From Padmaavat to Dabangg to PK to Zero: Analysing Bollywood’s obsession with numerology

By Fenil Seta -

March 30, 2018 - 8:30 AM IST

On December 30 when Padmavati was rechristened as Padmavat, numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani was shocked. He realized that numerologically, the new title adds up to 29 which is not a good idea. He reminded that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s earlier film Guzaarish also added up to 29 and it had flopped. He suggested the next day that the film should either be titled Padmaavat or Paddmavat – the former will bring good results while the latter will bring great results. It’s not sure whether the makers paid heed to his advice but they did change the spelling to Padmaavat. The period drama ended up becoming a blockbuster, even crossing the Rs. 300-crore-mark.

From Padmaavat to Dabangg to PK to Zero: Analysing Bollywood’s obsession with numerology

One thing is for sure – numerology plays a very important role in deciding the titles of the films and also spellings. Last year, the slice-of-life flick Qarib Qarib Singlle released with an extra ‘L’ in the last word. The film wasn’t a runaway hit but did well at the box office. It starred Irrfan, whose original spelling was Irfan Khan. The change in his name is believed to have helped him go places and even win a National Award.

The very popular producer-director Aanand L Rai is one of Sanjay Jumaani’s dedicated clients. He got the spelling of his name tweaked and also of the sequel to Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu Weds Manu Returns. It was supposed to be known as Tanu Weds Manu 2 but that didn’t fit well as per numerology. That the film was a blockbuster and managed to earn Rs. 150 crore is widely known. He also got an extra ‘A’ added in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, the sleeper hit of 2017. Even Aanand L Rai’s next directorial Zero got its name only after Sanjay B Jumaani gave the go ahead. It remains to be seen if the Shah Rukh Khan starrer manages to turn the ride for the superstar.

Notice the extra ‘M’ in Rohit Shetty’s next Simmba? It’s all thanks to numerological advices. Even his previous blockbuster Golmaal Again was named so because it was numerologically correct and we all know that it became a Rs. 200-crore-blockbuster. Sanjay B Jumaani has recommended Golmaal Phir Se as the title for the fifth Golmaal film and reportedly, the director has already done the title registration.

Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion was mentioned on the film’s poster and title as Bāhubali so that it can fit in numerology. In other words, the nation’s biggest film also had to take the help of numerology and that the country’s greatest director S S Rajamouli also believes in this science! The other legendary director, Rajkumar Hirani, also doesn’t mind making changes in his film’s name. His last film, PK, was earlier titled ‘P.K.’. But Sanjay B Jumaani cautioned that the dots serve as full stops and that it’s not a good idea to have them in the title. The dots were hence thrown away and the makers laughed all the way to the bank with this film.

Many other successful projects have had numerological contribution. The extra ‘G’ in ‘Bigg Boss’ was thanks to Sanjay B Jumaani. The recently concluded Season 11 was a runaway success. The additional ‘G’ in Dabangg took the film and Salman Khan’s career to another level, as per Sanjay B Jumaani’s advice. From Hrithik's debut blockbuster Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, which had two extra ‘A’s, to the extra letters in Singh Is Kinng and Singh Is Bliing, such instances are countless!

There are some novel ideations used as well. The reason why ‘Hindi’ in Hindi Medium was spelt in the Hindi language is to make it right numerologically! Even the tagline of Toilet – Ek Prem Katha was written in Hindi for the same reason. Both films were two of the most successful flicks of 2017. It’s not confirmed as yet but it won’t be surprising if ‘Mail’ in the upcoming flick Blackmail (also starring Irrfan) is written in Hindi for numerological reasons. The producer of Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, Prernaa Arora, has also used Sanjay B Jumaani’s services and made appropriate changes in her name’s spelling. Besides Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, her debut film Rustom was a smash hit. Her next flick, Pad Man, also worked.

Two other actors who believe that change in their name spellings have got them success are Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao, the latter who was known as Raj Kumar Yadav earlier. Even Varun Dhawan is an ardent client of Sanjay B Jumaani as well.

But does numerology always bring success? Kismat Konnection, Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam, Action Replayy, Hissss, Kajraare etc were so spelled for numerological reasons. And all these films didn’t score at the box office. The spellings were tweaked for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and the film was a huge hit. The sequel meanwhile was spelled as Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara! Sadly, these things didn’t help the film at all.

However, the examples of successful films having numerologically-correct titles are far too many. And with some of the biggest of directors and actors believing in this science, the obsession of Bollywood with numerology is bound to continue for a long time!

Also Read: Zero inside pic OUT! Anushka Sharma & Katrina Kaif go with Shah Rukh Khan on a crazy ride!