At a public event after the release of Tubelight, Salman Khan was asked if he was worried about the subdued response to his new release.
He stared back at the journalist grinned and stretched his arms saying, “Do I look worried?”
He then went on to explain why the film took a weak opening. “People expected a different film. An Eid film with singing dancing. …Bhai ko rote nahin dekhna (they don’t want to see me cry)”.
Salman was confident that the film would do well. But trade experts say the film may lose up to Rs 60-65 crores.
A major producer says the losses may be even higher. “Tubelight may be Salman’s first deficit film. And he needs to accept that instead of acting defiant in public. When he says he is not worried he is probably right. His financial liabilities regarding the film have been taken care of. Salman Khan Films loses nothing even if the film under-performs severely which it is likely to do. It is the distributors who are likely to lose seriously and grievously.”
Would Salman compensate the distributors? They’ve reportedly begun to queue at Salman’s doorstep.
Says the producer, “It would be the right thing for Salman to do because the distributors are likely to suffer heavy losses. But it all depends on Salman’s discretion. If he feels he owes it to the distributors, he will. In the past Rajinikanth is known to have reimbursed distributors for losses caused by the failure of his films. In Bollywood, Pahlaj Nihalani reportedly compensated distributors for losses suffered by two of his films Andaaz and Aandhiyan.”
Perhaps it is time for Salman to show what ‘Being Human’ is really all about.
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