Why Salman Khan’s 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' has surpassed 'Bahubali'

Both Bahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan have made headlines for more reasons than one. Both films managed to garner huge collections at the box office. While one had the star backing of Karan Johar, the other had the star himself Salman Khan! Both the films released a week apart in theatres, but did wonders. Read on to know some interesting reasons as to why Bajrangi Bhaijaan could beat Baahubali in the number game.

Star factor
Salman Khan as the leading hero in Bajrangi Bhaijaan was a crowd puller. All the 'bhai' fans made sure that the film receives huge advance bookings. Bajrangi Bhaijaan was also publicised well in Bollywood and hence received a lot of attention. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan opposite Salman, a hit jodi which has worked wonders in the past. The star value of the film is bigger as compared to the popularity of Prabhas and Rana Daggubati from Bahubali. This factor drives more audiences towards Bajrangi…, over Bahubali.

Bollywood's support
A lot of celebrities attended the screening of Bahubali as well as Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Both the films were showered with praises from all quarters. However, it was Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who gave a huge push to the film's promotions by sharing the first look of it. Moreover, Aamir, who attended a special screening of the film during Eid, was all praise for it. He also turned emotional after watching the film and had given a positive response to it.

Humanitarian angle
The premise of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is that of humanity, with a backdrop of India-Pakistan relationship. The film also showcases child artist Harshaali Malhotra in a key role. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Salman Khan's partner in crime in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film has indeed left many emotional and teary eyed, including Bollywood star Aamir Khan. While on the other hand, Bahubali is a period drama with high dose of action. Humanitarian films definitely seem to be a better option over high end action!

Popular music
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is not just an entertaining film, but the film's music is also charming the audiences. From 'Chicken song’ to 'Selfie le le', the film is full of foot-tapping numbers. Bajrangi Bhaijaan also has an emotional track, 'Bhar do jholi', sung by Adnan Sami, which has got a huge response. Whereas the Hindi version of Bahubali has seven tracks, but has not garnered as much response as Bajrangi Bhaijaan's songs.

Eid weekend
Bahubali hit the screens on July 10, whereas Bajrangi Bhaijaan released on July 17. In a very smart move, Salman Khan had booked the Eid slot at the box office for releasing his film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan earned a lot, thanks to the strategic planning of the release date. Moreover, Bahubali, which had word of mouth publicity had to face stiff competition at the box office from Bajrangi Bhaijaan. According to an IANS report, Bahubali had grossed approximately Rs 303 crore worldwide in nine days of its release. On the other hand, Bajrangi Bhaijaan garnered Rs 100 crore in just three days of its release.

Tax free
So much is the popularity of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, that the film has been declared tax free in certain parts of the country. According to an IANS report, Salman Khan’s film has been declared tax free by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav. Apparently, it was made tax free after director Kabir Khan met the chief minister with the request, said an official spokesperson. However Bahubali does not enjoy a similar status.