In Chennai, the re-release of superhits like Vaaranam Aayiram, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Kushi, Vinnaithandi Varuvaayaa and Ghilli in 2024 noticed audiences flocking to theatres to get pleasure from these much-watched flicks on the silver display screen. The truth is, a few of these movies did significantly better on the field workplace than some new movies that had been launched. The pattern of re-release of outdated movies appears to have additionally caught on now in Bollywood with movies like Maine Pyar Kiya, Gangs of Wasseypur, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM) and Jab We Met creating a giant buzz. Followers had been extraordinarily excited and took to social media to specific their happiness in catching these cult classics as soon as once more.
Nostalgia For The Win
One of many largest the reason why movies that had been launched a decade or two again are working nicely on the field workplace on re-release is the nostalgia issue. Many of those movies are watched by Gen Z, who may need been college youngsters when these movies had been initially launched. Catching these classics with their buddies takes them to a world they hadn’t skilled earlier. The songs from all these yesteryear superhit movies play incessantly on the radio and folks nonetheless benefit from the music right now.
Take RHTDM as an example. The film grew to become a cult traditional when it was launched, because of the high-quality performances of R. Madhavan and Dia Mirza and the melodious songs that stole the hearts of the viewers. One social media person wrote about RHTDM’s re-release, “That is nice information! Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein is a traditional Bollywood movie with some superb songs. I am certain it is going to be a nostalgic expertise to look at it on the massive display screen once more.”
Madhavan, when requested in regards to the re-release of the movie lately, mentioned in an interview, “This was a movie that was launched 23 years in the past and it had not been a box-office success then, although it afterward grew to become an iconic movie. However what was shocking is the truth that the movie is now out there on YouTube, on a number of OTT channels and has been on tv virtually twice each week since its launch. So, it has been considered many instances over, regardless of which I used to be actually shocked to see the quantity of people that got here to see the movie on the primary weekend and it is extremely good to know that among the work you’ve got performed has stood the check of time for over twenty years.”
Few Movies In The Pipeline
The Indian movie trade has undergone a variety of change. Viewers tastes have developed too for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic. The discharge cycle of movies has undergone a shift and with many new big-budget flicks not doing nicely on the field workplace, producers and distributors appear to have placed on their pondering caps to make sure theatres get a gradual stream of content material and so they can rake in some cash as nicely. Nitin Datar, President of the Cinema Homeowners and Exhibitors Affiliation of India, informed PTI, “The response to re-released movies has been typically good. I hope this pattern continues as a result of it is serving to the exhibition trade to have interaction with the viewers in another way. Exhibitors are reeling below losses because the newly-released movies are usually not interesting to individuals.”
There are additionally fewer new movie releases within the pipeline. This has been aided by social media and in quite a few instances, decrease ticket costs as nicely. Some movie distributors additionally consider that just a few movies launched previously had been a lot forward of their time, which is why they did not work. However their re-releases are doing wonders on the field workplace now. Gangs of Wasseypur, as an example, did not do as anticipated and commerce analysts on the time felt it was because of the crass content material and language within the movie. Nevertheless, the movie was a traditional due to its progressive soundtrack and storytelling. Although it wasn’t in a position to join with the viewers, the film grew to become a turning level in Hindi cinema. Immediately, it’s celebrated as probably the greatest works within the Hindi movie trade and has discovered its place within the annals of Indian cinema. Then once more, such re-releases appear to be working solely in multiplexes and and concrete India, slightly than rural areas.
On the finish of the day, as a lot because the viewers likes watching movies on their laptops or TV screens, the theatrical expertise is unbeatable. Having fun with an outdated movie in a theatre whereas singing the songs, sipping on a drink and munching popcorn is a cherished reminiscence. That is the nostalgia Indian multiplexes are banking on proper now.
(The writer is a senior leisure journalist and movie critic)
Disclaimer: These are the private opinions of the writer
