Kedarnath

URI

Thugs of Hindostan

Aamir Khan

Back in 2010, I got to know about this platform called Ormax, who were into surveys to research about the on ground buzz of the film, and the likability of the star among the audience. After getting registered on their website, they used to send questionnaires via e-mail asking about the releases that I am looking forward to for the year, my favorite star and the reasons for liking him and also some random questions about reality shows. Over the decade, they built a community of movie lovers, who now form a part of their focus groups which are divided on the basis of gender, age and also preferences for the genre.When producers approach the agency for a test screening, they put forth their requirements as to the aspects that they wish to analyse and the audience they are targeting to. Based on their demand, the agency zeros down on the focus group. There is a definite selection procedure, wherein they ask about the films that I have watched in the recent, my opinion about the film and also, some random questions about the characters of the film, to verify that I am not bluffing. Upon fulfilling all the selection criteria, I am asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before watching the film in question. The agreement prevents us from putting out anything about the film on the social media. Till date, I have watched films like Dhadak,andat the test screening organised by Ormax, whereas Secret Superstar andat two other screenings organised by. The focus during Dhadak, Kedarnath and URI was on students and mid-aged individuals since they form a major chunk of the movie-going audience. The screening was followed by an open discussion, giving everyone an opportunity to put forth their views on the trailer, poster and finally the film.The organisers ask specific questions pertaining to the music, screen presence of the star, the particular scene that left an impact and finally, if there is some unwanted stuff forming part of the screenplay which should be removed from the final cut. There’s a group of around 20 to 25 people, and everyone actively participates in the discussion, and all the suggestions are taken note of. In a day, there are two screenings of the same film, one for the males and another one for females, because the views on a film often differ based on the gender. During Kedarnath, the common suggestion that we all gave was to increase the time of tragic sequences towards the climax, as apart from that, the film looked quite dull. And to my surprise, they indeed altered the climax, thereby, adding the much needed emotional quotient in the film. Even for Dhadak, a lot of people had issues with the climax as the not-so-positive end didn’t go down well with the people. Though for me, the climax was perfect as it gave a shock value, and that’s exactly what happened upon the film’s release.The most memorable film that I have seen till date has to be URI, as it proved to be one of those rare films where I didn’t have any inputs. Apart from Ormax, I was also the chosen one for the test screenings of Secret Superstar and Thugs of Hindostan that took place at Aamir Khan’s residence in Bandra. The screenings made me believe that Aamir is one of the most secure stars in today’s time, who takes each and every input positively, including the nasty ones. While the reactions to Secret Superstar were on the positive side, with a few complaining about the relatively weak music, Thugs of Hindostan received extremely negative reaction post the screening. “How could you do a film like this?”, “Why did you cast Fatima Sana Shaikh?”, “These films are meant for someone like Salman Khan and not you”, “Why are you objectifying women via Katrina Kaif’s character?” were the comments that he received from the focus group. Following the reactions, he was certain that the film would be panned by the audience; however he tried his best to dilute the impact by editing the unwanted stuff thereby making the film a bit bearable. What we saw as the preview was far worse than the product that released in theatre, because he did take each and every feedback into account. Not once did he try to defend the film, however the director, Vijay Krishna Acharya, who was also present at the venue went ahead to justify his script, screenplay saying, “That’s what a larger than life spectacle is all about.” But alas, it is our feedback that won, and not the director’s vision.