'Shershaah': Should the filmmakers have waited longer to release it in theatres?

Shershaah: The biographical war movie tells the story of brave heart Captain Vikram Batra who was martyred during the Kargil War of 1999. The film has an IMDb rating of 8.9.

If the chatter online and in trade circles is anything to go by, Shershaah is quickly emerging as one of the most-loved films on OTT. The film has an IMDB rating of 8.9 with over 70,000 voters in just 11 days since release.

Shershaah released on Amazon Prime Video on August 12, 2021 - it was originally slated for theatrical release on July 3, 2020.

Now, big Hindi films have been releasing directly on OTT during the pandemic - starting, perhaps, with Gulabo Sitabo, which was released on Amazon Prime Video on June 12, 2020.

Back then, it seemed sacrilegious that Shoojit Sircar and Ronnie Lahiri decided to release the Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurranna starrer on the small screen.

Yet, it has now become the norm, with just the last few weeks seeing Farhan Akhtar's Toofaan, Kriti Sanon's Mimi, Sidharth Malhotra's Shershaah and Ajay Devgn starrer Bhuj: The Pride of India arriving on streaming platforms back-to-back.

To be sure, many of these films opted for straight-to-digital release after waiting months for theatres to reopen.

Also undeniable is the fact there is a trade-off here: release directly on OTT now and give up the chance to make a lot more money on the box office, or wait it out for a few more weeks or months - without any guarantees that cinema halls will open at the end of the wait period. Films like Ranveer Singh starrer '83 - which was supposed to come out around Christmas of 2020 and then June 4, 2021 - are still waiting.

Should Shershaah makers have waited too?

The praise for and popularity of the film over the last two weeks since release would suggest yes.

What changed?

Sidharth Malhotra who had backed Shershaah for five years, right from its inception, had managed to convince Karan Johar to wait for theatrical release. Yes, there were tempting offers, but Dharma Productions held on for long.

However, the second wave of Covid changed the course of the film, sending it towards an OTT release.

Even now, in states where theatres have been allowed to reopen, it's at only 50% capacity (at most centres). Moreover, the heart of the exhibition sector, Maharashtra, is still not open.

Team Shershaah had to take a call, and, in the end, decided to release the film straight on OTT.

Educated guess

Had the filmmakers waited for a Republic Day 2022 release, could Shershaah have comfortably gone past the Rs100 crore mark, and emerged as an all-time blockbuster, just like Uri: The Surgical Strike?

Let's compare some data points.

Let's start with the opening day numbers for two films - Uri and a Sidharth Malhotra picture that came out the same year. When Uri, with actor Vicky Kaushal in the lead role, released in theatres on January 11, 2019, it took an opening of Rs8.2 crore. Marjaavaan, with Sidharth Malhotra in the lead, delivered an opening of Rs7.03 crore in the same year - and that too entirely on the back of single screen theatres (indicating that the film managed bigger footfalls). Given this, we can extrapolate that Malhotra could have managed Rs10 crore on opening day with Shershaah in ordinary circumstances. It's harder to say if the movie would have breached Rs200 crore in business. In its favour are the genre and the emotional excitement generated amongst audiences.

Uri: The Surgical Strike was a nationwide emotion once the first day was through. The patriotism and nationalism sentiments in the film were infectious, and the cry of 'How's the josh?' turned into a sensation. Something similar has happened for Shershaah with 'Yeh Dil Maange More' - the late Captain Vikram Batra's slogan to keep enthusiasm and courage up at Kargil.

This can well be seen from the manner in which audiences have embraced both the films that are based on Indo-Pak tussle. On IMDB, the rating of Uri: The Surgical Strike stands at 8.2, with 49,000 unique voters. While that's how things stand after two and a half years, picture this: Shershaah, within 11 days of release, stands at a higher rating of 8.9 and that too with 72,000 votes.

Meanwhile, let's not forget one element that's the staple ingredient of a true Hindi film and time and again goes in its favour, regardless of the genre - 'The love story element'. Uri: The Surgical Strike did have its heart in the right place with a family angle in there. However, what makes Shershaah even more special is the romantic angle (Kiara Advani plays Captain Batra's girlfriend, Dimple). While the love angle in itself is beautiful, what struck a chord with many in the audiences was the promise of "If not you, then no one else".

In the end, Uri: The Surgical Strike minted a fabulous Rs244.2 crore at the box office, hence earning the tag of being an all-time blockbuster. If Sidharth Malhotra believes that his Shershaah could have been even bigger, one can't blame him for setting his sights higher. Shershaah does carry ample ammunition.