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'Vivah' is a big hit

Box-office can be most unpredictable and that's the beauty of the business. No one knows this better than Rajshri, who have been in the business for almost six decades. Films like JEEVAN MRITYU, UPHAAR, GEET GAATA CHAL, TAPASYA, CHITCHOR, DULHAN WAHI JO PIYA MAN BHAAYE, ANKHIYON KE JHAROKON SE, NADIYA KE PAAR and the not-too-recent MAINE PYAR KIYA and HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN braved so many oppositions [weather/examinations/films], but slowly and gradually climbed the ladder of success.

With VIVAH, Rajshri has gone back to the traditional system of exploiting a film. The mantra is simple: Release the film with limited prints in limited shows in the first round and increase the prints gradually, as the popularity of the film grows. At a time when Bollywood is exploring the strategy of 'wide release', flooding the marquee with 1,000 + prints globally, VIVAH was released with 150 prints in the domestic market. Also, the premier production-distribution house didn't go for the overkill, with 12/14/16 shows at multiplexes, but 2/3/4 shows at most places. And the gamble paid off!

I have always believed that Rajshri has cultivated a strong and loyal audience over the years and no matter how strong and omnipotent the saas-bahu sagas on television may be, a well-made Rajshri film would never find dearth of moviegoers. And in this case, the baraatis [moviegoers] kept increasing with each passing day to witness VIVAH.

After opening to a heartening response [80%-90%] at several screens, the first weekend continued to attract crowds, even though the response from the media was outright negative. But the media response to HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN was pathetic too. I distinctly remember, Rajshri had organized a screening for the industry bigwigs at Liberty theatre, Marine Lines, Mumbai, almost a week before the release of the film. And the reactions ranged from poor to disaster to washout. In fact, a number of people scoffed at this writer when we carried a full-length review of the film before its release, calling it a potential blockbuster. Frankly, the Barjatyas of Rajshri are used to mixed reactions and feedback by now.

Back to VIVAH. The film is EXTRA-ORDINARY in most circuits of India. Monday was strong, so was Tuesday and Wednesday. Rajshris are in the process of increasing the prints from the second/third week onwards and a clearer picture about its business would emerge once the maximum prints are in circulation. But, as of today, Rajshri has a big hit on hand!

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/

Trade Talk-13th November 15.00 IST

Vivah turns out to be a surprise universal success. The film has done well all over and will have extra prints added in second week.