THE BATTLE OF BUDGETS

Ranbir Kapoor is currently busy promoting his film, Brahmastra which has already reached a success that not many films could achieve in this tumultuous year. But there are many who are still sceptical about its performance at the box office and question if the figures that the film has made are worthy enough to be called successful. Even actor Kangana Ranaut stated how could a film made on the budget of Rs 650 crores be called a hit so soon. She also expressed her desire to interview the film's producer, Karan Johar. Many have raised questions about the numbers that are being shown by the filmmakers. The Ayan Mukerji directorial recently reached Rs 300 crore, making it the most successful movie of 2022, even surpassing Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files. The director too had questions about the actual numbers gained by the makers and if it has actually garnered the success that the makers are boasting about.

He tweeted about it while q u e s t i o n i n g how they were able to beat The Kashmir Files and stated that it may have been due to paid PR and influencers. His tweet stated, “Hahahaha. I don’t know how they beat #TheKashmirFiles…with sticks, rods, hockey… or AK47 or stones…. Or with paid PR and influencers? Let Bollywood films c o m p e t e with each other. Leave us alone. I am not in that dumb race. Thanks. #NotBollywood.”

Now, in a recent interview, Ranbir Kapoor addressed these issues that have divided the internet. Revealing that the budget numbers that are floating on the internet are more than true, the actor said, “These days, we are reading that a lot of people are discussing the budget of the film . That the budget of Brahmastra is this much, recovery is that much. But Brahmastra is something unique, its budget is not just for this one film but for the whole trilogy.” He further revealed that Brahmastra being heavy on VF, does not follow the usual economics of a film and rather required the makers to invest in ‘assets’ that will be used throughout the franchise. He said, “The assets we have made for this film, be it fire or any other superpower, will be divided into three films. So, the figures (for this film) that are floating around are wrong. The film doesn’t follow the same economics as other movies in the industry. This is a new beast.” Now whether the film’s numbers are true to itself or not is something that only the makers know. But what does not change the fact is that even through all the trolling and memes, Brahmastra has had a good response in the theatres. It depends on the next film in the Astraverse to deem this project successful or not.