New Delhi, Jan. 28 -- As Eid came around last April, Bollywood was watching closely. It was supposed to be one of the most lucrative periods of the year for the Hindi film industry, as people normally descend on theatres in droves over the holiday weekend. Aiming to make the most of it, two big-star films, each released on more than 2,000 screens simultaneously, awaited the multitude.

However, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff-starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Ajay Devgn's Maidaan, made with staggering budgets of Rs.350 crore and Rs.250 crore, respectively, bombed at the box office.

The flop shows were a slap in the face for an industry that had increasingly begun to think of mega stars and action spectacles as the answer to all box office...