PremiumFateh release: Can Sonu Sood's action film do a Kill or Marco for Bollywood in January 2025?
Sonu Sood comes to us with a John Wick-styled assassin drama and the looks of it wearing it should be banned because there will be a lot of blood.
Last Updated: 10.57 AM, Jan 04, 2025
Count the number of times in the post-pandemic world you have seen a hero becoming a savior—slitting throats, chopping off limbs, and firing bullets. Now, segregate the sequences—or let’s say films for a broader approach—that were worth it and the ones that weren’t. What do the senseless ones do? They take the genre years behind on the route to progression. The last few years have been hyperventilating machismo marinated with a lot of daddy issues (that could be the cinema theme for 2023-24 if you observe closely) and accompanied by a loud album with probably B Praak screaming at the top of his capabilities as if the next song is a distant dream for him. Amid this chaos, when the action genre sees hope in a movie backed by Dharma starring a newcomer, it all feels worth it again. Yes, we are talking about Kill. Now as we move on to 2025 and the first film is Fateh, the question stays the same: will the action genre get a new edge?
The Road Map For Fateh
In case you have been away and the promotional strategist did not count you as their audience, sparing you from algorithmic trickery, Sonu Sood, the real-life hero as labeled by many, is all set to star in a ‘high-octane’ (Google says it) action drama titled Fateh. A movie cut from the same fabric as Keanu Reeves’ John Wick, Fateh introduces the Hindi film industry—or as you love calling it, ‘Bollywood’—to 2025. It is technically the first release of the year. So while a lot is failing and the most unexpected is working, will Fateh find an audience? By the way, you can watch all four John Wick movies on Lionsgate Play with your OTTplay Premium subscription in India.
The revamping process of the action genre in our country has been pret ty insane to observe. Without even looking at the list, I can name at least five films with a man all set to take down the world: Animal (assume I never named it), Pushpa 2: The Rule (no opinions matter), Yudhra, Yodha, Singham Again, and Baby John. Of course, we don’t name Kill, Jigra, Amaran, and Marco in the same sentence as the former ones. So there is an abundance and too many choices for the audience. But then that is also a very tightrope because if the initial minutes don’t land, the audience is all set to move on. This also includes the initial minutes of promotions. This is where Fateh is actually lacking at this point. The buzz is minimal, visibility is very low, and the time to cope is too little.
The hope is that the makers of Fateh have crafted their John Wick-like movie to create a new franchise in India that is at par with the West. Sprawling action and a hero robust in the face of a pandemic is the correct marketing this story needs. But is that enough? The box office is a crazy beast these days. Problematic films (yes, I am saying this) like Animal and Pushpa 2 have collections crossing the ₹1000 crore mark. But a potent film like Kill, which tells a better story with much better action and art, is not received as well as the others. So, does this mean Fateh needs that one dance number or maybe the hero needs to be toxic to women?
Of course not; God saved the film from being that. But what it has to be is a complete package that serves a very wide range. For instance, a film like Marco, which intended to cater to a niche audience from the South, has made ₹5 crore in North India in the last two weeks. So if Fateh manages to find a sweet spot while being a good boy, it does have a chance. In addition, Sonu Sood’s appeal as a star and helpful human being, and even Tier-2 cities, have a big chance of drawing an audience.
The Box Office Challenge
But then, the ride is clearly not going to be smooth at the box office for the Sonu Sood directorial. On its release on January 10, 2025, the movie is at loggerheads with Game Changer which is directed by Shankar and stars Ram Charan with Kiara Advani. While the buzz for that is great neither, it is still in graph a much bigger movie. It will be challenged by Ajay Devgn and Aman Devgan’s Azaad on the big screen. While this is moderate competition considering the movie has Ajay in an extended cameo of sorts, the real challenge comes on January 24 when Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force hits the theaters, followed by Shahid Kapoor’s Deva on January 31. So, Fateh will have to buckle up its shoes and land well in the first week to stay afloat in the following weeks.
The hope is that Sonu Sood has a good film in store for us. If yes, it deserves an audience and a good box office run. Fateh will be released on the big screen on January 10, 2025. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.