3 min readMumbaiJul 20, 2011 12:12 PM IST
Is this real? Or am I dreaming? Is it ‘really’ raining Hits in Bollywood? Jokes apart,the tally of flops keeps mounting week after week,so the current phase comes as a complete shocker. Post READY,which embarked on a thunderous start at the ticket window,the business has only shown an upward trend on most Fridays thereafter. The terrific start of ‘DOUBLE DHAMAAL’,’DELHI BELLY’,’MURDER 2′ and now ‘ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA’ at the ticket counters has revived the industry and brought cheer. Also add ‘TRANSFORMERS’ and ‘HARRY POTTER’ to the list of super openers and one can’t stop smiling from ear to ear.
Oh yes,there’s fierce rivalry week after week,but it’s the survival of the fittest. Besides,it’s all about how robust the business is on the opening day,opening weekend and opening week in today’s times. Next Friday,a new opponent will not only cut into the business,but also stake claim on the screens and shows at plexes. It’s now or never! Of course,the naysayers and eternal pessimists will continue to nitpick,but the glorious phase that the industry is enjoying currently must’ve come as a rude shock for them too.
Now let’s talk of ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. The business is clearly divided. Multiplexes are rocking. Single screens of urban centres are good/decent,but dull otherwise. But there’s no reason to worry. The business of multiplexes has more than compensated for the lack of business at single screens. Recall WANTED. The business from single screens compensated for the lack of business from plexes then. The bottom line is,the film ought to pack a solid total at the end of the day. Whether it comes from plexes or single screens,whether it comes from urban centres or mass belt,whether it comes during weekend or weekdays is not important. Solid total hona mangta hain,boss!
ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA has been lapped up by youngsters and also by the young at heart. And it’s so good to see diverse genres being embraced in consecutive weeks: READY,DOUBLE DHAMAAL,DELHI BELLY,MURDER 2,ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA,TRANSFORMERS,HARRY POTTER. 3D works,masala works,urban themes work,out of the box concepts work
we are talking to a far more evolved audience today and this revolution needs to be welcomed.
Also,everyone’s talking of ‘ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA’ economics suddenly. Yes,it’s an expensive film. But the distributors (Eros) have to recover the amount from not just India and Overseas theatrical,but also Satellite,Music,Home Video and various non-theatrical avenues. In fact,Eros has recovered 55% of their investment from Satellite and Music rights. Of course,the forthcoming days will decide where ‘ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA’ eventually stands vis-à-vis the economics,but like they say in filmi parlance,a terrific start signifies winning half the battle.
As for ‘HARRY POTTER’,it’s all set to emerge one of the biggest hits of the year in India. Like I pointed earlier,film-makers here will now have to be extra careful while announcing the release date of their films. The competition is fierce from not just home-made products,but also Hollywood.
