By Anil Merani: SM clout does not sell a film Despite Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur’s 3.5 crore IG follower count, Love in Vietnam could not collect more than a crore – Vyom Yadav.
Talented newcomer Vyom Yadav is looking forward to better work after his Bollywood debut Mannu Kya Karegga did decent business.
We caught up with Vyom and had a quick chat regarding his career and what he feels Bollywood needs to do to come out of its current rut.
How did Mannu Kya Karegga do?
We got a very positive response. People loved film, its music, and overall performance. We are very happy and excited to see the results of our hard work.
I started doing basic drama in my school and college, then I did street theatre for almost 6-7 years.
During my first year of college, I auditioned for TV serials, discovered my love for the camera, and decided to pursue films, television, and OTT platforms. IT took me a lot of time to master the art of cracking auditions, as the camera requires you to be subtle, and street theater is designed to be loud.
My first break was a crowd role in a Netflix series where I appeared in a few scenes. Next, I played Bhumi Pednekar’s younger brother in Badhaai 2, which was a small role.
My breakthrough came with the lead role in the web series Garmi (Sony Liv, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia), after which I have not looked back.
I also did a primary character in Delhi Crime 2 called Thermal.
I have now moved from web to films, with the above romantic comedy (Mannu Kya Karegga)
My next project is the comedy film Durlab Prasad ki Dusri Shaadi, scheduled for early next year and also set to drop on Netflix. It is an offbeat film like those of Ayushmann Khurrana. I will soon start shooting for yet another film.
Mannu Kya Karegga was released on a packed Friday.
Yes, the film did suffer because there were too many releases on that day. Saiyara’s success upset the calendar, and releases got postponed.
Bollywood is losing it?
I believe makers should not rely solely on big stars, as many star-led films have failed recently. Now, success is driven by content and presentation. Lokah grossed 200 crore, and audiences may not even know the actors involved.
Yet another aspect to be changed is the marketing strategy. Even today, makers spend most of the budget on making the film and hardly have any money left for promotions. Films get stuck for years due to a lack of promotional and advertising support.
The market condition has become even tougher with OTT. Today, audiences are exposed to all kinds of stuff, so mediocrity is out of the window.
The biggest challenge is rebuilding the industry ecosystem and inspiring audiences to return to theaters to experience the cine magic again.
Neptism is not helping matters.
I also can’t get the SM craze. Casting happens based on the number of followers. Along with our film, Love in Vietnam, was also released. Both leads ( Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur collectively boast 3.5 crore followers, yet collected less than a crore. Where is the much vaunted conversion? ( Even if 10% followed, we would earn crores.)
