Tubelight: How Salman Khan And His Director Spend Their Big Friday

New Delhi: Friday is the day when fortunes change in Bollywood. All the hard work that goes into making and promoting a film comes to an end as the prints reach movie halls and fans flock to the cinemas. Though it's the day artists, producers, exhibitors and technicians wait for, they say the anxiety and excitement are tough to handle. Today, Salman Khan's Tubelight has hit the cinemas; it has released across a record number of 5,550 screens worldwide, (4,350 in India and 1,200 in the international territories), breaking Dangal's record of 5,300 screens (4,300 screens in India and 1,000 overseas).

What is it like for the star of the film on a Friday when his film is out there for public viewing? Salman Khan says post-Friday, nothing is in his control. He adds, "You have to stand by the film and be confident about it from the day you sign it. My big concern is that no one should lose money. Breaking records is the best thing for stars, government, cinemas, and movie-goers. But if that doesn't happen then no one should suffer a loss, that's what plays on my mind."

It's different for director of Tubelight, Kabir Khan. He likes to step out and watch the reactions himself. He adds, "I like to go to cinemas and see the reactions on Friday and Saturday because that's where I get to see the real reactions. I feel word of mouth is very important. I don't follow reviews anymore because there are too many of those out there nowadays. Yes, I do get reactions on social media as well, which I read." If he had his way, he would have liked to visit cinemas with his actor and producer Salman Khan but he says that's just not possible. "We would love to do that but Salman can't go to movie halls. It's difficult because he gets mobbed everywhere," Kabir Khan says.

So far, the ratings and reactions of Tubelight are mixed, unlike Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan, both of which unanimously got a thumbs up from critics and the audiences. With Eid around the corner and the new strategy of flooding the market with more prints, will it make its own box-office record? By early next week, we will have an answer to that.