WILL THE DIPLOMAT EMERGE AS A SURPRISE SUCCESS?

Tomorrow will see the release of the John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat which is the first major release after Chhaava, that released exactly a month ago. Besides John, the film also stars Sadia Khateeb of Raksha Bandhan fame and is based on a true story. It is directed by Shivam Nair and was shot way back in 2022.

The film’s subject has caught attention but the excitement to see it is very minimal. The pre-release reports, thankfully, are very strong. It's arriving on the day of Holi which is a good day to release a film. Though many cinemas are shut until 4:00 pm, the business can still be huge as a major chunk of moviegoers come out to watch films in the evening. With Holi falling on a Friday this time, even the night shows will be strong as the next day is a holiday.

Looking at these factors, The Diplomat should open at around Rs. 2 crores. If all goes well, the collections will jump to Rs. 3 crores. If the public reports are positive, then it’ll have a big jump on Saturday and then it’ll all be about Monday being as good as Friday. Even a minimal drop from the first day will still be enough for the film to excel.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is also Aamir Khan’s 60th birthday and hence, a film festival will be held on this joyous occasion. As many as 20 films will be up for re-release like 3 Idiots, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Andaz Apna Apna, Dangal, Dhoom 3, Dil, Dil Chahta Hai, Fanaa, Ghajini, Ghulam, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Laal Singh Chaddha, Lagaan, PK, Raja Hindustani, Rang De Basanti, Sarfarosh, Taare Zameen Par and Talaash. Namastey London will also re-release tomorrow. There’s not much hope from these films but 3 Idiots, Dil Chahta Hai and Rang De Basanti should hopefully pull the audiences to cinemas.