First weekend performance of latest release

The box office outcome for the flurry of release last week was pretty much as per the expectations. 'American Blend' was the biggest casualty since it came without any buzz and would disappear without a whimper. Neither was an awareness created about the film, nor did the audience have any clue if the film was in English, Hindi or Hinglish. Result? Minimal release and a quick exit. For Indian audience, the film had only one known face - Anupam Kher. But even for Kher, this would be disheartening since just a week back he had an utterly enjoyable 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' to his name.

'Jai Santoshi Maa' and 'Krishna' were never expected to take off even on an average note and though certain sections of the trade believed that remake factor would pull people in for JSM and 'Krishna' too would become a sleeper success like 'Hanuman' did last year, probability of that happening was quite low. It has been repeated time and again that people are saving up their cash on 'Don' and 'Jaan-E-Mann' which makes films like 'JSM' and 'Krishna' easiest films to be ignored. Out of the two, 'Jai Santoshi Maa' still has its chances in the future since it is genuinely well made and hence can anytime make an appearance in a re-run and do well in the DVD circuits.

'Woh Lamhe' was expected to take a 50-60% start and the opening weekend saw a similar graph to ensure that this turns out to be yet another 'safe' bet for Vishesh Films. The good part is that the script, performances, direction and music; each of these are the film's plus points that make it a sensitive story to be seen and heard. The bad part is its release timing and if only it would have come at an opportune time, it would have been a much bigger success than it is today.

Last week's movies

Fate of 'Rocky - The Rebel', 'Dor' and 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' proved the uncertainty of Bollywood once again. On an average day, a film with Himesh Reshammiya's score, 2 beautiful heroines, foreign locales, action theme and an actor with a decent fan following would have been a comfortable bet at the box office. Each of the factors combined together to result in 'Rocky - The Rebel' but the audience gave it a big thumbs down, courtesy an outdated treatment and even worse promos that simply put one off the film. Result? A less than 1.5 crore opening week at the box office that spells doom for the film. All set to close below 2 crore, 'Rocky - The Rebel' is a big disappointment for Zayed Khan and is a film that would be forgotten by one and all.

Let's talk about 'Dor'. A film with Nagesh Kukunoor stamp is bound to excite the intelligentsia and niche audience. Also, post the success of 'Iqbal', common junta has recognized him as a director who can give a beautiful movie to them. 'Dor' was much more than being beautiful; in fact quite a good cinematic experience. But what resulted in a lukewarm start was the film's promotion! Unlike 'Iqbal' that had Subhash Ghai backing it up all the way, 'Dor' didn't really have much resources or time in hand and the film more or less came unannounced with not many aware about the subject or setting of the film. Thankfully the critics lapped it up in a big way and word of mouth also helped the viewership grow. But still in the times when first week decides the business of a film and September/October anyways flooded with multiple releases a week, its quite a difficult journey for 'Dor' to sustain for long. With a 1 crore start, 'Dor' will need a miracle to at least turn into below average.

Now picture this. A film that has been delayed by years with a first time director [Dibakar Bannerjee], a unique theme [a man's fight for his house], an actor who has a not-so-happy record of number of stuck films [Pravin Dabbas] and a middle aged supporting actor playing a lead protagonist [Anupam Kher] - now who would have thought a film like this would even get a proper release, let aside turn into a success. UTV thought exactly that and the result is for everyone to be seen! It bought the film from its producers, came up with a fantastic publicity campaign and released it at a decent chain of theatres. Result? Film has crossed 1.25 crore in its first week and though it too may sustain only for 2-3 weeks more, it has at least earned an average tag for itself. The film is destined to do BIG on DVD circuits and believe it or not, has it in it to be remembered as the 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' of the 21st century!