Christmas is usually a time of celebration and joy, but for Bollywood fans, this year’s festivities have been marred by the abysmal failure of Rohit Shetty’s latest film, Cirkus. Based on the much-loved 1982 comedy classic, Angoor, Cirkus was expected to give fans something to cheer about, but it has been labeled a disaster at the box office. What’s worse, the movie has been widely panned by critics and audiences alike, who have called it ‘unfunny’, ‘over the top’, and ‘too wacky for its good’.
The movie’s cast, led by Ranveer Singh, has also been criticized for its wooden and unconvincing performances. It seems that audiences wanted something more genuine and entertaining, and Cirkus just didn’t deliver. The collection of the movie has been till now around 25 Crores. This should have been the collection of the first day had things been different.
What’s worse, it could have been so different. Rohit Shetty is renowned for his zany comedy and larger-than-life action scenes, and his trademark style could have been used to great effect in Cirkus. Alas, it seems audiences were expecting something else. Perhaps the biggest lesson to be learned from Cirkus’ failure is that the ‘comedy of errors’ style of comedy popularised by Angoor is well and truly out of date. Filmmakers in India need to take a few more creative risks and experiment with a different style of comedy to bring something fresh and exciting to the screen.
