Actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das recently fired back at a social media user who labeled him and Diljit Dosanjh as ‘mediocre artists’ and ‘useful idiots’. In his response, Vir embraced the term ‘conspiracy nuts’ with humor and said, “I love conspiracy nuts. I also love the insinuation that one has suddenly been propped up. I sell tickets; so does Diljit.” 

A user recently took to X to question the sudden rise in popularity of Vir Das and Diljit Dosanjh, suggesting their newfound fame is part of a larger agenda to undermine India’s global standing. The tweet accused the two artists of being ‘mediocre’ and implied they were ‘propped up’ due to connections with high-profile celebrities and appearances at major events. The user pointed out how Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Diljit at his concert, referring to him as ‘the guy from Punjab’ rather than India. The tweet further claimed that both artists have become ‘useful Idiots’, implying they play a role in diminishing India’s soft power by associating with Pakistani artists and promoting divisive narratives.

The tweet gained traction and caught the attention of Vir Das, who quickly responded. He expressed his amusement, stating that he appreciates ‘conspiracy nuts’ and finds it amusing how some suggest that his success and Diljit Dosanjh’s are due to being ‘propped up’. “I sell tickets, and so does Diljit. I personally pay rental for every venue I book across the world, and go directly to audiences who are kind enough to come see me,” he added. 

After decent results in the first half of 2024 at the box office, the Hindi film industry saw a slump in business in the third quarter of the year with just one clean hit through the three-month period. The first release of the quarter was the action-packed thriller, Kill, which earned around Rs 25 crore in India, emerging as an average success. The results were fine for a non-star cast film with Lakshya and Raghav Juyal, as Kill showed good legs at the box-office due to positive word of mouth in the urban centres.

Next in the line was Akshay Kumar-led Sarfira, which ended with a disappointing business of Rs 22.50 crore in India. It faced a disastrous outcome at the box office primarily due to the remake factor, as the audience had no interest to watch the film on the big screen. Next in the line was the Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri-led Bad Newz, which opened to a good response due to the chartbuster number – Tauba Tauba – and ended up being a mid-level success with a lifetime box office of Rs 63.25 crore. The film pushed itself to the successful club due to good results in the opening weekend, as the trend post that was not-so-impressive.

Neeraj Pandey’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha with Ajay Devgn and Tabu released on August 2 and the film ended up being a disaster of epic proportions with lifetime business under the Rs 10 crore mark. The Janhvi Kapoor starrer Ulajh also released on the same date and turned out to be an equally big disaster. The Independence Day weekend saw a 3-way clash between Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein, and Vedaa.

While Stree 2 ran a one-horse race to emerge an All Time Blockbuster, Khel Khel Mein proved to be a flop venture and Vedaa ended up being a theatrical disaster. Stree 2 ended up collecting Rs 585 crore at the Indian Box Office, Khel Khel Mein closed the curtains with business of Rs 43 crore. Vedaa ended up as a debacle with biz under the Rs 25 crore mark. The three-way clash was followed by spell of no-significant release, which pushed the makers to bank on the re-release bandwagon. Feature films like Laila Majnu and Tumbbad tasted success in their re-release, whereas Veer Zaara proved to be a good filler for the exhibitors.

The Kareena Kapoor Khan-led The Buckingham Murders proved to be another disaster at the box office with just about double digital figures in lifetime, ditto for the Siddhant Chaturvedi-led Yudhra. Devara is looking at a final biz of Rs 60 crore, proving to be yet another average grosser in the Hindi Market. All in all, it was a dull Q3 for the Hindi film industry outside of Stree 2 and the eyes are now on multiple explosions before the end of year.  

The release calendar could in Q3 as also Q4 for the Hindi Film Industry could have been a lot better, with better spacing, but none the less, let’s hope for better planning in 2025.

Here’s a look at the box office report card of 2024 Q3

Kill – Average: Rs 25 crore

Sarfira – Disaster – Rs 22.50 crore

Bad Newz – Semi Hit – Rs 63.25 crore

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha – Disaster – Rs 9.00 crore

Ulajh – Disaster: Rs 8.25 crore

Stree 2 – All Time Blockbuster: Rs 585 crore

Khel Khel Mein – Flop: Rs 43 crore

Vedaa – Disaster: Rs 22 crore

The Buckingham Murders – Disaster: Rs 10.50 crore

Yudhra – Disaster: Rs 10.00 crore

Devara – Average: Rs 60 crore (Expected)

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