News/ Not an exciting weekend at the BO

By Jigar Shah

After the teeny-bopper film, Yaariyan with its debutant cast, doing comparatively good business as compared to Dedh Ishqiya, a sequel to the successful Ishqiya, starring veterans Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Arshad Warsi, expectations were soaring high with the release of another youth-centric film, Karle Pyaar Karle (KPK) starring newcomers Shiv Darshan and Hasleen Kaur. However, the film failed to create a buzz at the BO. Two other films that released on the same day, Paranthe Wali Gulley and Miss Lovely, too failed to make the mark.

Poor show

KPK earned Rs.70 lacs over the weekend, Miss Lovely could manage to earn Rs.30 lakhs while Paranthe Wali Gulley collected Rs 25 lakhs. Meanwhile, Yaariyaan made Rs.25 crore in the first week as compared to Dedh Ishiya which earned Rs. 18 crore. In its second weekend, Yaariyaan collected Rs. 2.5crore, while Dedh Isqhiya earned Rs.3.5 crore.
The critically acclaimed Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer, Miss Lovely could not hold the interest of the audience. Paranthe Wali Gulley was the worst affected. It was last week’s Dedh Ishqiya and Yaariyan that saved the day.
According to trade analyst Atul Mohan, “We were expecting Karle Pyaar Karle to do well, as the previous weeks release, Yaariyaan with newcomers was a surprise hit. Miss Lovely which created a buzz at international festivals failed to translate into box-office numbers. Paranthe Wali Gulley too fared badly due to lack of promotions. It was Yaariyan and Dedh Ishqiya that contributed to the collections. In Mumbai and Maharastra, the Marathi film Time Pass has been the biggest grosser and continues to break new records at the BO.”
Kamal Gianchandani President PVR Pictures says, “This week Hollywood movies have fared better than Hindi films. Yaariyaan, with its all new star cast and a debutant director is having a good run. Even Dedh Ishqiya which caters to a niche audience has been doing well, though it has performed below expectations.”
According to exhibitor, Akshaye Rathi, “Karle Pyaar Karle, Miss Lovely and the other releases this week received a luke warm or bad response. Compared to other releases, Miss Lovely fared a little better because of Nawazuddin. The other releases were unable to recover their money.”

Hollywood scores over Bollywood

In fact, Hollywood films like Carrie and Hustle opened well. The earlier release, The Wolf Of Wall Street is also doing good business. “This week, Hollywood movies have done better than their Hindi counterparts, especially Carrie and Hustle. The Wolf Of Wall Street is still going strong. American Hustle has been doing exceedingly well,” says Gianchandani.
Exhibitors and distributors are meanwhile, looking forward to the Salman Khan starrer Jai Ho that releases on January 24. With Khan not having had a single release last year, both fans and exhibitors are eagerly looking forward to the film’s release. Gianchandani says, “We have pinned our hopes on Jai Ho. Although, the number of screens for the film is still being worked out, it will be released on a wide scale.”