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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said.   It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies.   Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago.   This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years.   At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025.   New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced.   After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards.   The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years.   Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products.   Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

Is Bollywood’s Re-release Trend Sustainable?

Updated: Feb 3, 2025

Re-release Trend

In 2024, Bollywood’s resurrection wasn’t just about fresh hits but also about old favourites that were making a grand comeback. While the year kicked off with the surprise success of Stree 2, the real story was the industry’s embrace of nostalgia - the re-release of films that once slipped through the cracks. As the trend gained momentum, industry insiders and critics alike found themselves at a crossroads. Is this a temporary fling, or has Bollywood unlocked a new revenue model?


Film trade analyst Rohit Jaiswal has defended the practice of re-releasing old gems, noting the substantial, albeit modest, financial returns. “The business from re-releases isn’t as high as Rs 100 crore, as some reports claim, but Rs 60-70 crore nett is still significant,” he said. The films that have benefited from this resurgence are a diverse mix - Tumbbad, Rockstar, Laila Majnu and Veer Zaara - each offering something unique. For example, the re-release of Tumbbad not only breathed new life into the film itself but reignited Sohum Shah’s career, giving him a second shot at fame.


Yet, not everyone shares Jaiswal’s optimism. Trade expert Joginder Tuteja calls the re-release trend an “overdone fallacy.” He argues that the financial rewards aren’t as monumental as they might seem. “Tumbbad made about Rs 30-32 crore; Laila Majnu around Rs 7-8 crore, Rockstar about Rs 7-8 crore, Rehna Hai TereDil Mein between Rs 5-7 crore, and Veer Zaara around Rs 3-4 crore,” Tuteja contends. His numbers suggest that the returns from re-releases are far from game-changing, and the public’s nostalgic impulse might not be enough to sustain the trend long-term.


Despite these differences of opinion, Tumbbad’s January re-release undeniably sparked significant interest. Initially released to mixed reviews in 2018, the film's unique premise—focused on a boy’s search for a cursed ancestral treasure—failed to make waves at the box office with just Rs 13.5 crore. However, when it was re-released in 2024, Tumbbad garnered nearly Rs 7 crore within just three days, a reminder of its untapped potential. This financial windfall gave Bollywood a much-needed boost after a sharp decline in box-office revenues – Rs. 6,868 crore from January to August 2024, a 7.5 percent drop from the previous year, according to Ormax Media.


But it isn’t just the underperforming cult classics like Tumbbad that are seeing success in their second acts. The rise of nostalgic re-releases is becoming a full-fledged movement, with hits like Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!(1994), and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) drawing packed theaters. More recent films such as Zindagi Na MilegiDobara (2011) and Dangal (2016) have also benefitted from nostalgia-driven ticket sales. Even modest films, like Rehna Hai TereDil Mein and Laila Majnu, have been given second chances due to the newfound stardom of actors like TriptiiDimri and the loyalty of their niche fanbases.


India is not the only country embracing the power of nostalgia. Classic American films like Home Alone and Jurassic Park have been re-released to strong earnings globally, proving that the appeal of revisiting cinematic favourites knows no borders. Anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, in his 2019 essay The Ready-Made Pleasures of Déjà Vu: Repeat Viewing of Bollywood Films, describes repeat viewings as a sign of “committed connoisseurship.” In Mumbai, the joy of re-experiencing films is often tied to an intellectual exercise, where film buffs savour every detail, relishing in their deep knowledge of the classics.


Bollywood, much like the rest of the world, has embraced this trend not just as a financial opportunity but as a way to celebrate and preserve its cultural heritage. For filmmakers, re-releases are an opportunity to connect with audiences old and new, rekindling interest in films that may have once been overlooked or underappreciated. As theaters across the country screen old favourites, the enthusiasm from audiences young and old alike seems to indicate that this trend is more than just a momentary distraction.


It remains to be seen whether Bollywood’s nostalgia wave will prove to be a lasting force in the industry or a passing fad. For now, it’s clear that re-releases are giving the film industry a much-needed breath of fresh air, and perhaps, a new way forward.

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