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The "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon" Surprise, Status of Saaya
By: Abid
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Bollywood has entered the second half of the year and releases are equally as variant as the first. As we finalize this column, indications are that this week´s release,
Harry Baweja´s thriller Qayamat has taken an
excellent start all over India. Let´s hope it joins the rank of Andaaz, Chalte Chalte & Bhoot. However it is very early to come to any sort of conclusion on the film, that will be done in our next column.
Listed below are the reports for Rajshri´s "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon", which as of now is cutting it close to disaster,
all things not considered. Mahesh Bhatt´s romantic thriller "Saaya" has survived flop status but is nowhere near the successes of Jism or Raaz.
It´s competitor, the smut laden "Hawa", has flopped however. Trade analysts were ready to label this one a hit the day it released as it opened to good numbers, but they didn´t realize that the taste-lessness of it would be detracting audiences. The film has failed.
Next week, it appears the long delayed Jaal-The Trap will finally hit cinemas. The film is also directed by Guddu Dhanoa and though it has been delayed for over a year, there are talks that there is actually a prospect for it to be a succes.
Film
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon
Starring
Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Pankaj Kapur, Himani Shivpuri, Johnny Lever
Released
June 27th, 2003
Summary
The fourth directorial venture of Sooraj Barjatya for the Rajshri´s Main Prem ki Deewani Hoon came after a huge publicity blitz and so the expectation of the audience soared to dizzy heights. The Rajshri banner has been patronized by the families for decades and Sooraj Barjatya a name
to reckon. This guaranteed a good first day and at some places a good weekend, but that was all.
Sooraj, who is a role model for Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, tried his hand at their brand of cinema to disastrous results.
The chinks in the amour of MPKDH were visible in parts of North & Central India (barring Rajasthan) from the last show of the first day itself. As the week progressed the fall in collections was rather dramatic and the outcome became obvious to the trade. The two channels who were glorifying MPKDH without any data, also felt silent. One reputed website went to the extent of
putting up a fictitious total of 1.89 crore for Delhi city. These collections were there in the column of a reputed trade journalist.
As the panic set in, 22 minutes of the movie were chopped and it was done in such a shoddy manner that the Hrithik tatoo scene, which forms the basis for the climax was also removed. Alas this came too late, after 5 days and the damage had been done.
Even in USA the second weekend saw a dramatic collapse of 55% after a superb opening weekend. The collections in UK were good but not what is excepted of a Rajshri /Yash Johar/Karan Johar venture.
First week all India collections:-
Delhi-73,55,277 from 11 cinemas--87.73 %
Mumbai-80,37,044 from 21 cinemas-85 %
Madras/Chennai -7,17,593
Kolkata/Calcutta -Distributor refused to disclose collections
Ahmedabad--48,26,567 from 10 cinemas
Baroda -3,32,435
Rajkot--9,44,534 from 2 cinemas
Pune-27,35,156 from 6 cinemas
Sangola-61,310
Mangalwedha-47,899
Lucknow-11,81,019 from 2 cinemas
Allahabad-2,64,151 (27 shows)
Agra---7,45,655
Siliguri (Assam) 1,85,909
Nagpur-6,65,210 from 2 cinemas
Bhopal-2,36,040 (1 un-received)
Rewa-90,000
Satna--1,57,000
Neemuch-57,000
Guna--75,000
Ujjain-2,18,352 from 2 cinemas
Jaipur-8,54,905
Overseas :-
In the UK, MPKDH is expected to end at around 450,000 pounds and in USA it is
expected to go past $1.5 million.
Total (First Week): 3,47,57,166 from 96 prints (These are confirmed)
Total (Projected) from all prints - 8-8.25 crores.
Final Verdict
Given that the cost of the film will touch 30 crores, once the cost of print and publicity is added, the 25 crore venture from Rajshri will be lucky if it is able to recover its cost even if we add the Indian and overseas collections. The 40% drop in the second week means it will be the non-theatrical rights like music, satellite and DVD which may be able to save MPKDH from being called a box office disaster. The total for first two weeks maybe below 12 crores for 2 weeks.
Film
Saaya
Starring
John Abraham, Tara Sharma, Mahima Chaudhary, Zohra Sehgal
Released
July 4th, 2003
Summary
The latest offering from the Bhatt camp Saaya will not be able to do a Raaz or Jism. Maybe their lucky mascot Bipasha Basu would have made the difference. The collections though not earth shattering are steady and the music along with John Abraham´s acting are a boon for the movie. Saaya has also been inspired to a large extent by Kevin Costner´s Dragonfly.
Final Verdict
The movie is also below a 5 crores (unconfirmed) venture and will have a better box office outcome than Hawa. The steady collections are a pointer to the fact that except for Mumbai city,
the distributor´s will not lose and a few lucky ones may even earn a few bucks.
Film
Jhankaar Beats
Starring
Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Sanjay Suri, Rinkie Khanna
Released
June 20th, 2003
Summary
As we had predicted in our last column the film is on its way to becoming a success. The strategy of a limited release seems to have clicked for the 2.30 crore venture. This is a happy debut for the first time distributors Twentieth Century Fox and they, along with the producers, must be laughing all
the way to the bank.
Final Verdict
The film is a moderate success.
Film
Hawa
Starring
Tabu, Shahbaaz Khan, Mukesh Tiwari
Released
July 4th, 2003
Summary
The movie had a budget of around 2.5 crore and was publicized with a one liner "sexual violence". For the first few shows there were good collections at a few centers but there were no visual scenes, instead of that there were only sound effects and special effects. After that as the week progressed the collections crashed. The desi version of The Entity failed to impress the Indian audience.
Final Verdict
Except for Mumbai city which had managed 50-55% collection, the movie had shockingly low collections. The movie was made at a meager budget and that will minimize the losses for its distributors but its a failure all the same. For the first time critics favorite Tabu is being questioned for her acting and her choice of the film Hawa.
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