‘Content is King’, is the statement that we often hear in film industry. It is logical and valid, but not as proven as ‘Controversy is King’. There are occasions when even content-driven films failed at box office, but it has been proved time and again that the films that engulf in ‘controversies’ before release, strike gold at box office without a fail.
Recently released historical magnum opus, ‘Padmaavat’ (Padmavati earlier) is the latest and perfect example for the postulate – Controversy is King. No film in the recent times had to undergo as much labor pain as Padmaavat did to have a theatrical release. After its release now, the film is shattering box office records of Bollywood both in India and overseas.
The makers had set aside Rs 30 Cr for promoting this 180 Cr visual spectacle in a big way, but they didn’t have to spend much of it since the controversy itself brought more attention to the film than what the 30 Cr could have brought.
The never ending controversies have piqued the interest of movie goers to find out what controversial content the film really deals with. This curiosity translated to footfalls in theatres, and moolah in producer’s bank account. Especially in overseas, Padmaavat is performing much better than current BO topper, Aamir Khan’s “Dangal”.
Last year’s Tamil biggie, “Mersal” too faced severe controversies post its release. And the result is a blockbuster despite weak talk. “Arjun Reddy” also indulged in a big controversy before release and we know what a big hit the film became at box office.
Several films including the aforementioned ones in the recent times have proved that controversies assure gold at box office, and the success of a film is proportional to the scale of controversy it gets entangled in.