Weekly(10-16th July) Reviews and Box office thread

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There Are 113 Responses So Far. »

Som 10 July 2009
01:17:26 am

Kambakkht Ishq First Week Collections In CI

Kambakkht Ishq has collected a very good 95 lakhs from CI circuit in first week. The figures are easily the best of 2009. First week collections of some big films in CI over the last 18 months are as follows.

Ghajini – 1.67 crore (8 Days)

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – 1.12 crore

Singh Is Kinng – 1.08 crore

Kambakkht Ishq – 95 lakhs

Race – 85 lakhs

Chandni Chowk To China – 73 lakhs

New York – 62 lakhs

sandy 10 July 2009
01:31:00 am

Guys, do not see Short Kut even if you are dying of boredom. Neeraj Vora must be the worst director out there.

Som 10 July 2009
01:44:54 am

Oh you have already seen it! Can you inspire yourself to write a review ?

Som 10 July 2009
01:48:53 am

Taran on SHORT KUT

Raja Sen:Along came folly

Som 10 July 2009
01:57:58 am

Short Kut – The Con Is On Opens On A Low Note

Short Kut – The Con Is On opened to a poor 30-35% response this morning. Mumbai city and Maharashtra where comedies fare better were higher at around 50%.

The collections should improve at multiplexes as the day goes on but remains to be seen if they can go high enough to make an impact at the box office. The film managed to collect a decent AED 190,000 (US $52,000) in UAE on its first day there on Thursday.

The other two releases Sankat City and Morning walk opened to extremely low collections wherever they were released.

sandy 10 July 2009
02:04:11 am

I will be writing a review Som – I think I’ll actually be doing some service by preventing unsuspecting folks.

Som 10 July 2009
05:10:04 am

Mayank Sekhar on

Sankat City

Short Kut

Morning Walk

sv 10 July 2009
07:35:53 am

KI grosses 100 crores worldwide in opening week

By Taran Adarsh, July 10, 2009 – 19:07 IST

Eros International has announced a record opening of Sajid Nadiadwala’s KAMBAKKHT ISHQ. The film has grossed Rs. 100 crores worldwide in its first week, making it one of the most successful openings in Indian cinema.

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ has grossed Rs. 70 crores in India (Rs. 42 crores nett) and Rs. 21 crores overseas with music & digital platforms grossing Rs. 10 crores. The film has been produced at a cost of Rs. 62 crores, including print and advertisement cost.

Som 10 July 2009
10:58:38 am

Shortkut leaves you bored

Shortkut starring Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao is not what I’d call a bad film. But it is, most certainly a pointless one. It’s got a standard storyline and no surprises in its telling.

Akshaye Khanna plays an assistant director in the Mumbai film industry who’s just finished writing a script he wants to direct himself. His struggling actor roommate, Arshad Warsi steals the script and hands it over to a producer who promptly agrees to make the film and to cast Arshad in the lead.

So while Akshaye’s dreams of becoming a successful filmmaker are shattered, Arshad turns into an overnight superstar.

Over the course of two hours and fifteen minutes, director Neeraj Vora drives home the point that there are no shortcuts in life, only sincerity and hard work ultimately pays.

Problem is, the film’s so lifeless and boring, you find yourself searching for a shortcut in the cinema that could instantly take you back to the comfort of your home.

Remember, this is Neeraj Vora, the dialogue-writer of so many Priyadarshan remakes including Hera Pheri, and yet the comedy in Shortkut is so juvenile, you struggle for a half-decent belly laugh. Before you know it though, this film turns into emotional rona dhona, when domestic differences plague Akshaye and his movie-star wife, played by Amrita Rao.

Unable to find its groove in either comedy or drama, this film lumbers along unsteadily with a screenplay that lacks direction. And saddled with such uninspiring material, neither of the actors can muster up anything that even remotely resembles a performance.

Shortkut isn’t the kind of film that makes you angry. It just leaves you very bored. I’m going with one out of five for director Neeraj Vora’s Shortkut, it’s a long, tiresome journey to nowhere.

Rating: 1 / 5 (Poor)

Som 10 July 2009
11:37:41 am

B.O. update: ‘Short Kut’ has poor start, reports negative

The new release, SHORT KUT, started on a dismal note, fetching a 20% – 25% start at several screens. While a few single screens in Maharashtra were in the 40% range, the overall start is way below expectations, given the fact that some of the biggest names in the business are associated with the film. Also, the reports are outright negative and the film is not likely to show an escalation in business.

The other two releases, SANKAT CITY and MORNING WALK, also opened to extremely poor houses, although SANKAT CITY is expected to show an increase in business since the reports and reviews, both are positive.

Som 10 July 2009
08:24:48 pm

Top 5: ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ 1st week all-India nett: Rs. 42 cr.

1 Kambakkht Ishq:Fetched a hurricane-like start and recorded fabulous collections in its first 3 days. Monday onwards, the film did drop, but it was a normal drop at most places, but was more pronounced at places. 1st week nett: Rs. 42 cr

2 New York Hit

3 Paying Guests Flop

Som 10 July 2009
08:25:54 pm

Short Kut – The Con Is On Settles At 35-40% For Day One

Short Kut – The Con Is On could really improve its collections throughout the day. The film finished at an all India average of 35-40%. Mumbai city had the best collections with some cinemas having 50% collections. Some theatres in Maharashtra and Gujarat managed around 40%. Overall the start was dull.

It is unlikely the film will show any big improvement tomorrow as the film did not pick up in the evening today. Sunday will probably will have the best collections but that will not be enough and the film will find it tough going at the box office.

Som 10 July 2009
08:33:39 pm

‘Kambakkht Ishq’ 1st week circuit-wise breakup

Mumbai 4.68
Maharashtra 2.56
Thane 1.51
Saurashtra 0.98
Goa 0.39
Gujarat 3.9
Karnataka 0.48
Delhi & U.P 9.01
East Punjab 4.08
Mysore 2.69
Rajasthan 2.32
Nizam/Andhra 2.25
C.P 1.77
C.I 1.36
West Bengal 1.91
Orissa 0.21
Bihar 0.89
Assam 0.37
TN/Kerala 0.71

Total nett.:42.07

Som 10 July 2009
08:38:48 pm

OMG! Look at the figures in West Bengal, Mysore, Nizam/Andhra. These are extra ordinary figures. Mysore is literally better than Ghajini I mean 7 days figures.

Taran has 1.36cr in CI while BOI came up with 0.95 laks.

Is this case of mixing gross with nett. on the part of Taran?

rks 10 July 2009
08:40:34 pm

Som – Is this thread visible? If not, please remove the BO classification

Som 10 July 2009
08:43:08 pm

It is Rks.

rks 10 July 2009
08:46:53 pm

Yep..I was reading till review and searching

Som 10 July 2009
08:49:26 pm

Weekly collections at Indiafm

Kambakkht Ishq – Week 1
# Mumbai – 6,19,00,000 (Incl. Thane)
# Ahmedabad – 1,31,32,754
# Baroda – 17,42,864
# Bharuch – 3,10,860
# Rajkot – 10,26,264
# Himmatnagar – 5,73,700
# Gandhinagar – 5,18,927
# Guwahati – 4,23,184
# Jamnagar – 4,70,081
# Pune – 15,71,537
# Goa – 8,08,181
# Nasik – 9,73,059
# Delhi – 9,01,00,000
# Lucknow – 5,65,253
# Faridabad – 24,04,260
# Gorakhpur – 7,72,720
# Agra – 8,60,000
# Chandigarh – 31,86,321
# Gurgaon – 10,18,972
# Indore – 34,16,971
# Nagpur – 24,89,485
# Raipur – 15,42,015
# Ujjain – 2,01,600
# Sehore – 2,38,560
# Kolkatta – 45,00,495
# Burdwan – 1,80,533
# Jaipur – 81,24,065
# Ajmer – 11,34,997
# Hyderabad – 15,99,220
# Aurangabad – 4,49,071
# Bangalore – 19,43,614
# Chennai – 4,63,122
# Vijayawada – 1,69,000

(Average per print: 8.5 lacs)
Total collections for Week 1: 20,88,11,685
Total Collections (Till Date): 20,88,11,685

Som 10 July 2009
08:52:41 pm

LOL at Taran. How low can he get? I knew he would do some goof up and he has not disappointed.

These numbers certainly don’t suggest or indicate anything over 40cr. Mumbai is just more than 6cr, Ahemdabad is on the lower side. Places like Indore,Nagpur don’t even come close to other biggies like Ghajini, Rab Ne or SIK.

Som 10 July 2009
08:55:41 pm

He has Delhi at 9cr.Where does he get these kinda numbers?

rks 10 July 2009
08:59:54 pm

In ckt distribution he has put 9cr for delhi and UP. In center breakage he has put Delhi alone at 9 crore and all UP centers are also reported.

Som 10 July 2009
09:07:52 pm

Exactly. The fact is the collections we have on hand, the ones reported by Taran certainly lag behind other biggies like Rab Ne and Singh is King, forget about Ghajini, so I don’t see it coming anywhere close to these biggies.

Gorilla 10 July 2009
09:21:49 pm

Woohoo…Taran Bhai Zindabad!

KI has scored.

Gorilla 10 July 2009
09:24:09 pm

Previous generation used to wonder how SRK were getting huge hits. This generation is working on Akshay!

Som 10 July 2009
09:28:17 pm

Anything but jhakaas!

You can’t help but smile at the irony that is Short Kut — The Con is On. In the film a struggling actor Raju (Arshad Warsi) steals a brilliant script written by a struggling writer-director Shekhar (Akshaye Khanna) and becomes a big star. In reality, writer-director Neeraj Vora (Phir Hera Pheri) has got his Short Kut script from star director Anees Bazmee (No Entry, Welcome, Singh is Kinng)!

Bazmee’s script was lying with Anil Kapoor Productions but he chose not to direct it. You watch Short Kut and you will know why. You can blame Bazmee for everything but the man knows what sells and what doesn’t. He must have written this script as a struggling writer many seasons ago and realised the futility of directing the film in 2009.

There’s nothing wrong with Short Kut. It’s just not interesting enough. It’s what the industry calls thakao, politely, and pakao, in hushed whispers. It’s a film which goes through the motions and hopes that the audience would appreciate the dedication and integrity that’s gone behind the production. Honestly, in today’s kambakkht Bollywood, when biceps and bikinis, stunts and swimsuits, are the order of the hour, it’s difficult to score with just some studious sermon.

Another attempt to show the inner machinations of the Mumbai movie machinery, Short Kut is luck by choice, where Arshad’s Raju Chor goes to the top of the Bolly pyramid while Akshaye’s Shekhar continues to struggle even as his lady love Mansi (Amrita Rao), industry ki top ki heroine, quits films to become Mrs Shekhar. The kahaani mein twist turns it into Abhimaan, as heavy-duty marital strife takes over from halka-phulka comedy. The rest of the 140-minute film has to travel to Thailand to tell you why you shouldn’t take the short cut to success and how hard work pays off in the (very) long run. While Luck by Chance tried to show the picture as it is, Short Kut goes for a more conventional feel-good moralistic tale of right and wrong.

One can see why Anil Kapoor refuses to produce a film without Akshaye Khanna in the cast. The man looks the part, whatever he does. He was brilliant as Harilal in Gandhi, My Father and here too, he is quite good as Mr Good. But the question is when you promote the movie as a comedy, who would be interested in only oodles of earnestness? Short Kut needed the Akshaye without the ‘e’, who can bring the house down scene after scene and not be half as serious about it.

Arshad Warsi is given that task here and while he is funny in a few scenes, he really overdoes it on most occasions. Consistency is clearly not the strength of the man, who had forgotten how he had played his Circuit in MBBS when he had turned up on the first day of shooting in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Let’s just say you can see his best timing for free, if you turn on the TV. The Short Kut trailer is all that you need to see of the movie.

As for the other ‘A’, Amrita Rao is just about okay. She is saddled with the task of showing bod and fortunately or unfortunately, she doesn’t have a lot to show. So all those skimpy nothings really don’t look that great on her. For the girl who shone so bright as a simple potter in Welcome to Sajjanpur, does Amrita need to get into this dare-bare gig?

There’s something about such insipid projects… nothing around seems to go right. So Shankar Ehsaan Loy churn out what must be one of their weakest compositions in a long time. In fact, you really have to recheck their name in the credits after those flat songs just pass you by, one by one. Kal nau baje is the one track where you can skip the smoke/loo break. Ideally you should take a break this weekend and save your money for the Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey tickets.

And hey Mr Anil Kapoor, of the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire fame, next time you make a mainstream Hindi film, please try and come up with something “fantastic, fabulous, mindblowing, mindblasting…” so we can all go jhakaas!

RAJ 10 July 2009
11:03:29 pm

“”Previous generation used to wonder how SRK were getting huge hits. This generation is working on Akshay! “”

This generation is amused how akshay getting worse as an entertainer day by day…..He used to be a great entertainer till 2005…

Som 11 July 2009
12:27:32 am

LINK

Morning Walk opened to extremely dull numbers of 0-5% and has very little chances at the box office.

Sankat City opened to a poor 10-15%, the reports are okay but remains to be seen if the film can actually pick up at the box office over the weekend.

Short Kut opened to a dull response of 35-40% and reports are encouraging which will mean an uphill struggle for the film at the box office. Mumbai city had the best collections in the first day as comedies tend to do better in Mumbai than other places in India.

Kambakkht Ishq had an excellent first week of around 36 crore. The film has done brilliant business in the North while collections in South India circuits like Mysore are on the lower side. The collections on the 8th day have shown a big fall of around 65-70%.

New York dropped 70% in week two due to release of Kambakkht Ishq and grossed 8 crore nett in week two to take its total to over 35 crore nett. The film should have steadier collections in its third week. HIT

Som 11 July 2009
03:31:12 am

Kambakkht Ishq – First Week Circuit Billings

Kambakkht Ishq has had the fifth biggest first week total ever after Ghajini, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Singh Is Kinng and Om Shanti Om. The approx circuit by circuit billings of Kambakkht Ishq are as follows.

Mumbai – 13 crore

Delhi/UP – 8.30 crore

East Punjab – 3.90 crore

West Bengal – 1.50 crore

Bihar -65 lakhs

CP Berar – 1.70 crore

CI -95 lakhs

Rajasthan – 1.75 crore

Nizam – 1.80 crore

Mysore – 1.40 crore

Others – 1 crore

TOTAL – 35.95 crore

Som 11 July 2009
03:41:54 am

LINK

It’s all about the money, honey. That’s what Pankaj Advani’s zany comic caper says, and it’s also the reason why I saw it today in a near-empty theatre, while mega budget duds rake in the moolah. Ah. Hallelujah.

Size does matter, yes- and Sankat City probably outsize any other Hindi film playing in theatres currently as far as the fun factor goes, and without compromising on its own or its audiences’ intelligence. Madcap, irreverent and cleverly written, Sankat City is bright entertainment, reminiscent of the likes of Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. While it may lack certain panache and pizzazz- especially on the technical front (the money factor being at play), the film has enough to keep itself crackling and it’s (so far) small audience chuckling right till the end.

Performances are consistently good by the whole cast- Kay Kay Menon, Anupam Kher, Manoj Pahwa, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Yashpal Sharma, with even Rimi Sen being surprisingly effective- with the sole possible exception of Chunky Pandey who goes ham-mer and tongs quite literally, almost as if to compensate for his somewhat underwritten character.

Advani brings a nicely wacky, yet simple touch to the sprawling narrative, and though the storytelling seems disappointingly tame at times, he does well to hold things together till the end.

It takes time to get used to the slightly jerky camera and sometimes poorly lit frames, but once things get into the flow, it’s pretty much smooth sailing till the end, unlike in real life where rough waters await the film. Giving away any of the plot that involves con-men, a loan shark, a real estate agent, a movie duplicate among others and their crazy quest for cash would ruin the viewing experience, but I do heartily recommend that you catch Sankat City in theatres and give yourself a good time and a fighting chance for a whole new and original wave of cinema to survive and succeed.

Som 11 July 2009
10:51:16 am

Indore Barometer Friday Short Kut Transformers 2

Short Kut opened a dull response at Indore multiplexes. Hollywood’s Transformers 2 had slightly better collections but was poor as well.

PVR

Short Kut – 44,500

Transformers 2 – 39,550

Inox

Short Kut – 21,650

Transformers 2 – 31,900

Big (Adlabs)

Short Kut – 23,700

Transformers 2 – 31,600

Velocity

Short Kut – 22,700

Transformers 2 – 23,170

Totals

Short Kut – 1,12,550

Transformers 2 – 1,26,220

Som 11 July 2009
10:52:32 am

Short Kut Grosses 1.50 Crore On Day One

Short Kut – The Con Is On grossed around 1.50 crore on its first day. The collections were low all over though comparatively better in Mumbai circuit.

The film may gross around 5 crore nett over the weekend which would be poor result considering Mere Baap Pehle Aap a similar film also featuring Akshay Khanna managed 9 crore nett business over its first weekend.

There is not much hope for the film after Sunday as the public have not appreciated the film.

Gorilla 11 July 2009
06:21:26 pm

Thanks Som. BOI has given a Nett total of 36 Cr for KI in week1.

Hats off to Akshay and Kareena for pulling this off. I do not remember when was the last time a film pulled off from intense negative media campaign.

Gorilla 11 July 2009
06:38:38 pm

Without doubting anybody’s reasoning, I think media by and large will pick up producer’s total, indicating a superhit status for KI.
BOI’s figure of 36 Cr nett is indeed pleasing, indicating KI to be HIT.
Personally I will take what Tango will say.

Tango 11 July 2009
10:50:18 pm

Thanks Gorilla “I will take what Tango will say”

And yeah as per PERCEPTION theory KI has taken 42 crores, as that is what people have been bombarded with, though actually it must be about … lower than that.

neelu 11 July 2009
11:05:28 pm

Diplomacy – tera naam hai Tango!!!

Tango 12 July 2009
12:45:42 am

Neelu- “Diplomacy – tera naam hai Tango!!!”

Nahi Neelu ji its not diplomacy but there is an NG History attached to this PERCEPTION theory before you came

We were told time and again by one our good ex-NGite abt how Sarkar Raj though not a hit was a hit because the PERCEPTION due to many media write ups is that it is a hit.

Much in the same way certain movies of a certain Shah Rukh Khan were named which were PERCEPTION flops, for similar reasons.

Som 12 July 2009
01:13:30 am

Kambakkht Ishq’s 100 crore – A big fat box office lie ?

Som 12 July 2009
01:14:32 am

“So, what to believe and what to chuck ? As someone wrote on a blogpost, Box office news and updates of Kambakkht Ishq is more eventful than the movie itself. Couldn’t agree more!”

You have become famous Gorilla. The guy has quoted you.

Som 12 July 2009
01:15:30 am

Rangan on Short Kut:A dreadful satire of the film industry is symptomatic of everything that’s wrong with our mainstream cinema

Som 12 July 2009
06:27:38 am

Shortkut, Morning Walk, Sankat City take dull BO opening

MUMBAI: While New York and Kambakkth Ishq brought the much needed respite to the Hindi film industry, this week’s three new Hindi film releases Shortkut – The Con Is On, Morning Walk and Sankat City have not managed to bring cheer at the turnstiles.

While on Friday, shows for Shortkut – The Con Is On had an average occupancy of about 40 per cent in Bombay city, western Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat; the average occupancy in the rest of the country was approximately 30 per cent making the film’s opening rather dull. Shortkut – The Con Is On stars Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao and has been produced by Anil Kapoor Film Company.

On the other hand, Inox Motion Pictures’ debut production venture Morning Walk starring Anupam Kher, Sharmila Tagore and Divya Dutta amongst others, has also taken a dismal opening at the box office. The third Hindi film release of the week – Moser Baer’s Sankat City too didn’t see audience flocking to the theaters.

Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapor says, “The three new movies have taken a very ordinary opening of about 20 – 30 per cent at our properties. Also the fact that there is so much of content has led to one cannibalizing the other.”

Additionally, New York, which released two weeks back, has picked up due to word of mouth; whereas Kambakkth Ishq is running to average occupancies of approximately 30 – 40 per cent.

On the other hand, Hollywood movies like Transformers, Ice Age 3 and Hangover have seen audiences flocking to the theatres.

All eyes are now on the remaining three Hindi movies that are scheduled to release this month namely – Jashn (17 July), Luck (24 July) and Love Aaj Kal (31 July).

ACHILLES 12 July 2009
06:57:53 am

LOL Tango – IBOS has 43.5 cr as KI week 1

Gorilla – Its time for you to ditch Eros/Taran’s claim and hug IBOS!

btw, even media seems to be wary about the ‘Ghotala’ about KI BO, though some articles have quoted the 100 cr figure, no one is calling it a Hit as of now.

Tango 12 July 2009
09:24:18 am

Ach- I guess IBOS wants support from Akshay fans but what they have forgotten is that they have rubbed everyone the wrong way apart from…

Just a cursory glance through their datbank will show their golden history.

Tango 12 July 2009
09:33:08 am

The guy has adjusted Singh Is Kinng and Welcome to fool Akki fans but just check this

http://www.ibosnetwork.com/asp.....p?year=200

36. Bhagam Bhag Dec 22 2006 Rs. 39,38,45,211

37. Heyy Babyy Aug 24 2007 Rs. 42,75,16,653

38. Bhool Bhulaiyaa Oct 12 2007 Rs. 41,09,28,271

No Namstey London

(The last entry is at Rs. 28,25,86,850)

ACHILLES 12 July 2009
11:08:11 am

Tango Bhai – IBOS does not deserve even cursory glance, after all the goof-ups in that site for almost every other movie.

I mentioned their 43.5 cr week 1 for Ki just because they seem to have got Anna’s SMS joke that he started on NG!

Anyways, we need this week’s FI scans to conclude on the KI ghotala. Waiting for you and Som to post it once its available.

Thanks.

Som 12 July 2009
11:18:49 am

IBOS are literally a joke now. They don’t even know simple mathematics. Look at their gross collections for Paying Guests, It stand at 83,39,14,991. LOL.

Som 12 July 2009
11:56:01 am

Namrata Joshi(Outlook):Not only is it one of the most offensive, gender-insensitive flicks of late but is also utterly blase and blatant about it

Som 12 July 2009
10:41:41 pm

How Much Business Can Kambakkht Ishq Do In The Long Run?

Q. Are Kites or Three Idiots releasing this year?

A. Three Idiots has chances for a 25th December release while Kites seems likely to come next year.

T Diwan

Q. How can New York be a hit when it has fallen 65% in week two?
A. That is irrelevant even an 80% drop would have meant hit because of huge first week. The question for New York was always Hit or Super Hit, a smaller drop would have meant Super Hit. The film will have around 21 crore theatrical share from India and that is easily Hit business for a film like New York.

K Patil

Q. Does Kambakkht Ishq have any chance to be a super hit

A. The film will be either a Semi Hit or Hit depending on its final all India share. Second week business will decide its status.

Karan Chaudhary

Q. Which film after Kambakkht Ishq in the next few weeks will get a huge opening?

A. Luck should get good opening, Love Aaj Kal should also open well but the biggest opening should come from Kaminey. The super hit music and massy name may well give it a huge opening and a possible 20-25 crore first weekend breaking all records for Shahid Kapoor starrers.

Yousaf Ali

Som 12 July 2009
11:04:34 pm

Kambakkht Ishq Grosses 7.50 Crore Over Second Weekend

Kambakkht Ishq grossed around 7.50 crore nett over its second weekend taking its ten day nett gross to around 43.50 crore nett. The first weekend business was 24 crore nett so the film is showing a drop of nearly 70%.

The film should finish week two at about 47 crore nett and lifetime nett business seems to be heading for the 52-55 crore range. The lifetime distributor share will be about 27-28 crore with 20 crore coming in the first week. Compared to the big films of last year it’s lifetime share will be below Ghajini, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Singh Is Kinng and Race but higher than Jodhaa Akbar and Dostana.

Gorilla 13 July 2009
01:34:06 am

KI is all set to get the ‘HIT’ tag atleast.

Jai Ho! Veeru Ho! Gabbar bhi ho!

Gorilla 13 July 2009
02:29:56 am

BOI: Compared to the big films of last year it’s lifetime share will be below Ghajini, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Singh Is Kinng and Race but higher than Jodhaa Akbar and Dostana.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
05:04:14 am

again BOI is not consistent … Even if their 36 cr week 1 claim is true, the first week distributor share cannot be 20 cr (as per the 50:50 week 1 share decided after the strike).

Ghotala continues …

RAJ 13 July 2009
05:12:44 am

i will stick my neck out and say that the movie wont cross 50 cr in its entire run(On real terms )….Perceptiuon wise it ‘ll be different story as the PR machinery of Mr.Kumar is in full swing to save their asses out of another flop….

sandy 13 July 2009
05:20:24 am

Fact is the film did not crash on its first monday – that amounts to something in my book. Yes, the fact that the film is expensive works against its prospects, but purely from collections, it’s earned pretty well in its first week.

Gorilla 13 July 2009
05:21:09 am

Raj, nobody is calling KI a flop except for you know who. It’s a question of whether it will go beyond semi hit status which i think it will.

Waise bhi Tango bhai par mujhe bharosa hai ki wo sahi tag denge.

Moreover for superstars, you do not have semi-Hits. It’s either Hits or flops and KI is not flopping.

Doga 13 July 2009
05:23:46 am

I think 20 cr distributer share is possible, the 50:50 scenario is only applicable to Multiplexes, not single screens.

And though majority of that 36 cr must have come from plexes, KI must have done some decent business in CP/CI/Berar single screens too(from where the share is around 70+%).

Also a movie which does more than 17.5 cr from more than 500 screens gets 2.5% extra.

19-20 cr first week is easily possible.

Doga 13 July 2009
05:24:59 am

Yes KI is not flop.

Though on strict terms its a underperformer for akki given the setup, but you know he will take this one.

RAJ 13 July 2009
05:26:41 am

Gorilla,

even i am not calling KI a flop…But it cant be a “hit” or for that matter “semi hit”" looking at its collectoion even from the most optimistic sources…

In my book its an avg grosser(The fact akki should be worried about)…At this momnet it doesnt look like crossing 55 CR…whichever way you look at it ..cant be a hit for sure..But yes i will chnage my opinion if it crosses 60 cr..

sv 13 July 2009
05:28:29 am

The first week of 40 crores seems more correct.If we compare with New york,KI grossed 1.42-1.44 times higher.And BOI is right about 20 crores first week distributor share,as it forgot that now share is 50% flat rate.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
05:36:57 am

SV – you put all of Taran’s gross figures in your excel. There is a subtle difference between Gross and Net.

I would wait for FI instead of speculating drops, first week total and trade verdict. Why is the producer, Akshay and all KI fans in such a hurry to call it a Hit?

A movie with a 45-50 cr budget (forget publicity and print cost for the time being) does not become a Hit overnight.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
05:48:31 am

Also, single screens do not give more than 50% distributor share.

sv 13 July 2009
05:51:11 am

Achilles,Taran has incomplete numbers.As you said we will have to wait for FI.No hurry to declare KI as a hit so soon.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
06:01:36 am

SV – Taran had incomplete centers for NY too.

anyways, i was not referring to you for declaring KI a hit.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
07:34:28 am

Vinod Mirani (box office guy for Rediff) usually goes by the opening week collections for his trade verdicts. Still he is calling KI an average and NY a hit.

Link

It will indeed be interesting to look at FI data for week 1.

Doga 13 July 2009
01:06:41 pm

Kambakth Ishq First week Detailed Collections : BOI

The first week collections from some major cities are around India are as follows. The first week billing without Bihar comes out to 32.75 crore and with Bihar the first week will be 33.40-33.45 crore nett.

Kambakkht Ishq – Week One

Mumbai – 4.48 crore from 65 cinemas

Thane – 1.45 crore from 45 cinemas

Ahmedabad – 1.30 crore from 30 cinemas

Baroda – 42.90 lakhs from 6 cinemas

Himmatnagar – 5.17 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Anand – 14.05 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Nadiad – 7.41 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Bharuch – 9.12 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Navsari – 5.02 lakhs from 1 cinema

Mehsana – 5.05 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Palanpun – 4.62 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Rajpipla – 0.68 lakhs from 1 cinema

Dahod – 1.81 lakhs from 1 cinemas

Halol – 1.69 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Rajkot – 29.29 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Bhavnagar – 12.05 from 2 cinemas

Jamnagar – 7.78 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Gandhidham – 7.67 from 3 cinemas

Junagadh – 2.92 lakhs from 1 cinema

Porbander – 3.62 lakhs from 1 cinema

Bhuj – 2.88 lakhs from 1 cinema

Adipur – 2.99 lakhs from 1 cinema

Solapur – 6.25 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Nasik – 19.12 lakhs from 5 cinemas

Belgaum – 6.55 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Delhi – 3.87 crore from 37 cinemas

Noida – 41.73 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Ghaziabad – 63.26 lakhs from 13 cinemas

Lucknow – 46.76 lakhs from 6 cinemas

Kanpur – 25.50 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Agra – 23.10 lakhs from 4 cinemas

Varanasi – 15.18 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Meerut – 14.65 lakhs from 4 cinemas

Allahabad – 6.68 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Gorakhpur – 11. 79 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Bareilly – 3.50 lakhs from 1 cinema

Chandigarh – 48.23 lakhs from 4 cinemas

Gurgaon – 69.50 lakhs from 7 cinemas

Faridabad – 39.76 lakhs from 8 cinemas

Kolkata – 1.16 crore from 45 cinemas

Nagpur – 36.37 lakhs from 9 cinemas

Raipur – 23.34 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Amravati – 5.43 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Jabalpur – 3.25 lakhs from 1 cinema

Akola – 3.00 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Indore – 41.50 lakhs from 7 cinemas

Bhopal – 7.24 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Ujjain – 1.99 lakhs from 1 cinema

Rewa – 2.00 lakhs from 1 cinema

Sehore – 2.39 lakhs from 1 cinema

Jaipur – 97.20 lakhs from 14 cinemas

Jodhpur – 25.50 lakhs from 3 cinemas

Ajmer – 11.35 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Bikaner – 9.20 lakhs from 2 cinemas

Hyderabad – 1.10 crore from 29 cinemas

Aurangabad – 19.65 lakhs from 5 cinemas

Nanded – 4.15 lakhs from 1 cinema

Bangalore – 1.12 crore from 15 cinemas

Mangalore – 8.88 lakhs from 1 cinema

Doga 13 July 2009
01:08:31 pm

So now BOI has KI at 33.5 cr.

BOI is now more in like with Ach,Rud esitmates.

They slashed down 2.5 cr right away, dont know the logic here.

I thought 35 cr was bare minimum.

Doga 13 July 2009
01:12:55 pm

“Also, single screens do not give more than 50% distributor share.”

Ach, Arent Single screens only given rents and may be some royalty. I think the share from single screens is far more than 50%.

If you look at the shares of older movies Gadar(58 cr out of 70 cr Nett) you will see that.

Also going by this 50:50 logic, how can we explain ghajini 60 cr share from 115 cr nett, because since its 50:50 first week and then even lower from second week onwards(45:55) and so on, Ghajini share should have not even be 55 cr, let alone 60 cr.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
01:33:10 pm

Doga – I dont have blind faith on BOI like some of you do, but I have a few friends who owns single screens in India, I am get some inputs from them too.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
01:34:15 pm

^ btw, you are free to not believe it … as you did when I raised the point that BOI has been over-reporting.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
01:42:40 pm

Btw, BOI seems to have put up the FI data before Som … LOL! NG does have a wide audience from longshot to Taran to BOI!

rks 13 July 2009
02:05:31 pm

“you did when I raised the point that BOI has been over-reporting.”
I think that is because, they know total print count.
For unreported center they use some number (from previous data) and multiple with unreported prints. The problem is that those centers are small and contribute minuscule amount to NETT. Any small variation (and probably their bias comes into play because chosen number could be from a range depending upon type of movie and business it is doing in reported centers) in multiplier would yield a big number in any direction.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
02:45:49 pm

Knowing just the print count does not put you in any better position. To estimate based on print counts you need to know the exact prints in circulation between single screens and multiplexes and also the number of shows allocated to that movie in that week in plexes.

Whether BOI is over reporting or under reporting becomes obvious with their commentary (if you can read in between the lines).

Doga 13 July 2009
03:35:00 pm

Ach you were right on BOI/Jogi over-reporting, but you know i was thinking best for bollywood(ie big business),lol.

By the way, with BOI coming down to 33.5 cr, i guess 35 cr opening is out of the window too.

Doga 13 July 2009
03:38:42 pm

My Prediction for KI was 40-45 cr opening and 70-75 cr final.

Ach you can clearly see i belong to the excited lot.
(I am trying hard to get out of BOI hangover, but i have indeed stopped being gung ho over BOI).

With 33.5 cr opening, 52-53 cr is the max it will do,Above Average.

Doga 13 July 2009
03:42:43 pm

Ach just out of curiosity, Which Nett did you used first as reference(you will obviously need Nett of a movie to start comparing Indiafm/FI numbers).

I know now you can go back and refer your own numbers, but which was the first movie you took the nett as refernce.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
04:03:39 pm

The starting point of my calculations was 23 cr Net for Jodhaa Akbar week 1. I took that number from Rudresh’s column as he has been number crunching for quite sometime before me.

You may ask why Jodhaa Akbar?

Well it was one movie where there was a lot of scrutiny on its numbers @NG. Producers gave a total of 25 cr Net for week 1.

Another movie I took as baseline was 24.5 cr week 1 for Sarkar Raj (based on JA comparison).

Both these movies are the baselines for all my estimations.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
04:11:26 pm

Btw, i think its best for bollywood if a movie like KI does no more than average business .. a hit here wud make Akshay and his camp churn out more movies like this.

Doga 13 July 2009
04:25:40 pm

Ok Ach, JA is a good choice. And with numbers ranging from 22 cr to 25 cr, 23 cr looks like a legit choice.

And you know Akki and co may enjoy the KI success they want, but if we look closely, audiance have thumped their verdict on KI and that is they dont want these mindless comedies anymore, Akki better pick up his socks.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
04:59:52 pm

Audience verdict will only be clear once the numbers for week 2 and week 3 come in to reveal the trending and wom.

But as of now we are still waiting for FI week 1 data.

rks 13 July 2009
05:45:51 pm

KI – 2nd week – US – $343,468 (fall 55.3%)

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
05:48:28 pm

The most interesting experience has been watching the predictions of KI enthusiasts progress from 70 cr total to 60 cr to now 50 cr!

neelu 13 July 2009
05:55:33 pm

Wasn’t KI slated to be the one with most chance of beating Ghajini totals? In ordinary times a film like NY would do average business at best – but it is sailing to hit+ status. In this environment KI doing 50 cr plus is really a poor show IMO. The audience have spoken, they ate the meal as it was the only one in front of them and they were hungry for a couple of months, but given choices they will not come back to a similar plate.

Doga 13 July 2009
06:18:17 pm

KI USA gross looks better, its moviing towards a respecatable 1.7+ mill.

Som 13 July 2009
07:06:31 pm

Weekend numbers in UK

KI 2nd weekend Gross:£ 104 849
% Fall: -64.98
Total to date:£ 551 294

Short Kut first weekend: £ 80 488

Som 13 July 2009
07:22:14 pm

Oh so BOI have come up with a much lower total!! Looking at the numbers, It does look somewhere around that range. North(Delhi/UP+Punjab) which I had thought would be better has not done that well.

It will find it difficult to reach 50cr from here on which is a massive under performer.

Btw if the weekend numbers as reported by BOI were 24.5 cr and the Monday and Tueday figures(4 and 3cr respectively), how come the rest two days only gave just about 2cr??

There can be three possibilities here:

1- The weekend numbers were not right at the first place.Either they were over reported or some wrong calculations there. If the case is the former one, numbers certainly don’t seem to justify all these talks of KI taking historic,extra ordinary opening.

2- The movie terribly terribly crashed on Wednesday.

3- Monday and Tuesday numbers are not correct. These numbers might have been deliberately claimed just to show the movie was somewhat stable but the reality was something different,signs of a crash??!!

I think we were shown a rosy picture of the film’s weekdays’ performance, which could have worse than reported/claimed. No wonder the film’s 2nd weekend has dropped by 65-70%. A film remaining stable in weekdays can’t fall by that much in the 2nd weekend. It is usually the performance in the weekdays that leads to and decides the performance in the 2nd weekend.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
07:31:27 pm

Som – more on that later, where is FI dude?

Som 13 July 2009
07:35:30 pm

Most probably will get it today,Ach.Should be posting it asap.

ACHILLES 13 July 2009
07:57:48 pm

OK – lets see if FI can give any further twist …

Som 13 July 2009
10:03:12 pm

Midweek: ‘Short Kut’ doesn’t entice viewers!

Kambakkht Ishq :Registers a drop in its second weekend. But is best in North

Short Kut – The Con Is On : Below average opening weekend

Sankat City:Picked up slightly on Saturday and Sunday, but business is still on the lower side.

New York:Hit

Morning Walk:Poor opening weekend

RAJ 13 July 2009
10:16:21 pm

Poor Taran is stil trying to justify himself by meddling in gross and nett figures…He is a laughing stock all over again ..He did the same with Rab ne and NY by underreporting and now with KI by overreporting….What apoor looser this man is??

Som 13 July 2009
10:26:53 pm

I find it bit amusing to see Boxoffice India comparing the distributor share of Kambakkhat Ishq with the likes of Dostana and Jodha Akbar. The distributor share could be more in case of Kambakkhat Ishq as the film seems to have enjoyed a better first week, these days first week gives the maximum share but does that really make Kambakkhat Ishq a bigger success(assuming it is a success) than Dostana or Jodha Akbar? There are 100 more movies which distributors’ share will be lesser than KI. That does not prove anything or signify KI is a bigger success. It has to be distributor share vis-à-vis distribution cost, which is the one and only criterion. It would have been lot better had Boxoffice India cared to lay down the distribution cost of these three movies as well instead of just saying Kambakkhat Ishq has a bigger distributor share than Dostana and Jodha Akbar which is in fact pretty pointless in the present context.

Som 14 July 2009
12:34:31 am

“OK – lets see if FI can give any further twist”

No wonder “Twist” has become the song of the season.

Som 14 July 2009
12:39:33 am

Weekly collections at Boxoffice India

Kambakkht Ishq 33,42,00,000 from 1048 cinemas.

New York
2nd week nett.: 9,46,00,000
% Fall: -65.56
Total nett. todate: 36,90,00,000

Som 14 July 2009
01:05:58 am

Overseas report:Short Kut Is Below The Mark

Short Kut – The Con Is On was below the mark in the overseas markets with around 2.50 crore business over its first weekend. Middle East saw the best business of around 90 lakhs.

Kambakkht Ishq has done well in the International markets but is below the expectations prior to release. The film has grossed 4.50 crore in United Kingdom, 6 crore in North America, 4.50 crore in Middle East and 70 lakhs in Pakistan after its second weekend. The Overseas total after 10 days is around 19.50 crore. SEMI HIT

New York has 13.75 crore after its third weekend. The film is best in Middle East with over 5 crore business and is biggest grosser of the year in that territory till date. SEMI HIT

Som 14 July 2009
01:10:09 am

BO: Transformers beats Shortkut

Som 14 July 2009
06:18:39 am

Chennai Boxoffice

Anna 14 July 2009
09:16:25 am

Chennai BO

“New York is still the best Bollywood show in town”

As I mentioned earlier, not only in chennai but in other parts of south India, NY has marched ahead of KI from last monday itself.

Not that NY is a big hit in south india. Its just an above average movie but has fared better than KI

Anna 14 July 2009
09:21:02 am

KI flop show in multiplexes

http://www.etintelligence.com/.....racker.jsp

I have my own doubts on even 33.5 anyways will wait for Ach bhai’s numbers now that FI scan is available

Anna 14 July 2009
09:42:58 am

What was the first week nett of last years one week wonder Golmaal Returns? I believe KI is even lesser than that

Som 14 July 2009
10:59:31 am

Golmaal returns which enjoyed a 5 day weekend had a first week(9 days) of close to 39cr as per BOI.

Som 14 July 2009
08:40:53 pm

Low turnout last weekend

Box-office is so very unpredictable. Look at the A-listers associated with SHORT KUT – Anil Kapoor, Neeraj Vora, Anees Bazmee, Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao… the names associated behind the scenes are also impressive. Yet, despite names that spell quality, SHORT KUT, unfortunately, did not take a speedy start at the box-office.

What does one attribute the dull start to? The promos that didn’t create a buzz? Or lack of interest in the film? We can only keep guessing, but the fact remains that SHORT KUT has under-performed in its opening weekend.

The Friday to Sunday figures are way below-the-mark, while Monday was lower than Friday, which clearly indicates the negative trends. There would’ve been a ray of hope had SHORT KUT carried a favourable word of mouth, but the general feedback was, unfortunately, negative, with most critics giving it a thumbs down.

One of the reasons that could’ve gone against the film is that it gave an impression of being an out-and-out comedy, which it wasn’t. The film had its share of emotional moments, which weren’t highlighted aggressively prior to its release.

SANKAT CITY had a poor start on Friday [expectedly] and did show an upward trend at a few plexes on Saturday and Sunday, but that big jump was missing. Given the fact that the film is carrying favourable reports and also the fact that there’s no major opposition this coming Friday, the makers should go all out and promote it like never before. This film has the potential.
On a personal level, I expected so much more from MORNING WALK. But the film didn’t work for me. It has been noticed time and again that a film gathers momentum, despite a slow start, if it has the potential. But the business of MORNING WALK continues to remain on the lower side.

Som 15 July 2009
01:00:16 am

Short Kut Heads For 7 Crore Nett First Week

Shor Kut – The Con Is On looks likely to finish on 7 crore nett at the end of its first week. The film grossed 5 crore nett over the weekend with Sunday seeing the best business but fell badly on Monday. Mumbai circuit performed best with around 2 crore nett over the weekend.

The film will suffer losses for all concerned with the film. Short Kut – The Con Is On is the third flop for Anil Kapoor as producer. The other two being Gandhi My Father in 2007 and Badhaai Ho Badhaai on 2002.

The other two releases of last week Sankat City and Morning Walk have low collections all over.

Som 15 July 2009
01:02:34 am

New York First Film To Get Bonus

New York is the first film to benefit from the new terms that were agreed on between producer/distributors and the six national multiplex chains. New York will get a 2.5% revenue bonus in its first and second week as it has crossed the threshold level of 17.50 crore from the six national multiplex chains.

The distributor shares of New York including the bonus are 14.50 crore in week one and 4.50 crore in week two giving it a 19 crore share in two weeks.

Kambakkht Ishq will also get the bonus as it has also crossed the 17.50 crore threshold from the national multiplex chains.

Som 15 July 2009
05:11:19 am

Bollywood Boxoffice report of the week

Som 15 July 2009
05:31:16 am

Q2 Box office, Telegraph

ACHILLES 15 July 2009
08:02:38 am

Tango Bhai – Where did you get your number for KI week 1? Komal’s numbers (some used to have lots of faith in him) does not support your number at all!

As far as I can see, the only way you cud arrive at that number is by taking the average of 31 cr and 42 cr! Is that what you meant by ‘Akshay shah’s formula’ last night?

If so then its sloppy box-office reporting at its best (forgive my cheekiness! )

Gorilla 15 July 2009
08:54:08 am

Abid – ‘In its opening week the Sabbir Khan directed KAMBAKKHT ISHQ has netted a good 37.50 crores (in the face of a huge critical bashing) in its opening week from India. The film has done good business in the Overseas, mainly due to stable collections from US. The film has so far grossed $1,272,076 from US and £ 551, 294 from UK. Given the fact that except for a few sub-territories, it is EROS International which has the worldwide rights of the 45-50 crore KAMBAKKHT ISHQ (including most non-theatrical rights like music and DVD etc.), at this point of time the film is an average fare for them, that is likely to improve its rating further. ‘

Thanks Tango. Your number looks realistic to me and as i had been claiming before you published this report, I will take your number. KI with week1 Nett of 37.5Cr looks logical considering the extraordinary weekend collection.

ACHILLES 15 July 2009
11:36:22 am

Akshay no match for Khandom

Gorilla 15 July 2009
11:42:52 am

‘Akshay no match for Khandom’

LOL….another case of spelling mistake in a website. It’s ‘con’dom dear, not ‘Khan’dom unless it is assumed that ‘khan’ and ‘con’ are same.

ACHILLES 15 July 2009
11:57:14 am

Glamsham (Tango Bhai’s site) calling KI a flop, does not neccessarily make it a flop … its collections in week 2 and week 3 will decide its verdict.

But then, last time i heard someone was waiting for media ‘perception’. KI’s scam may have initially fooled a lot of people in the media, but with time the truth is likely to reveal itself.

Gorilla 15 July 2009
12:02:45 pm

The glamsham article on Akshay trailing and Khans smirking, will attract good hits as it has a story that is unique. These are just a speck of dust in the ocean of success and bliss for a billion Indian who are thanking god and good(i mean real good ones) trade analysts for pointing at KI’s success.

Som 16 July 2009
07:15:00 am

Love Aaj Kal And Kaminey Set For Big Openings

New York and Kambakkht Ishq have got the box office going in the last few weeks and Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey look set to boost it further. The music of both Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey is ruling the charts and both are the top sellers of 2009.

The Love Aaj Kal album has been appreciated tremendously while Dhan Tana from Kaminey is an all India rage.

The massy name for Kaminey is a big plus which will help the opening in single screens especially in North India. As for Love Aaj Kal, the blockbuster success of director Imtiiaz Ali’s last film Jab We Met after its release on Television and Home Video will boost the prospects of Love Aaj Kal further.

Som 16 July 2009
01:28:19 pm

Small change

Shubhra Gupta

The smell of money is in the air again. After an arid couple of months, theatres are full, the box office has queues outside, and producers are taking out half-page ads in trade magazines claiming the kind of figures that had all but disappeared: after the first weekend, New York is said to have made Rs 35 crore (last Friday, the figure had climbed to Rs 55 crore); Kambakkht Ishq, Rs 19 crore.

But this small burst of good fortune isn’t enough to wipe out the aggregate showing of the first six months. Bollywood’s report card for the period: lacklustre. Except for a handful, the first half of the year has been a succession of bad films.

There’s also another factor that increasingly needs to be factored into hit/miss equations — just because a star is A-list, it doesn’t mean his or her films are going to be sure-shot winners. Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor, A-listers both, failed to charm the audience in KI. It mattered not a whit that the film was shot in glitzy Hollywood, with a second rung of Hollywood stars, and that it had come to the theatres in a blitz of publicity and pre-release hype. It opened to, as expected, full houses. But as the week wore on, occupancy dipped drastically.

Reason: an overdose of crassness. Through the film, the lead stars indulge in gross-out behaviour — Akshay, the uncouth chauvinist, and Kareena, the painfully thin clotheshorse, hurl verbal abuse at each other. Co-stars join in wholeheartedly. The Hollywood contingent looks past it and lost. It’s all completely cringe making.

For once, the audience and the critics were at one rejecting a big banner-big star vehicle, because it caused offence, especially to those unsuspecting people who had taken their kids with them (KI came carrying a U/A certificate). We are Indians. Sex, in moderate doses, is fine. Vulgarity is not.

Costly mistakes

Kambakkht Ishq is just one of this year’s expensive failures. Take a look at the other big losers. Chandni Chowk to China, made at a cost of Rs 60-70 crore, tanked. Nothing mattered — not the Warner Bros stamp, nor Akshay’s strong standing (his Singh Is Kinng was one of the top grossers of 2008), nor the fact that the film was shot on virgin territory in China. Its lack of coherence killed the film. The joke doing the rounds after KI started its downward spiral was — is it as bad as, or worse than CC2C?

They could as easily have asked — is it as bad as or worse than 8/10 Tasveer? That was commercially-blooded arthouse director Nagesh Kukunoor’s turkey, starring, who else, Akshay. In Tasveer, he gets to rappel down Canadian cliffs, and stare into photographs, and tell whodunit. The director was all at sea in a project which seemed expressly created to showcase his star’s athletic prowess; the actor had no idea what he was doing either. Tasveer, a rare big-budget film that released during the strike, exited double-quick.

Dud parade

It’s not just Akshay who’s been mauled. Shah Rukh Khan’s production Billu, starring himself as himself and Irrfan in the main lead, fared poorly. Abhishek Bachchan’s Dilli 6 had great music, smart co-stars, and one of the most picturesque locations in the world (Old Delhi), but the film didn’t work as a whole.

From January to June, a whole series of disasters came and went: Victory (Hurrman Baweja in a dull tale of corruption in contemporary cricket), Aloo Chaat (Aftab Shivdasani in a loud comedy about American goris and Indian goras), Team, The Force (Sohail pretending to be big brother Salman), Let’s Dance (desi version of a mix of Hollywood dance movies), Paying Guests (Jaaved Jafferi and Shreyas Talpade dressed, all over again, as women), Aa Dekhen Zara (Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha running around in circles), Ek – The Power Of One (leftover from the time Bobby Deol used to be a star), Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye (Randeep Hooda in boa feathers). These are just the ones that come to mind; the list goes on and on.

What worked

A couple of good ones that did get some mileage were Anurag Kashyap’s brilliant reworking of Devdas, Dev D; Zoya Akhtar’s insider view of Bollywood, Luck By Chance: Kashyap is now in a position to make the movies he wants to, and Zoya should go on to make her second, having the benefit of hindsight.

Horror-shows have maxed the box office traditionally: Raaz 2, in which Kangana Ranaut bares her back, and Emraan Hashmi his straggly beard, has been one of the biggest hits of the year (it was made at Rs 15 crore, and it’s made over Rs 40 crore).

Madhavan’s nth attempt to crack Bollyood has finally worked: 13 B, about a haunted flat and several bloody murders, has made a very respectable Rs 22 crore. Slumdog Millionaire may not have been all ‘Indian’, but it had a great run, making over Rs 30 crore in both its English and Hindi versions. Dev D has made over Rs 18 crore, and its DVDs are still selling furiously.

All the films that have done well are wildly different but have a couple of things in common: welcome freshness and identifiable characters. Trade analysts are cautiously optimistic about the next half, but showbiz is nothing if not unpredictable. ‘We’ll see what we’ll see’, says an exhibitor who has had an exceptionally bad year.

Just so.

rks 16 July 2009
02:22:19 pm

English releases continue to score over Hindi ones – Livemint

Som

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