film with my talent. Most of my films have been mass single-theatre, B and C Centre kinds.”
Smart move
Concentrating on specific genres seems to be a smart idea. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees and calls it a brave move. He says, “Tiger is hugely popular with kids, and the family audience — he’s a pan-India actor. He is a star in all pockets of the country — in A, B and C centres. He is a huge star with an amazing pull. Baaghi 2’s business is a testimony to this. Very few actors have the calibre and talent for the kind of action that he does. There’s no stopping him because every film is a step forward for him.”
Baaghi 2 is now nearing the `150-crore mark at the local box office.
Future superstar
Taran explains that Tiger has achieved something with his actioner, which no other hero from his generation has been able to. “After Salman (Khan), the two actors from the younger generation, who are potential superstars and crowd-pullers are Varun Dhawan and Tiger. They play to their strengths and are popular with the single-screen and multiplex audience. In terms of business, Baaghi 2 has got the kind of numbers that only a superstar can bring. Even overseas, the figures we are witnessing for this film are phenomenal. There are a lot of people who think action films aren’t an audience-friendly genre globally, but Baaghi 2 has grossed over $6.4 million, which is `41.76 crore. That’s huge because the biggest of stars don’t get such figures.”
Single-screen stardom
In the last few years, there’s been a hue and cry about several single-screen theatres in India shutting down because producers and directors were slowly inching towards unconventional and experimental cinema, which doesn’t click with this particular audience. Taran asserts, “Our filmmakers were neglecting the single screens by not giving them the content they desire. The kind of films that they want was missing because we were concentrating only on metro-centric themes and movies. As a result, the pan-India audience wasn’t coming to the theatres.”
That’s changing slowly, but steadily. Taran reasons, “You have a Golmaal Again, Judwaa 2, Tiger Zinda Hai, Fukrey Returns, Padmaavat, Sonu Ke Titu Ke Sweety and Baaghi 2, which only prove that we shouldn’t be making movies only for select audiences and cities. We need to think beyond the metros because that’s where the real Indian audience is. Masala films will never go out of fashion. It was popular in the ’70s and it’s popular even now.” With Tiger adopting the same strategy, he’s turning out to be one of the most bankable actors on screen.