BizAsia’s dud films of 2015

5��_ 4��_ 3��_ 2��_ 1! The final countdown for 2016 has begun. 2015 has proven to be a mixed bag for Bollywood. On one hand, there were several sleeper hits such as ��Dum Laga ke Haisha�۪, ��NH10�۪, ��Piku�۪ and ��Hunterrr�۪; all these films performed well at the box office and proved that the power of small, non-mainstream films is rising. On the other hand, there were several hyped, multi-starrer movies which were disappointing despite the hype they might�۪ve garnered through their shooting schedules or promotional activities. BizAsia looks back at five such films which turned out to be duds and made very little (if any) impression on the box office.

‘Tevar’

The Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha starrer was set to kick off 2015 with a bang in January. However, this venture proved to be another run-of-the-mill South remake including the quintessential elements from a masala film, i.e. OTT action sequences, raunchy item numbers and heavy/dramatic dialogues. It proved that the audience is fed up of watching repetitive masala flicks time and time again. Interestingly, the original Telugu movie ��Okkadu�۪ was successful at the box-office but ��Tevar�۪ received a lukewarm critical and commercial reception.

��Dolly Ki Doli�۪

Post her happy-go-lucky, chirpy performance in the 2014�۪s ��Khoobsoorat�۪, Sonam Kapoor seemed to be on the right track to success. With Arbaaz Khan�۪s production ��Dolly Ki Doli�۪, the audience was expecting another laugh riot. Unfortunately, many critics panned the film for Sonam�۪s acting skills and the dud screenplay. It�۪s a pity that this looteri dulhan (a bride who steals) could not loot the box office either. Hence, the film grossed about 19.26* crores. There was no ��Prem�۪ or ��dhan�۪ with this one!

��Bombay Velvet�۪

��Bombay Velvet�۪ was one of the most awaited films of 2015. This Anurag Kashyap directed flick turned out to be another mundane gangster flick, albeit set in the 60s. There were a lot of expectations with this one including Ranbir-Anushka�۪s first-time pairing and also Karan Johar�۪s first full-fledged role. However, the tiresome pace and the dull story and screenplay disappointed the audience. As such, even Amit Trivedi�۪s foot-tapping soundtrack could not help either.

��Hamari Adhuri Kahani�۪

Post ��Ek Villain�۪ (2014) and ��Aashiqui 2�۪ (2013), Mohit Suri was on a roll. Both of his films undoubtedly had soul-stirring songs and a romantic story which brought a tear to the eye. ��Hamari Aduri Kahani�۪ proved to be a bit too tearful. None of the leading characters ever smiled or laughed, neither was there any form of comic relief for the audience. Furthermore, it was made on a modest budget of 35 crores and grossed approximately 41 crores at the box office. Therefore, it became a low profitable venture and did not meet the expectations of the audience.

��All is Well�۪

After the success of �� OMG Oh My God�۪ (2012), all was going well for director Umesh Shukla. However, his next venture ��All is Well�۪ was a complete dud. Critics said the film had a weak script and flat humour. Even with a talented starcast including Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor and Supriya Pathak, the performances were criticised too. The film was supposed to be a modern Shravan Kumar tale but was unsuccessful in conveying the social message it had set out to.

��Shaandaar�۪

Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor – two of Hindi cinema�۪s beloved stars, in a movie directed by ��Queen�۪ (2014) filmmaker Vikas Bahl and produced by Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap ��� what could possibly go wrong? Sadly, ��Shaandaar�۪ followed the ���legacy�۝ of ��Bombay Velvet�۪ in that the expectations were unashamedly high and what audiences got was completely the opposite. The weak story, screenplay and humour let the film down. Unfortunately, the quirkiness in this film went against what was acceptable in many ways. ��Shaandaar�۪ managed to gross only 40 crores at the box office and became one of the biggest disasters of the year.

Audiences should brace themselves for 2016 because there are many to look forward to and we hope they don’t turn out to be over-hyped like the above.

By Anuj Radia