Mumbai:
Going by the fate of most movies this year, it's evident that it's not easy to get the audiences to the cinema halls. While the biggest stars have failed to attract the crowds, it's the smaller films that have done well in 2017. As we all know Kangana Ranaut is back in the news, which often means a release around the corner. And she does - her film
Simran, directed by Hansal Mehta, releases today. Kangana has been in the news not just for
Simran but also for her much-publicized falling out with Hrithik Roshan - a story that refuses to die down. The actress has used most platforms available to her to talk about the controversy. Apparently, Kangana was waiting to talk about it and what better time than the release week? By pouring her heart out on TV show
Aap Ki Adalat, Kangana Ranaut got the eyeballs she wanted. The interview went viral as the actress spoke about
Hrithik Roshan,
Aditya Pancholi, and
Adhyayan Suman - all of whom she reportedly dated.
Kangana did quite a few interviews, and the tone in most of these was the same. A lot of people, including
Simran director
Hansal Mehta, are blaming the media for bringing Kangana's personal issues into the limelight. In this report, Hansal says, "Why every time she is on a public platform one asks her about her personal life? She is not somebody who will back out from speaking about anything that is asked to her. She bares her soul. (I) don't see it as publicity."
I do know for a fact that
Kangana Ranaut wants to talk about Hrithik Roshan, she made sure that she was asked questions about Hrithik in these interviews. Trust me on one thing, and I have been interviewing stars for 17 years now, nobody can make celebrities talk about something that they don't wish to talk. Having said that, no one is saying she shouldn't speak out, she should if she wants to. Technically, what Hansal is saying is true, she is only answering questions she is being asked - but what no one is saying is that she is also making sure that the questions include ones about Hrithik Roshan. In an interview with
News 18, Kangana Ranaut looks into the camera and says "I am going to clarify to everyone who asks me about it." With this, the message going out to every journalist is, ask me and I will tell you!
But to give credit to the actress,
Simran is in the news. People have known for weeks that a Kangana Ranaut film is going to release. It's a daunting task for an actor to achieve this and Kangana singlehandedly has done that. Also, she needs it. With three of her last films -
Rangoon (2017),
Katti Batti (2015) and
I Love NY (2015) - being washouts, Kangana wants this one to work. Her last hit was
Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), and before that she had three other flops -
Ungli (2014),
Revolver Rani (2014), and
Rajjo (2013).
Going by the fate of Salman Khan's
Tubelight and Shah Rukh Khan
Jab Harry Met Sejal, both well publicized films, moviegoers now wisely choose content over propaganda and publicity. I have seen
Simran. Hansal Mehta has made a very decent film, and Kangana Ranaut once again gets into the skin of her character. She has performed extremely well. They don't recreate the
Queen magic that she and Vikas Bahl conjured up, but this one is good.
So they have a good film on hand led by an actor who makes headlines at the drop of a hat. This does look like a winning combination, but moviegoers have a mind of their own. Will moviegoers hit the cinemas as they did during
Queen and
Tanu Weds Manu Returns or will they stay away as they did during
Revolver Rani and
Rajjo? Weekend numbers will answer all the questions.
(Rohit Khilnani is a senior entertainment journalist based in Mumbai, he is also the author of the book I Hate Bollywood. Information about box-office collections and whereabouts of films stars is at the back of his hand. He starts and ends his day by taking his dog, for walks)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.