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Trade Tutor: How Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise became a phenomenon in North India?
Trade Tutor Vishek Chauhan analyses the reasons why Pushpa: The Rise has worked at the box office
I logged-in to Facebook and most reels and short videos were dedicated to Pushpa. I logged-in to Youtube and it was the same story. The Srivalli hook step has been done to death by hordes of people who have themselves hooked onto the film. The signature dialogue 'Jhukega Nahi' or 'Thaggedhe le' is all over the place with gents stylishly caressing their beards to copy the film's lead actor. Even the hook step of 'Saami' is viral, with many reels dedicated to it.
Released on 17th December , the Hindi version of the film had no buzz, no promotion and minimal showcasing by multiplexes. It was pitted against the global box office monster Spiderman: No Way Home. It outran every other film including the webslinger and the much hyped 83. In its 6th week, it is still managing housefull shows across the Hindi belt and has hit the Rs. 100 crore mark in Hindi. The film was released on 1450 screens and even in its 6th week, it is playing in 1000+ screens. The film continues to collect despite having its digital premiere on Amazon Prime. Pushpa: The Rise is truly a phenomenon. Let’s try and analyze how all this unfolded in the Hindi belts.
Allu Arjun- He is a true blue star and he had made heavy connect with the hindi audiences with his dubbed films courtesy Goldmine Telefilm’s YouTube channel and Satellite television. His dubbed films get terrific audiences up north. His dance moves have caught the fancy of the youth and I have seen kids in Bihar dance to his telugu songs. I clearly remember one of his dubbed films 'Surya The Soldier' (Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India) did tremendous business in single screens across the hindi belt. The stage was set for the actor to explode on screen with a time and date release and Allu delivered with housefull shows across the hindi belt for the film. Pushpa: The Rise opened to Rs 3cr+ and it was on its way to create history.
Focussed Theatrical Release- Film released in 1450 screens but shows were limited. I was playing it in only one show and similarly across the Hindi belt, it was the same story. The release was also single screen heavy. A focused release helps build great word of mouth in theatres as the correct demographic reaches theatres to watch it. Secondly, watching a mass film in a packed auditorium even accentuates the WOM as compared to watching it in an empty theatre. The seetis and claps do make a psychological impact even on the hardest critics.
Mass Masala Dhamaka - Pushpa: The Rise is the kind of cinema that the Hindi belt yearns for and sorely misses. The multi-genre filmmaking that has action, dialogue-baazi, comedy, songs and a strong emotional core. The film had something for every section of the audience and that’s why it has connected so well. The raw and real approach coupled with larger than life characters reminded many of Amitabh Bachchan starrers of the 70’s (Deewar, Trishul etc). The film also wasn’t a regular star vehicle for Allu, he is known as the stylish star and he was anything but that in this film. The fine balance that the film achieved, helped it connect better with Hindi audiences, thus delivering a sucker punch at the box office. Once, the WOM was established, the film just kept growing at the box office and then it became a phenomenon. An unstoppable one.
All these factors combined, made Pushpa: The Rise a phenomenon and now the film has tipped over and become part of pop culture. Rest assured, Pushpa: The Rule will be one of the hottest films in the hindi belt. 2022 will be the year when most South Indian superstars will enter the Hindi belts, theatrically. Baahubali and KGF may be exceptions, but Pushpa: The Rise has changed the rules of the game and will open the floodgates. It is great news for fans of larger than life masala affairs across the Hindi belts and especially single screen owners like us. I will leave you with a conversation I had with a single screen owner, who had closed his cinema 4 years ago due to losses. He told me that he is opening up his cinema after seeing the success of Pushpa: The Rise and terrific anticipation for ‘RRR’ and he believes that South-Indian films will revive single screens up north. He parted by saying, 'Apna time waapas aa raha hai'.
