'Murder' - Will the Bhatts give the year's 1st hit again?
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com

The year 2004 has been bad for Bollywood as only about 40 Hindi films have been released on the 12 Fridays leading up to March 19th and the loss accrued to the film industry this year is already Rs. 75 crores!

However, there is happy news as 'Murder' has opened well across India with collections ranging from 85-100 percent. Given its low selling price, it seems like the Bhatt camp will once again give the industry its first universal HIT of the year as they did with 'Raaz' in 2002 and 'Jism' in 2003.

The only negative aspect is that irrespective of its performance, many 'quality' theaters will screen 'Masti' on April 9th instead, as they have been booked in advance for the movie, some with minimum guarantees of around 5.80 lakhs.



* what can u do rana?

What can I do. Just copy the latest BO report from http://www.boxofficeindia.com/

BOX OFFICE NOTES-5th April 22.00 IST

Murder looks set to be the first major success of the year.The film has maintained collections of around 85% over the weekend and considering its reasonable price it seems set to be an earner.How big, only time will tell.

Looking at the box office grossers from Bihar.It seems that the Darshan brothers(Suneel and Darshan) really know the pulse of the Bihar audience.

The top five grossers in Bihar over the last ten years are 1.Gadar 2.Raja Hindustani 3.Jaanwar 4.Dulhe Raja 5.Andaaz.

Rana

1) BTW, which of these 5 top grossers from Bihar are Darshan Brothers'??

2) Looks like Meenaxi will be appreciated by DVD home audiences only. Theatres can't keep running Meenaxi at 15 - 25 % capacity. What can Rana do??



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'worked like Viagra'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... ke~Viagra'
Excerpts:

The crowds are back at the movies after a long time, that too when the biggest blockbuster is being played out at Lahore. If Mahesh Bhatt's Murder can sustain the collections for a few days more, it could very well be the first hit of the year.

The film opened to 75 per cent collections across India and if the first show Monday morning at Delhi's Delite cinema was any indication, the steamy sizzler isn't fizzling out soon. And that had nothing to do with the fact that the star cast of the film made a brief appearance at the theatre to celebrate the film's success.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the unsuspecting crowd that went berserk at seeing Bollywood's newest sex goddess, it was Mallika Sherawat who couldn't contain her excitement at her first brush with stardom.

She blew kisses, as the rest of the cast and crew almost faded in the background. "I have worked like a Viagra at a time when the market was so down," she exclaimed later.

Murder, with its unabashed skin show seems to have made up for the disappointment. So, what's next, will she do a porn film?

"It all depends on the script. If I like the story, I'll do it. Even I have a censor within me," she says without mincing words.

In a marked departure from her equivocation, her producer Bhatt was more candid. "The message to the viewer is very clear: I come here to titillate you." Asked whether it was skin or Mallika that people came to watch, he says, "Mallika's a brand."

So, is she the new Bipasha Basu? "It would be comparing apples to oranges. Mallika, because she's unaffected by ramp modelling is more Indian. She's like a desi tadka in the dal," Bhatt gushes.

Why would anyone WANT to see MURDER in the cinema? Just for the sex?
OMG, I really hate the Indian audience.

Should have asked, "* what can u do Anwar?

Rana

And fall like Niagra!

Nothing.

Yeah, Indian audiences are really pathetic, it's no longer a joke. I guess they don't appreciate good films, they prefer masala trash. Some of the worse films ever made they have made hits while some good films are forgotten. I think this film is another lame copy of a Hollywood film of which the Bhatt's specialise in, I hope Mahesh gets gunned down one day!

This is the closest thing to soft-core porn they get to see on the big screen, though it is still tame by western standards. The acting looks weak as usual, considering it's Mallika Sherawat and a Bhatt film. I wonder what happened to their version of Basic Instinct?

'Masala' and 'Soft Core' are not the same thing.

For Example, most AB, Manmohan Desai films are Masala Films and are definitely not SC.

Rana

Has anyone actually seen this? I've only heard the songs, which I quite like. I haven't seen Inteha, Khwahish or Footpath, so can't comment on the acting, but I have seen Saaya, and quite enjoyed that - so Anurag Basu may make Murder a decent film.

Going off topic slightly, does anyone know why Rediff isn't reviewing all the new films anymore?

I think, they did..I agree, I liked music too, really decently designed album

I saw INTEHA. It's a copy of one or more Hollywood flicks, so what, I quite liked it.
Plus the music was great. (Hollywood originals didn't have songs, INTEHA did).

INTEHA would have been a hit, had it had some big name star attraction (actually both heroines were famous, but only in a limited circle). It may pick up (Home videos only now) now, as Ashmit Patel name seems to have become famous due to MURDER.

Rana

I didn't mean masala and soft core meaning the same thing, they are quite different, though soft-core might be seen as a part of 'masala' IF it makes it big and is accepted by all audiences and makes it into the mainstream (which probably won't happen). Didn't think AB films of that time is masala now, but of those times was considered masala. For example, the Mithun action and dance films of the 80's was masala for that period, but not now. According to a programme on Sony TV (I think AVS) the term masala refers to anything that is hot at the moment what audience respond well to - the flavor of the month. I think they mean the usual what Indian audiences expect - songs, dance, comedy, drama, thrills, etc.

did u get my pm khiladi, dude?

Mallika Celebrates Success With Dinner
By: Planet Bollywood Special Correspondant
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Actress Mallika Sherawat whose ´Murder´ is in for a chance to become the years first universal hit , after it took a flying start across India last Friday , treated her director-friend Govind Menon (who gave her the first major break in ´Khwahish´) , to dinner the same evening .

The girl who is likely to be chased by filmmakers now that ´Murder´ is all set to succeed , has already signed a Telugu film opposite Ravi Teja .