ka, Jai Mummy DI, Jabaria Jodi, Made in China, Housefull 4 and Anees Bazmi’s Pagalpanti have the potential to be the movies of the year.”Comedy will double its dose with the release of romantic comedy film Luka Chuppi coming to the theatres on March 1.
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