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Whether it’s the hero’s charisma, the heroine’s charm or the PR machinery doing its job well, the hype created around big-budget films nowadays is commendable and often ensures a great opening. But that doesn’t mean the movie is going to be a big hit in the long run. Neither the star power, nor the publicity can save some flicks from being box office bombs. And the result? An over-hyped flop! <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> has produced a lot of these over-hyped duds and here’s a look at the top of the flops. 
 
1. <keyword id="6593120" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jai-Ho">Jai Ho</keyword> 
This one finally made us doubtful about Brand Salman, well-known for churning out mega hits that rake in big moolah. Although the man himself promoted his film unabashedly almost everywhere, the movie has seen a lukewarm response from Day 1. True, it has managed to enter the 100 crore club, but that’s no big feat for a Salman-starrer. 
 
2. Besharam 
We never had good vibes since the time this flick made its first appearance. Still, we had faith in Ranbir Kapoor. But after the gem called Barfi, the star fell flat on his face in Besharam. There’s not much of a storyline here and the rumours that the female lead was played by the director’s girlfriend also went against the film. 
 
3. Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara Here’s a victim of supreme overconfidence – a sequel that has swanky names and no storyline. While Akshay sucked as the lousy don, <keyword id="14676" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Imran-Khan">Imran Khan</keyword> never looked so artificial. 
 
4. Himmatwala 
Not every remake can be a Devdas. Himmatwala, one of the most anticipated movies of 2013, turned out to be one of the biggest stumbles of the year. Directed by <keyword id="16026" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sajid-Khan">Sajid Khan</keyword>, who had earlier come up with hits like Housefull, and starring a fine actor like <keyword id="6354714" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Ajay-Devgn">Ajay Devgn</keyword>, it should have been a super hit, but came down crashing due to its all-round poor performance. 
 
5. <keyword id="22939" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="boss">Boss</keyword> Just like Salman, <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword> is known to deliver hits, especially after movies such as Special Chabbis, Rowdy Rathore and Khiladi 786 rocked the box office. But the bubble burst when Boss was released. The audacious Akshay didn’t even have a heroine to himself in the film. But then, a bikini-clad Aditi Rao Hydari (romancing someone else) and Akshay Kumar as a Jat were not enough to churn out a hit. 
 
6. Ghanchakkar 
Just when Vidya Balan was thinking to change her name to Vidya Balan ‘Khan’ who could produce a blockbuster every time, Ghanchakkar happened. Considering her earlier releases such as Kahaani and <keyword id="512405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="the-dirty-picture">The Dirty Picture</keyword>, all eyes were on this one but the tanked miserably at the box office. Even Vidya’s unfunny Punju accent couldn’t save it. 
 
7. Nasha India might be the land of Kama Sutra, but when it comes to watching semi-porn movies, we are still not comfortable. Every time the Internet sensation <keyword id="597184" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Poonam-Pandey">Poonam Pandey</keyword> titillated everyone with tweets about her film, Nasha, she added millions of followers. But those virtual fans never made it to the theatre to watch the flick. 
 
8. Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola 
Vishal Bhardwaj is a director whose films are always looked forward to. And his last release was no different except for the fact that the film didn’t impact the audience in the same way as before. 
 
9. Heroine Kareena is the <keyword id="6377522" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="queen">Queen</keyword> Bee of Bollywood while <keyword id="6389563" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Madhur-Bhandarkar">Madhur Bhandarkar</keyword> is a seasoned director. So when the two came together, fireworks were obvious. But to everyone’s surprise, Heroine turned out to be one of the biggest disasters. 
 
Images: Indiatimes

9
Overhyped Bollywood Films That Flopped

Actress Kajol feels that the <keyword id="6357660" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hindi" source="Orion">Hindi</keyword> film industry is one of the most "forward thinking" and progressive industries and <keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword> films not performing well at the box office is just a matter of time. The actress, who is gearing up for her upcoming movie '<keyword id="13149560" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="salaam-venky" source="Orion">Salaam Venky</keyword>', said that the struggle that Hindi films are facing is not just limited to Bollywood but films across the world. The actress told IANS: "I truly believe that our Hindi film industry is one of the most forward-thinking industries and we don't have a choice simply for the fact that a lot of money is riding on it and a lot of stakeholders are involved in Hindi films. It's not just Hindi films that are facing the heat in theatres, films across the world are facing the issue of a low footfall in theatres because the pandemic has triggered a change in the behavioural pattern of the audience." She further mentioned that people are very cautious about visiting crowded places and cinema halls. "I feel it's just a phase and our films will soon bounce back strongly. We, as an industry, are working on it, changing gears and figuring out the way forward at individual levels. I'm sure the individual energies and efforts will combine and put our industry back on track", she said. 'Salaam Venky', directed by <keyword id="38222" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="revathy" source="Orion">Revathy</keyword>, also stars <keyword id="2036429" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="vishal-jethwa" source="Orion">Vishal Jethwa</keyword>, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Prakash Raj and Ahana Kumra in pivotal roles and is set to debut in theatres on December 9, 2022. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ajay-devgns-drishyam-2-crosses-rs-150-crore-mark/articleshow/95883393.cms">Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 2 crosses Rs 150 crore mark</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/queer-lawyer-requests-cji-for-gender-inclusive-appearance-slips-in-courts/articleshow/95884405.cms">Queer lawyer requests CJI for gender-inclusive appearance slips in courts</a>

Bollywood films failing is a phase, our films will bounce back strongly: Kajol

<ul><li>India produces the largest number of <keyword id="681" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="film">film</keyword>s in a year but the value of its film industry only puts it at the fifth position globally at $1.9 billion.</li><li>Only 30-35% of India’s population has access to movies when they are released with a ratio of only eight cinema screens per million.</li><li>The film industry has to choose between whether to double down on increasing infrastructure and putting up more cinema screens, or taking advantage of premium video-on-demand platforms.</li></ul>‘Sanju’, ‘Padmaavat’, ‘2.0’ and, surprisingly, even ‘Race 3’ were the highest grossing <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> films in the year 2018. As a whole, India produces the <a href="https://www.dailypioneer.com/2018/vivacity/disruptive-reels.html">largest number</a> of films in the world — but a large section of its population doesn’t have access to theatres to cinema screens. According to the <a href="http://ficci.in/spdocument/22949/FICCI-study1-frames-2018.pdf">FICCI Frames Report</a> 2018, India only has 8,530 cinema screens in the country compared to over 40,000 in, both, China and the United States. The stark difference may be one the major reasons why India only has the fifth largest film industry in the world worth $1.9 billion, while the United States and China rule the top two spots worth $11.4 billion and $6.6 billion respectively. Living in tier-I cities like Mumbai and Delhi, it might not be so noticeable but India is one the most under-penetrated markets with an average of only eight screens per million. And, the truth is that the larger proportion of the population lives in tier-II, tier-III and tier-IV cities — without ample access to cinema screens. That means only around 30-35% of the country’s people have access to catch the biggest films when they hit the box office. The question becomes should India focus on the potential of 23,000 cinema screens that could potentially be put up — or is the <a href="https://mashable.com/2017/04/04/movies-theaters-dying-cinemacon-pvod/#WkyAVXKlBPqX">culture of cinema dying</a> after the disruption caused by video-on-demand or OTT platforms? An opportunity for OTT Sure, there’s space for cinema houses and OTT platforms to co-exist for a while but the doomsday clock has already started to countdown. The number of cinemas in the country has actually <a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/companies/news-movie-theatres-in-india-are-shrinking-even-as-ticket-sales-rise-17800">fallen</a> from around 12,000 to 9,500. Putting up new cinema screens requires time, investment and whole lot of infrastructure — and even then it’s a famine or feast kind of deal, where things could honestly go either way. But since mobile penetration has reached new heights and a large section of the population has access to some kind of smartphone, there’s potential for OTT platforms to make their mark. When you’re talking about OTT platforms, it’s not just about Amazon Prime Video or Netflix — it’s also about the local players like Voot, Hotstart, Viu, Sony LIV, Eros Now, ZEE5, BigFlix and AltBalaji. The average price of a movie ticket in India around ₹239 rupees, while the a subscription to Amazon Prime Video is a mere ₹129. On Hotstar and Voot, premium content such as new films and international shows are priced a monthly subscription of ₹200. In fact, subscription revenues for networks this year were favourably impacted by the increased adoption of subscription to OTT platforms according to the FICCI report. The report estimates that by 2020, there will be almost four million digital only consumers that can generate subscription revenues of upto ₹20 billion. Films like ‘Andhadun’, ‘Gold’, ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Raazi’ were available on the platforms within weeks of their release. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/independencedayspecial-lets-take-a-look-at-indias-cinematic-heritage/articleshow/48481894.cms">#IndependenceDaySpecial: Let’s take a look at India’s cinematic heritage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lord-of-the-screen-how-pvr-is-innovating-to-stay-ahead/articleshow/39341958.cms">Lord Of The Screen: How PVR Is Innovating To Stay Ahead</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/netflix-is-pushing-back-against-a-legal-petition-seeking-the-removal-of-an-unflattering-reference-to-an-assassinated-indian-prime-minister-in-sacred-games-its-first-indian-original-series/articleshow/65327640.cms">Netflix is pushing back against a legal petition seeking the removal of an unflattering reference to an assassinated Indian Prime Minister in 'Sacred Games,' its first Indian original series</a>

India produces the largest number of films in the world — But a large section of its population still doesn’t have access to cinema screens

(Photo Source: youtube.com/@Dharmaproductions) <ul><li>The Cellular Operators Association of India wants to ban the Bollywood sci-fi film “2.0” just a day before its release, accusing the film of spreading the wrong message about the use of mobile phones and mobile towers. </li><li>The <keyword id="6373028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="COAI">COAI</keyword> said that the content of the film is “defamatory” as it portrays the adverse impact of mobile phones and towers on humans, birds, and the environment. </li><li>Every person with a cell phone is a ‘murderer,’ Bollywood actor <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>’s character is seen saying in the film’s teaser. </li></ul>Bollywood stars and filmmakers are no stranger to protests before film releases. But a sci-fi Bollywood film “2.0,” which just released, is facing resistance from an unusual place. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a trade body representing mobile India’s phone makers and mobile operators, wants a ban on the film that stars Bollywood veteran actors <keyword id="16227" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnikanth">Rajnikanth</keyword> and Akshay Kumar because it promotes negative attitudes towards mobile phones. COAI has asked India’s Central Board of Film Certification, which regulates India’s films, to revoke its certificate for provoking “obscurantist and anti-scientific attitudes towards the mobile phone, towers, and mobile services, ”The Indian Express <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/2-0-mobile-phone-operators-5467801/">reported</a>. In a letter to the board, the trade body reportedly accused the film of promoting ‘defamatory’ content including mentions that mobile phones and mobile towers were harmful for human, birds and the environment. It also reportedly said in a statement that the film’s content may spread misinformation that would create unfounded fear and mass paranoia. It also alleged that it violated many sections of the Indian Penal Code, Mint <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/r3bf8SS4LYMhfdaIMrj5rN/Rajinikanth-Akshay-Kumar-20-film-movie-screening-trailer.html">reported</a>, citing the statement. The association appeared to have taken issue with Kumar’s character saying in the film’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qOl_7qfPOM">teaser</a> that every person with a cell phone is a ‘murderer.’ The trade association counts Indian mobile service providers Jio, Vodafone-Idea, and Airtel among its members, according to its website.

India's telecom trade body wants to ban Bollywood sci-fi film ‘2.0’ for promoting negative attitudes towards mobile phones

NEW YORK - It was a night of glitz and glamour at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, as the sporting venue - home of the New York Jets and the New York Giants - transformed into a colorful carnival for the International Indian Film Academy's (IIFA) annual awards ceremony.The IIFA Awards, also known as the Oscars of Bollywood, are held at a new international destination every year, with New York City (technically New Jersey) playing host for the first time. It was the second time that the awards came to the US, however, with Tampa being a venue back in 2014.For the uninitiated, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world, producing between 1,500 and 2,000 films a year in more than 20 languages. It is expected to reach over $3.7 billion in revenue by 2020, according to a study by Deloitte.Bollywood is the colloquial name for the Hindi film industry, which dominates the Indian film industry and contributes 43% of its revenue. It gets its name from its center and birthplace, the city of Mumbai, previously called Bombay.You may think you got a taste of Bollywood from the 2008 production "Slumdog Millionaire," but the British drama doesn't even come close. Bollywood films are three hour-long extravaganzas, with an eclectic mix of dance, music, and high-octane drama.Saturday's event was nothing less - a five-hour fest replete with sets of awards, energetic dance performances, and stand-up comedy acts. IIFA itself was a four-day event beyond the awards ceremony, featuring a music concert IIFA Rocks and a fashion show at Times Square among a whole host of other activities.Here's what it was like:

We went to the Oscars of Bollywood, a 5-hour extravaganza of glamorous stars, glitzy dances, and 25,000 crazed fans

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 5 (ANI): Every year, Teacher's Day is celebrated on September 5. It's a day dedicated to teachers and the role they play in shaping their students' lives. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of scholar and Bharat Ratna recipient Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on this day in 1888. He was the first Vice President of the independent India (1952-1962). He was also the second President of India from 1962 to 1967. The bond that every student shares with their mentors is always special, as our teachers are the ones who show us the right direction. And when it comes to showcasing the student-teacher bond, Bollywood is no less. Over the years, several filmmakers have made films that beautifully showcased this bond. Take a look. 1. <keyword id="153248" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="super-30" source="Orion">Super 30</keyword> In 'Super 30' Hrithik Roshan played the role of Anand Kumar, a mathematician who mentors underprivileged students to help them crack the prestigious IIT entrance exams. Helmed by Vikas Bahl the film also starred Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Tripathi and received positive responses from the audience. 2. <keyword id="6663651" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="taare-zameen-par" source="Orion">Taare Zameen Par</keyword> Talking about the student-teacher bond, how can we miss Aamir Khan's directorial film 'Taare Zameena Par'? It is the story of a dyslexic child and his art teacher who helps him overcome his learning difficulties. Released in the year 2007 the film received massive responses from the audience. 3. <keyword id="4227589" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hichki" source="Orion">Hichki</keyword> Starring actor RMukerji in the lead roles, 'Hichki' explores her efforts to connect with her students and help them overcome their own challenges. Rani portrayed the role of a teacher with Tourette syndrome who takes on the challenge of teaching a class of underprivileged students. 4. <keyword id="6368377" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="black" source="Orion">Black</keyword> Helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film starred Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles and received positive reviews from the critics as well as the audience. The film is about the relationship between a blind and deaf girl and her teacher, who helps her break the barriers of her disabilities. 5. <keyword id="15095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iqbal" source="Orion">Iqbal</keyword> 'Iqbal' is a heartwarming film that revolves around a deaf and mute aspiring cricketer and his mentor. The teacher role is played by Naseeruddin Shah, who guides him in pursuing his dreams of playing for the Indian cricket team. (ANI)

Teacher's Day Special: Bollywood films that showcase student-mentor bond

<ul><li><keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword> needs to take a leaf out of Hollywood’s script and focus on content and VFX.</li><li>Occupancy levels are still nowhere near pre-Covid levels as Bollywood number of films releasing are fewer and reliance on Big Budget films has increased.</li><li>Box office collections in Q2 will determine whether earnings of listed multiplex stocks will be upgraded or not. </li></ul> The pandemic is well and truly behind us but footfalls at movie theatres are still nowhere near pre-Covid levels. While the easiest explanation is that web series are giving tough competition to the moviemakers but that is not the entire story. In Bollywood parlance, “picture abhi baaki hai”. <keyword id="5672816" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karan-taurani" source="Orion">Karan Taurani</keyword> of <keyword id="144995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elara-capital" source="Orion">Elara Capital</keyword> has a prescription for Bollywood if it wants to bring the audiences back to theatres so that occupancy levels revert to pre-Covid levels. No remakes, please, is the first big piece of advice he has for Bollywood. In a report, he says VFX-driven films, franchise- &amp; IP-based films) and original stories (no remake) would be the key solution for defining success of Hindi content toward pre-Covid levels. The formula that Hollywood is using is clearly working - IP and franchise-led films are the order of the day as they are innovating. One just needs to look at Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise and the Top Gun sequel had industry pundits billing him as the saviour of Hollywood. Bollywood is taking steps in the same direction and Taurani cites the examples of Rocky Aur Rani (original story), <keyword id="1847504" type="General" weightage="60" keywordseo="gadar-2" source="Orion">Gadar 2</keyword> (franchise), OMG 2 (franchise) and <keyword id="6363925" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jawan" source="Orion">Jawan</keyword> (original story). However, the key ingredient in all these movies is big star power. Like it or not, the ageing Khans, <keyword id="6354714" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ajay-devgn" source="Orion">Ajay Devgn</keyword> and <keyword id="2823" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="akshay-kumar" source="Orion">Akshay Kumar</keyword> are not going anywhere near the sunset. Another problem is also that the pandemic has possibly affected the pipeline of movies hitting theatres. Prior to the pandemic, Bollywood saw 18 releases (FY19) every quarter which is now down to 14 films (FY23). This has also increased Bollywood’s dependence on big budget films like <keyword id="12756474" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pathaan" source="Orion">Pathaan</keyword>. Adds Taurani, “These films doing well on a consistent basis will remain a key monitorable as they will command a large chunk of box office until we trend reverse into small and medium budget films or higher frequency therein.” While big may be beautiful, the risks are higher for these expensive films. Bollywood cannot afford to let them bomb, which also means that the films have to have good content not just star power. The jury will be out on listed multiplex stocks as the second quarter of the financial year, which started in July, will determine if the companies will see an earnings upgrade or not.

Analyst’s prescription for Bollywood: Focus on star power & content

<ul><li>Thappad starring <keyword id="699893" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taapsee-Pannu">Taapsee Pannu</keyword> witnessed a 35% growth in box office collection at ₹6.50 crore. </li><li>The total collection of the film now stands at ₹14 crore. </li><li>In order to sustain the film needs to maintain the business on Monday as well, according to Box office India. </li><li>Most of the films have garnered box office collections much below expectations. </li><li>Popular releases such as "Chhapaak", "Panga", and "Street Dancer 3D” failed to woo people. </li></ul>Thappad starring Taapsee Pannu witnessed a 35% growth in box office collection at ₹6.50 crore on Sunday alone. The film saw a low-key opening of ₹3.07 crore on Friday, its first day of release, in the domestic market despite excellent reviews and positive word of mouth. The total collection of the film now stands at ₹14 crore. In order to sustain the film needs to maintain the business on Monday as well, according to Box office India. The film saw an increase in footfalls in New Delhi, East Punjab, Gurugram, and Faridabad. “The biggest plus for Thappad is a high ratio of business from Delhi NCR which holds strongly on Monday. If Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore can sustain as well then the film should do well,” <a href="https://www.boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=5971">reported Box office India. </a> <div type="twitter" handle="taran_adarsh" handlename="taran adarsh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1440352704/profile_pic_taran_normal.jpg" favoritecount="5089" retweetcount="224" status="#Thappad jumps on Day 2... Occupancy at metros - target audience - witnesses substantial growth... Needs to maintai… https://t.co/nNf4AJ0kXl" createdat="1583042448000" id="1233995583280558081"></div>

 <div type="twitter" handle="taran_adarsh" handlename="taran adarsh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1440352704/profile_pic_taran_normal.jpg" favoritecount="17350" retweetcount="1258" status="#OneWordReview... #Thappad: POWERFUL. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Anubhav Sinha makes a strong statement yet again. #Thappad a… https://t.co/9xgEl2C3J8" createdat="1582777185000" id="1232882990511869952"></div>

 Thappad — starring Pavail Gulati, Dia Mirza, Ram Kapoor along — highlights how Indian society has normalised the concept of domestic violence. It focuses on a woman's self-respect in a relationship, and how it has been compromised over the ages owing to a certain conditioning of the mind in a patriarchal society. It has received liking from many film stars and politicians including <keyword id="710" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonam-Kapoor">Sonam Kapoor</keyword> and Smriti Irani. Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor praised the film and called Taapsee “a clutter breaker.” Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani has given a shout-out to Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu's upcoming film "Thappad" Thapad isn’t the only Bollywood film to get a slow start. Most of the Bollywood films have tanked with <keyword id="6354714" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ajay-devgn">Ajay Devgn</keyword>'s "Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior" as the only exception, reported koimoi.com. While Tanhaji raked ₹276.9 crore till date, the only 2020 release that saw decent earnings is "Malang", which made a business of ₹58.04 crore till date. Most of the films have garnered box office collections much below expectations. Popular releases such as "Chhapaak", "Panga", "Street Dancer 3D", "Jawaani Jaaneman", "Shikara", "Love Aaj Kal", "Jai Mummy Di", "Bhangra Paa Le", "Hacked", "<keyword id="8013796" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Happy-Hardy">Happy Hardy</keyword> Aur Heer", "Gul Makai" and "Shimla Mirchi" failed to woo the audience. (with agency inputs) See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ayushman-khurrana-wins-hearts-with-shubh-mangal-zyada-saavdhan-eyes-30-crore-in-3-days/articleshow/74277011.cms">Ayushman Khurrana wins hearts with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan — eyes ₹30 crore in 3 days</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/watch-these-vintage-90s-shows-on-hotstar-sony-liv-and-other-streaming-platforms/articleshow/74393825.cms">Watch these vintage 90s shows on Hotstar, Sony Liv and other streaming platforms</a>

After a slow start, Thappad earns ₹14 crore and excellent reviews in three days

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Hope ProductionsActor Akshay Kumar on the set of "Padman," an upcoming Bollywood film that aims to increase access to sanitary products for women and girls.</div></div></div><ul><li>Akshay Kumar - one of the biggest names in Bollywood - will play the lead role in "Padman," a movie inspired by the true story of a man who invented a low-cost device to make sanitary pads for women and girls in his village.</li><li>The film aims to remove the stigma around periods.</li><li>Kumar told Business Insider that he believes entertainment can normalize taboo subjects in a way that other mediums can't.</li></ul>Around the world, <a href="https://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/helping-women-and-girls-period/">millions</a> of low-income women and girls do not have access to sanitary pads or tampons. As a result, many miss or drop out of school, stunting economic opportunities down the line and reinforcing taboos around menstruation.The issue is especially prevalent in rural India. In <a href="http://www.nielsen.com/in/en/insights/reports/2016/breaking-the-menstruation-taboo.html">a 2016 Nielsen survey</a>, 93% of girls in Bihar and Jharkhand, India - rural states in the country - said they miss one to two school days every month during menstruation on average.An upcoming Bollywood film called "Padman" aims to help remove the stigma around periods. One of the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2017/08/30/bollywoods-highest-paid-2017-meet-10-indian-actors-making-bank/#42e5d2eda0d5">most famous actors in Bollywood</a>, Akshay Kumar, plays social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham - the lead role in the film, which is inspired by a true story.Known as "India's Menstrual Man," Muruganantham invented a machine that could produce low-cost sanitary pads for women and girls in the early 2000s. The machine - <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978">which he is working to expand to 106 countries</a> - can make pads for less than a third of the price of ones by commercial brands.In an interview with Business Insider, Kumar said he believes that movies (and entertainment in general) can be a powerful way to turn the tide on taboos."I didn't want to make a documentary," he said. "I wanted to make a commercial film so people can see it. It's a film you can take your children to, even though it talks about sanitary pads. It's a universal subject. Nobody has ever tried to touch this subject."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Hope ProductionsActors Sonam Kapoor (left) and Akshay Kumar (right) on the set of "Padman," an upcoming Bollywood film.</div></div></div>Twinkle Khanna, who is married to Kumar and serves as one of the film's producers, said that "Padman" is a story about an innovation that improved the lives of women."I was immediately gripped by the story of this man on two levels. One, because it was about menstruation; and two, because it was a story about somebody who persevered against everything, who lost his wife, who was ostracized from his village. He did not give up."She adds that "Padman" seeks to alleviate the burden of shame that comes from having a period in India. It's uncertain whether the film will achieve the ambitious goal of normalizing menstruation, but a huge name like Kumar could make that more likely."Padman" is set to release worldwide on January 26. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-addict-switches-google-pixel-2-android-phone-2017-11">I've been an iPhone user for 10 years - here's what happened when I switched to the Google Pixel 2 for a week</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "bollywood films" and got 9 results

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