Lights, Camera, Scoop: 'Coolie' and 'War 2' Box-Office Heats Up; Anurag Kashyap Plans Return To Form With 'Nishaanchi'

The K Factor

The joke in Mumbai's Aaram Nagar is that even though Anurag Kashyap has moved away from the city, there's a cinephile in Versova fervently praying—with incense sticks and all—to the collectors' edition DVD of No Smoking. This isn't a jab at art or even the snobbery it can ignite— the way an acclaimed indie filmmaker recently made headlines and was subsequently slammed on social media—but a testament to Kashyap's dedicated fan base, which has been eagerly awaiting his smashing return to form.

That might just happen with his latest Nishaanchi, if insiders are to be believed.

Those who have seen the early rushes of the film, set for September 19 release, have been raving about what Kashyap has "cooked" with the feature, with many trusted eyes and ears calling the film his long-awaited big-screen comeback. While there has been praise coming for Kashyap, who seems to be "so back" in Gangs of Wasseypur mode, there has been particular mention in almost every conversation about debutant Aaishvary Thackeray.

Long before the first glimpse of Nishaanchi dropped, Kashyap was already generating buzz around the film's talents, where he repeatedly highlighted the exceptional work of debutant Thackeray, who takes on a double role, and the other cast members in the ensemble. His declaration seems to be in sync with what those who have seen the film have to say, leading to the other joke on the street, that good actors don't need PR while working with him—Kashyap himself doubles up as an exciting filmmaker and a sincere publicist.

Coolie vs War 2

With four days to go for the big box-office clash between Rajinikanth's Coolie and War 2, led by Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, it is all going to be about numbers and tracking to figure out who has a bigger edge.

The last few days in the trade have been dominated by the massive surge in advance sales for Coolie, which has opened its bookings overseas and is rolling out the same in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The response has been simply... historic. The Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial is probably set to script new records overseas for an Indian film. The early sales tracking of the film have also pretty much estbalished that Coolie rewrite all records for a Tamil film in the state, as well as Kerala, where is has already made a smashing pre-sales debut.

War 2, on the other hand, will roll out its full-fledged booking from Sunday and hopes to dominate pre-sales in two of its strongest territories: Hindi and Telugu. With NTR's star power pulling in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana numbers, coupled with Roshan and the franchise value in the North, YRF is hoping to punch higher than Coolie.

While the India business will be divided between the states according to the respective star powers, trade sources suggest that international numbers will ultimately determine the winner. As of now, Coolie has an edge with stronger overseas sales. All eyes are now on August 14.