EXCLUSIVE: ‘Lucky Charm’ producer Abhishek Agarwal talks about his SLEEPER SUCCESSES, The Kashmir Files and Karthikeya 2; says, “I believe in being the underdog. We don’t agree with the idea of releasing our film in 5000 screens”

Earlier this year, The Kashmir Files managed to collect more in Week 2 than in Week 1. This is a rare phenomenon and usually once every couple of years. Hence, trade was left shocked when Karthikeya 2, which hit cinemas just five months after The Kashmir Files, also saw a similar trend. What’s more, both film is co-produced by Abhishek Agarwal! No wonder he’s being called the lucky charm in the trade and industry circles.

When asked to comment on this tag during an exclusive Bollywood Hungama interaction, Abhishek Agarwal laughed and said, “I just believe in being the underdog. We don’t agree with the idea of releasing our film in 5000 screens. In olden times, Rajshri also used to give a limited release to its films and then increase the prints with the rise in demand and spread of good word of mouth. We are following their footsteps.”

Karthikeya 2’s Hindi version was released in just 50 shows on Day 1. The next day, it was playing in nearly 150 shows and the number increased with each passing day. Interestingly, Karthikeya 2 was released on a Saturday, August 13, and hence, it didn’t have a traditional Friday release.

Abhishek Agarwal explained, “Our film is originally made in the Telugu language. We were sure that we don’t any competition. Ours is a small film and we didn’t want a clash. We were not in favour of fighting for screens with the other film, which had been released, on day 1. We were willing to compromise and therefore, we decided to arrive on a Saturday when the situation was far more conducive and getting screen space was easier.”

The strategy worked and how. The film, which opened at just Rs. 7 lakhs, has now crossed the Rs. 25 crores mark. What also went in favour of Karthikeya 2 was that Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan, which had been released on August 11, had dropped by the time the Nikhil Siddhartha-starrer arrived in cinemas. Abhishek however made it clear, “Those were star-studded films while ours was not. So we were not in competition with them. I back films with strong content. Even my forthcoming films like The Delhi Files, Tiger Nageswara Rao, etc. are all content-based movies.”

Karthikeya 2 celebrates our history and mythology and usually, such socially relevant films get tax-free status. The Chandoo Mondeti-directorial, sadly, has still not been tax-exempted by any state. Bring up this topic and Abhishek Agarwal stated, “I can’t comment on this matter. Aap log likhiye. Janta ko yeh sawaal puchna chahiye. Fir government ko tax-free karna padega!”

Abhishek Agarwal spoke to this writer after he had just returned from a trip to Gujarat. The film was shot in the state, including Dwarka. Very rarely have shootings taken place in the holy city. Abhishek revealed, “Yes, the film was majorly shot in Dwarka, and also in Kutch. We had spoken to the chief minister of Gujarat, Bhupendrabhai Patel, and home minister Harsh ji (Harsh Sanghavi), and they had given full support. We wanted to thank them and hence, we visited them. We showed them the film in Ahmedabad and they liked it.”

Karthikeya 2 ended with the promise of Karthikeya 3. For the next part, the makers hinted that the story would be set on foreign shores. When asked if the script for the sequel is ready, Abhishek Agarwal replied, “No. We just have an idea in mind. It’ll take time. The way audiences have showered love, our responsibility has also increased. So we need to be even more careful now and come up with a very compelling script.”

Karthikeya 2, meanwhile, is all set to have the widest screen count in week 4 as it’s the best performing film at present. Abhishek Agarwal said, “We are doing around Rs. 80 lakhs – 1 crore business daily. Even on the third Monday, it has held well which is huge since we don’t have a star cast. The audience has proved that if they connect with your film, they’ll come to watch it in big numbers.”

Abhishek Agarwal is now gearing up for the release of Tiger Nageswara Rao, starring Ravi Teja. He stated, “It’ll release in 2023. It’ll be dubbed in Hindi and would have a wide release. Woh underdog waali release nahi hogi. Usse thoda hum bahar aayenge (laughs)! On a serious note, it has commercial elements as well as a strong message. It is mounted on a huge scale and has a lot of VFX. It’s my dream project. I hope I am able to deliver again to the audience.”

The conversation can’t be over without asking about the much-awaited The Delhi Files, the next installment of writer-director Vivek Agnihotri after The Kashmir Files. However, Abhishek said, “It’s too early to talk. For many, it is one of the most awaited films and that makes our job harder as we have to deliver as per expectations.”

He signed off by saying, “Besides, we are also working on 4 more films in Telugu. The research is going on. It would be something to watch out for.”

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