The Sanjay Dutt biopic, starring Ranbir Kapoor, is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. Fox Star India has come aboard as the studio for the Rajkumar Hirani movie at a whopping Rs 180 cores. While film studios in India have been facing rough times, this deal has stunned the industry into silence because it is a price unheard of.
While Hirani’s last outing, ‘PK’, was sold for approx Rs 110 crores, included its satellite rights, The Dutt biopic has been picked up by the studio at an exorbitant price for just the film and the satellite rights are yet to be sold, separately. A source further informed, “The film’s profits will be shared 85-15. While Hirani will keep 85 per cent of the profits, the studio will get a mere 15 per cent.”
Talking about this a trade analyst said, “Please remember that Rajkumar Hirani has broken records with ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘PK’, but those films were created with Aamir Khan, who has made these records even without Hirani. No one is doubting Raju’s capability, but will he be able to break records without Aamir remains to be seen.”
(Also read: Ranbir Kapoor to groove to Sanjay Dutt’s iconic ‘Khalnayak’ track)
Another studio head aded to this saying, “Raju is an A-Class director, but he has not directed a biopic before. In the past, he has told stories that connect with people as they have had a pan-India appeal. This is new territory even for Raju. It’s great that the studio has this much confidence in the maker, actor and the subject, but while biopics are an interesting concept, they don’t do earth-shattering business at the box-office. Now the film is burdened and the collections will have to justify the cost.”
A renowned producer said anonymously, “What worries me is not the price, but the subject. A commercial film can recover the cost. Sanjay Dutt’s llfe story is known. It has been covered and read by magazines and newspapers for decades. No doubt it is an interesting story, but there is nothing new to it. Sports biopics make sense because their lives are not an open book. Which is not the case with actors. So, you have to think if people will come to the theaters to see the film. The only novelty is Ranbir Kapoor as Sanjay Dutt.”
The movie is till in te process of filming and is scheduled to hit the theatres on 30th March 2018.
CREDITS: Mid-Day, The DNA
