The industry is finally getting a positive Friday after several underwhelming ones, with Tere Ishk Mein positioned for a solid start. The Dhanush – Kriti Sanon starrer musical love story is carrying good advances, putting it on course for a double-digit opening day. Depending on the last day surge and movement in current, it could get closer to Rs. 15 crore even. The film also has a Tamil dubbed version, with the lead being a star locally, but the advances there are slow, though it may see a pick on the day.
The actor-director duo gave a HIT film in 2013, Raanjhaanaa, which had strong appreciation for both the film and music. Interestingly, Tere Ishk Mein originated as a conceptual sequel to Raanjhanaa, though that idea was eventually dropped, likely due to rights constraints. Had the sequel connection remained, the opening could have been even stronger. Even though the film isn’t a sequel or in any way associated with that film officially, there may still be some association in the audience’s mind that might be helping here.
The film is a potential HIT from the opening alone. The director style is of hatke love stories set in heartland, with which he gave three notable hits last decade, but since then, he has seen a few misses, including a big one with Zero. As such, the film needs the stamp of approval from audiences to secure the HIT.
This year has seen three surprise HITs, including one huge one in the musical love story genre. Neither of them boasted of face value but were entirely driven by hit music. Although this film has two known faces in the lead, they aren’t stars to say so, which means even here, it’s the music that is pushing. The importance of music in Hindi cinema cannot be overstated. The fall in business in the last decade or so can be to some extent attributed to a fall in music quality as well. It is fitting that in challenging times, it is music that is leading the revival, offering the industry an opportunity to relearn and recalibrate
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