A couple of days back, trade analyst Girish Johar had tweeted, "Critics giving high ratings to a film & it not translating into public buying tickets, is a face loss to critics in the long run...Its just like when stars promote off beat films & audience ALREADY knows what to watch or not...paying public matters, audiences can smell the film". The tweet was a sly dig at the positive critical reception for Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyaan, which failed to translate to good box office numbers.

As a critic myself, I can say there are several things wrong with the tweet - after all, we don't review the films based on their budget, how big the stars are and how they have been marketed. Movies need to be reviewed on how they are made. But the tweet also gives us some fodder for thought about whether critics and the audiences belong to two different planes. Of course, we don't expect critically acclaimed movies like Love Sonia and Gali Gueliyan to work in theatres due to their complete lack of commercial elements. But what about Manmarziyaan? It is a commercial movie that features three commercial leads in Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal. However, despite the decent promotions and better reviews, Manmarziyaan is not working its magic on the crowds. Manmarziyaan Box Office Collection Day 4: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal's Film Continues to Underperform in Theatres.

So what went wrong here? In this feature, we will look at 5 contributing reasons why Manmarziyaan is not clicking with the general masses.

#1 -  The lead stars are not crowd-pullers. Unfortunately.

For a movie to get a great start at the box office, it should be very audience-friendly or has a big star. In the case of Manmarziyaan, it has some very fine actors; but they haven't got in themselves the power to bring in the crowds yet. Vicky Kaushal is a damn good actor and he is a part of the biggest hit of the year, Sanju. While he is a hit with the critics, Vicky hasn't managed to warm himself to the masses. Manmarziyaan is definitely not his Stree! Taapsee Pannu's Mulk was easily her best film and yet it didn't bring in the numbers, so Manmarziyaan's lacklustre earnings are hardly surprising. Abhishek Bachchan is coming after a two-year break, following a career slump. While Twitterati was more welcoming of his arrival, sadly, his presence isn't enough for the fans to come in.

It is not just the stars that matter. It is also the...

#2- Lack of mass-appealing elements

There is a reason why films like October and Manmarziyaan are not working at the box office, despite the good reviews. They aren't really made with masses in mind, but aimed at diverse-genres loving multiplex audiences. Unfortunately, with Stree and The Nun working well in this section, Manmarziyaan is having a tough time getting the attention for itself. Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan to Not Release in Pakistan for Violating the Censorship Code?

#3 - No chartbuster music

Manmarziyaan has too many songs, courtesy Amit Trivedi. Songs like Daryaa and Dhyanchand have made their presence in the musical charts. But what Manmarziyaan really need was a chart-buster stuff like Dev.D had with Emotional Attyachar, Nayan Tarse and Pardesi. Just one catchy song was enough to get the mass attention!

#4 - Not a perfect film

Even after getting all the glowing reviews, Manmarziyaan is not a perfect film. It is two and a half hours too long and the third act underwhelms. Though it does stand out from its influences, audiences will definitely draw parallels to its plot with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. Manmarziyaan Movie Review: Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Abhishek Bachchan's Performances Sparkle in This Character-Driven Love Story.

#5 - Anurag Kashyap is not front-bench-pleasing film-maker

Anurag Kashyap is an accomplished director and his works on Gangs of Wasseypur series and Black Friday are par excellence. But his films are not aimed for crowds who throng  in theatres FDFS for Dabanng or Sultan. Manmarziyaan might be his most light, commercial film to date, but still, it isn't for the front-benchers. Sadly, they are the ones who determine the success of the film these days.

These factors are not exactly a criticism on the film in any way. But box office is a different ball-game altogether. We are hoping that Manmarziyaan works steadily on word-of-mouth publicity and get in the numbers to make it profitable.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2018 05:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).