While ‘Bhais’ bow out,DMD gets set to step up

After rejections like 'Teen Thay Bhai' and 'Thank You',how will this week's 'Dum Maaro Dum' fare on box office?

‘Teen Thay Bhai’ has been rejected and it’s no secret. Till a few weeks ago,a big chunk of the industry felt that medium-budget films were the ray of hope for film-makers who couldn’t manage/afford to sign the big ones for their projects. The box-office response to films like ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ in particular reiterated this belief. However,the poor response to ‘Teen Thay Bhai’ has spoiled the party.

The Om Puri,Deepak Dobriyal and Shreyas Talpade starrer had seemed as a safe bet at the time of its release. It had no major contender to compete with. It was a solo release,with holidays during the week. It was backed by top notch names and starred actors who are respected by moviegoers.

Still,poor reports and negative reviews went against the film completely. The silver lining is its low costs (between Rs. 7.5 crore to Rs. 7.75 crore; excluding promotion and advertising expenses),but the theatrical business is dismal.

Meanwhile,what about last week’s release,’Thank You’? The PR machinery would like us to believe that the film will recover costs,but the truth is ‘Thank You’ is a losing proposition. Ask the distributors who have acquired the film and you will get the correct picture. The business is definitely better than Akshay’s previous release,’Patitala House’,but that’s no compliment.

Also,the figures pertaining to the Satellite Rights and Music Rights,reported in a section of the media,are way off the mark. Oh yes,the figures are inflated; just to prove that the film will have a smooth sailing,as far as the economics are concerned. Nope,it won’t!

In light of all of this,what’s expected this week,which will see the release of ‘Dum Maaro Dum’. Abhishek Bachchan must be quiet nervous,with his last few films recorded dismal figures and made holes in the pockets of its investors.

‘Dum Maaro Dum’ has everything going in its favor – ensemble star cast,popular soundtrack,great promotion,right distributors [Fox Star. It has to click! Incidentally,Fox Star is giving it an extensive release. The film will have a wide release not just in India,but in markets like UK,USA and Australia too.

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