Since Diwali is a festival of prosperity and good fortune, several filmmakers in Bollywood tap the day by releasing their films on the Diwali weekend.
It would not be wrong to say that each year, Bollywood filmmakers, actors and the audience look forward to the Diwali film releases. And why not? The audience is in a festive mode during this time and it is considered a safe, and lucky period for releasing films.
In fact, during the occasion of prosperity and luck, several filmmakers have seen their projects raking in moolah when they dropped their releases on the festive weekend. This year too, big-ticket films such as Akshay Kumar’s ‘Ram Setu’ and Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra starrer ‘Thank God’ are lined-up for release.
But before that, let’s take a look at some of the biggest and all-time blockbusters that released on Diwali and minted huge money at the box-office:
‘Sooryavanshi’
In 2019, Rohit Shetty's cop universe film, the action-entertainer ‘Sooryavanshi’ with Akshay Kumar as the lead was being looked forward to due to multiple reasons. The film not only was the first Bollywood release after the Covid pandemic, it also had the burden of getting things back to normal in the theatre. The film, made on the budget of Rs 200 crores, collected around Rs 294 crores at the worldwide box office.
‘Krrish 3’
The third instalment of the superhero sci-fi franchise, which was released on November 1, 2013, broke several box-office records. The Hrithik Roshan starrer, made on a budget of Rs 95 crores, collected Rs 394 crores at the worldwide box office.
‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’
Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, the film was the last directorial of renowned filmmaker Yash Chopra. It was released on November 12, 2012, and battled at the box-office with Ajay Devgn's ‘Son of Sardaar. Made on a budget of Rs 78 crores, it collected Rs 235 crores at the box-office.
‘Golmaal 3’
The third instalment of Rohit Shetty's hit franchise, which released on November 10, 2010, starred Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi among others. During the Diwali period, the film was a huge success and minted Rs 169 crores at the worldwide box office.
‘Om Shanti Om’
Last but not the least, the Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal starrer, which released during the festive period of Diwali in November 2007, impressed the audience and critics alike. Made on a budget of around Rs 40 crores, it raked in Rs 148 crores.
Way to go forward
Now during the Diwali festive period of 2022, all eyes are set on ‘Thank God’ and ‘Ram Setu’. As cinema halls gear up for Diwali, the audience and the filmmakers are now hoping that these films would help cash registers ringing. It is also so because the last two years made stakeholders suffer huge losses, and if these films work well, they can cover up those.
Not just that, the Covid-19 restrictions have now been lifted, so audiences can easily be attracted to the theatres. However, if the clash of two major Bollywood stars will be a disadvantage or not, still remains to be seen.
Not just Bollywood, a few much-awaited releases are expected in the south film industry too. These include ‘Monster’, a Malayalam film starring Mohanlal, ‘Padavettu’, Malayalam action thriller by debutante Liju Krishna, and ‘Sardar’, starring Karthi in a dual role.