Will Bollywood releases in Ramazan break the jinx?

B-town is beginning to conquer its superstitious side.

Three highly awaited Indian movies, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum, Jism 2 and Gangs of Wasseypur II, are set to hit theatres in India on July 27, August 3 and August 8 respectively. With the release of these films, the Bollywood superstition of staying away from big-time releases during the holy month of Ramazan seems to have come to an end, reports the Hindustan Times.

Trade analysts, distributors and producers analyse this new development in B-town, as analyst Atul Mohan states, “The Ramazan period is generally considered lean in the industry. Earlier, we’d only see gap fillers releasing during this time, the ones which didn’t get any other release date. But the upcoming releases show that film-makers have become more confident.”Trade guru Joginder Tuteja also adds, “It is a calculated and intelligent decision on the part of filmmakers. It’s a win-win situation as they have limited competition during this time.”

Additionally, another point is brought forth by Distributor Joginder Mahajan that, “Most of the business today comes from multiplexes which have corporate and educated viewers who don’t care about superstition before coming to theatres.” It is significant to note as superstition has always played an important role in Indian culture.

Furthermore, Vikram Malhotra of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, the distributors of the movie Gangs of Wasseypur II, says, “Indian audiences are now breaking out of traditional shackles and stepping into cinemas even during the conventionally lean or taboo periods.” Also, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, the writer of Jism 2 states, “a good film will work irrespective of any environmental constraints.”

Other Ramazan releases include, From Sydney With Love, Chittagong and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, before Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger sweeps them all away with its highly anticipated Eid release on August 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2012.