Will Lakshya beat Main Hoon Na?

Arthur J Pais | May 20, 2004 12:21 IST


As Main Hoon Na enters the fourth week in North America and England with an estimated $3.6 million haul and exhibitors wonder which movie could beat that collection this year, three things are becoming evident.

One, the film which faces formidable opposition by Mani Ratnam's Yuva in the coming days, is fading fast and could end with an awesome $4 million gross. But it is still falling short of the $4.5 million that Shah Rukh Khan's other hit, Kal Ho Naa Ho, took a few months ago.

Many who loved both films say the latter appealed more because it dealt with NRIs in New York, a city that is most familiar to immigrants from India across North America. It also had far more emotional punch.

One of my neighbours Mona Kumar says she saw it at least three times in theatres and she was not ashamed to cry each time. "I had a lot of fun crying," she says. "I am not afraid to laugh at the comedy in our films and I am not at all embarrassed to cry."

Second, the huge success of Main Hoon Na further consolidates Shah Rukh's status as a star with a firm box-office clout. The only star who has had such a lucky streak of hits abroad is Amitabh Bachchan. Many Bollywood stars like Govinda, who have had a strong string of hits somehow could not make a big impact in North America. Sanjay Dutt, whose career zoomed with the miraculous success of Munnabhai MBBS, could not make the film a big hit abroad. It grossed just about $1 million on both sides of the Atlantic. Shah Rukh, on the other hand, has delivered nearly a dozen hits abroad in less than a decade.

Third, the success of Main Hoon Na is even more impressive in that it is not a multi-starrer like K3G or has a romantic triangle involving a fairly popular actor like Saif Ali Khan in KHNH.

For the rest of the year, Main Hoon Na will be the film to be beaten. And the first serious challenge will be thrown by Farhan Akshtar's Lakshya, which has an impressive star cast led by Amitabh Bachchan, including Hrithik Roshan, whose popularity abroad has been slowly increasing in the last two years.

"The film has been made with a lot of passion and has a glorious ending," Hrithik who was in New York recently told rediff.com. "I cannot resist a film like that. I feel the audience, especially abroad, are going to love it."

"Farhan Akhtar made a terrific debut with Dil Chahta Hai. And with this film, he shows how much of a master of this medium he is fast becoming."

I can't believe MHN overseas collections will fall short of KHNH. MHN is a better and more attractive masala film than KHNH IMHO.

Will Lakshya beat MHN in BO collections?? First Question, is Lakshya going to be hyped as much as MHN?? Second Question: Will it release with same number of prints or more??
If answer to either of the two questions is no, then NO WAY it will even come close to BO performance of MHN.

Rana

And remember Hrithik does not have a large following overseas. You can gauge that from the comparitive poor performance of Koi Mil Gaya, which IMO was a much better movie than either MHN or KHNH

I cannot say anything about box-office collections et al, but I am quite sure that Lakshya will be a better movie than Main Hoon Na (though I haven't seen the last one).

Amitabh & Hritik can not bring in the audiences internationally the only reason i'm interested in this film is because i really enjoyed DCH and i wanna see if FA can repeat the enjoyment with his second film.. i couldn't care less if its with AB & HR or with rank newcomers for me Lakshya intersts lies with its director !!!

First thing that was REPULSIVE for me, Hrithik's MORON act REPEATED after KMG, MORON gets SUPER SMART/SUPERMAN..too soon..I wont buy that!!

Secondally..Lakshaya..music DIDNT appeal me at all, compare to DCH, the way it blended with film..mind u i like serious music, more than any thing..currently enjoying DEV, i.e imho, best thing ever happened to Adish Shrivastav( DEV as a film..another END LESS cop dramas, casting Budha B, I have lost appetite for that)

Thirdly..Preity in that SHORT BOY CUT with HUGE FACE and HEAD..I wont say any thing..Mind u, I like Preity though otherwise!

I hope AB does not die in 20 minutes after BRIEF appearance like in ARMAAN, imho, it was one of WORST role BUDHA B accepted!

I am not talking about HRITHIK or his SHOW, I am TALKING about his REPEATED same ROLE as MORON!!

I am sorry!! If I hurt your sensitivity in any ways!! I adore Poo's singing in DEV..give it a listen, I think she should switch, to singer, then we wont have to see her!!

Btw..I didnt give her that name!! POOH was awarded by courtesy of Karan Johar rightfully.. ha ha!! kidding again..Pls dont mind it? I beg!!
thnx

There is no moron act in Lakshya
which is even remotely comparable
to KMG. Lakshya is a coming of age
story of a normal young man that
finds his 'manzil' in life.

Really? I saw song "main aisa kyoun hon" I dont this DUGU looks like a NORMAL YOUNG MAN in that!!???If all NORMAl young men look and ACT like IDIOTS? I doubt it!!

Watch the song in the context of the film and you will understand.
He's no more a retard in this film
than Aamir was in DCH. It's kind of
a variation of the Aamir role.

I'll mhafner, will watch with my eyes and mind open both!LOL

I know I am not sounding good to Some Hrithik Faithfuls here! I apologize, but I did have a concern!! Re him repeating over same role, so shortly!
I did like him, in KMG, but still he was a bit overated! If I can forgive PAPA ROSHAN making MESS of E.T..then KMG is OK! I enjoyed it!I personally felt was better masala than KHNH!

Preity was way OVERATED/UNDER DRESSED in KMG for the role! IMHO too.

Mike!! It is very hard 4 me to accept that Hrithik's song" main aisa hoon, is like Koi kahe in DCH and Hrithik's role is simillar to AAMIR in DCH!

Hrithik, is like Aishwaria, who always manage to LOOK GOOD! She is DECENT/GOOD occasionaly as far her PERFORMANCE is concerned with GOOD DIRECTORS and in MULTI STARRER, other wise she STINKS in Acting!

Hrithik too, with PAPA roshan, and to some extent in Fiza/MK, manage to perform DECENT, then other wise, he DID dance GOOD always! and Tried to look GAYISHLY GOOD! IMHO, e.g MDK/MPKDH/AMAL/YAADEIN, where he STUNK!

Oh he was DECENT in NTJNH btw! too..

I think, FILM should present it self on its own merits! Not on HOW GOOD DVD will be! and Who will be making DVD!

I wish to see LAKSHYA not over shadowed by DCH and should be able to STAND on its own!

just finished watching the IIFA show here on sony tv from Singapore....Duggu won best actor and Duggu Senior won best director but somehow the audience reactions were muted to say the least....Karan Johar's 60 seconds tribute to his father turned into a 5 minutes ramble on the merits of father & son relationship similar to AB intro in K3g...judging by the audience reactin SRK was once again the star of the show and last but not least Farahan Akthar should take a leave from the 2 films he's done and employ himself with a better hair dresser the guy looks like a tosser !!!!

IMHO the best film from 2003 with music and performance to match were and i have to give this jointly because i enjoyed them both equally TERE NAAM & MUNNABHAI MBBS