Is the action-comedy flick the flavour of the season or is it always a bankable formula at the box office?
In a recent interview to Box Office India, actor Ajay Devgn had said, “Making a good film is a safe bet at the ticket counter. Action and comedy always entertain. But just gags and punches on a villain’s face don’t make a film entertaining. You need to have a base, a good story. Yes, comedy and action enhance the fate of a film.”
Some films make you laugh out loud, others make you cry, while still others impress you with over-the-top action and others have an emotional tale to tell. Thus movies like Ghajini, Dabangg, Bodyguard, Singham, Ready, RA.One, 3 Idiots, Golmaal 3 and Housefull 2 were thorough entertainers. What they had in common was action, comedy or a combination of both.
In addition, some of these films had a few memorable moments too. While Salman Khan’s character of Chulbul Pandey made us laugh with his comic timing and regaled us with action, Shah Rukh Khan as Don impressed us with his sleek and stylish fight sequences. Aamir Khan’s gags and punches in 3 Idiots were hilarious while Ajay Devgn’s fisticuffs in Singham were winners. Hrithik Roshan’s action-packed sequences in Agneepath were raw and looked real, while Akshay Kumar’s comic timing in Housefull 2 made us chuckle.
In their recent films, all these superstars delivered either action or comedy. And let’s not forget, each of these films crossed the Rs 100-crore mark at the box office. Khan’s Ghajini earned a whopping Rs 115 crore, followed by Salman whose Dabangg, Ready and Bodyguard crossed the Rs 100-crore mark too. Ajay Devgn with Golmaal 3 and Singham, Shah Rukh Khan with RA.One and Don 2, and Hrithik Roshan with Agneepath soon became part of this elite club too. The latest entrant is Akshay Kumar with Housefull 2 and his most recent outing Rowdy Rathore is expected to hit the marquee.
So the question to ponder this week is, of all genres, why are action and comedy enjoying more success at the box office? Can the filmmakers now consider these genres a safe bet at the ticket window? We spoke to some industry professionals for their take on the same.
