Film ’97: gainers & losers

You often wonder how Bollywood can be a city of dreams considering hopes are dashed and fortunes lost everyday. In an industry where it's e...

You often wonder how Bollywood can be a city of dreams considering hopes are dashed and fortunes lost everyday. In an industry where it’s easier to produce a flop film than a hit, there are still people with stars in their eyes who think "Next time" and carry on, and on. In a salute to these unflagging spirits we start our round up of the year with hits.

Border: After a string of flops, J P Dutta finally struck gold with his multi-starrer based on the battle of Longewal in the 1971 war. The film not just created magic at the box office to become the biggest grosser of the year, it also re-launched action-hero Sunil Shetty’s sagging career and established Akshaye Khanna’s star credentials. Sold at a price of Rs 1.5 crore per territory, Border has already made close to Rs six crore in each territory and is still going strong. What’s more, it has also done well in the overseas market.

Dil To Pagal Hai: Despite a wafer-thin storyline and lukewarm reviews, Yash Chopra’s musical debunked all trade predictions to become a runaway hit. This Madhuri-Shah Rukh-Karisma (and a clumsy Akshay Kumar in a miniscule role) starrer was sold at a very high price of Rs two crore per territory, presumably thanks to the unprecedented success of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. In Mumbai alone, the film has picked up Rs seven crore and has even done well in the South, where Hindi films hardly have a market. It’s overall collections, so far, are in excess of Rs three crore per territory. Once again, this film is a hit with markets abroad.

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Ziddi: This Sunny Deol-Raveena starrer directed by Guddu Dhanoa pulled through on the strength of it’s breathtaking action sequences. Sold at Rs 1.5 crore per territory, Ziddi managed to wow audiences all over the country and has made more than Rs three crore per territory.

Gupt: Rajiv Rai’s murder mystery starring Bobby Deol, Manisha and Kajol did extraordinary business in Mumbai and was a hit in the South. Sold at Rs 1.75 crore per territory, the film collected Rs 4.5 crore in Mumbai, while in Tamil Nadu it managed to make as much as Rs one crore.

Hero No 1: The Govinda-David Dhawan magic worked wonders for this hilarious comedy which truly established the dancing hero as the number-one crowd-puller. Sold at a price of Rs 1.5 crore, the film averaged Rs 3.5 crore per territory. And unlike most other Govinda starrers, it did well overseas.

Pardes: Subhash Ghai decided to underplay his showman image and released this film without any noise. Even the film’s music was released just weeks before it hit the theatres. So, this low-on-publicity Shah Rukh-Mahima starrer, started off slow but Ghai managed to get a tax-free certificate and the heavy post-release publicity saw the film through. Pardes did well in Mumbai, Nizam and CP territories. Sold at Rs 1.80 crore,it made Rs 4.5 crore in Mumbai and averaged Rs 2.5 crore per territory.

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Judwaa: David Dhawan scored another winner with this Salman Khan-Karisma-Rambha starrer. The film was a quick earner and fizzled out after the first few weeks. Sold at Rs 1.25 per territory, Judwaa managed to earn an average of Rs 2.5 per territory.

Judaai: This film was also a slow starter. Directed by Raj Kanwar and starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Urmila, the film picked up after the first few weeks, perhaps because of it’s producer Boney Kapoor’s secret wedding with his heroine. Sold at Rs 1.5 crore per territory, it fared best in Mumbai, where it made Rs three crore, while it averaged Rs two crore in other centres.

Ishq: Indra Kumar continues to make music at the box-office. And although his romantic comedy starring Aamir-Juhi-Ajay-Kajol couldn’t match the success of his earlier films, it has done reasonably well. Sold at Rs 1.75 per territory, Ishq is expected to finish with Rs three crore per territory.

Virasat: The scoring point for this remake of the Southern hit, Thevar Magan, was its price. Sold at just Rs 65 lakh per territory, the Anil Kapoor-Tabu-Pooja Batra starrer fetched Rs 2.5 crore in Mumbai and averaged Rs one crore in other centres.

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But the list of flops as usual is longer. This year also saw that fall of the onetime indestructible icon, the Big B.

Mrityudaata: Amitabh Bachchan’s comeback film was sold at Rs two crore per territory but the film lost more than 60 per cent of its money in all centres.

Aur Pyar Ho Gaya: This much-hyped debut for Aishwarya Rai, with music by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, was sold for Rs 1.75 crore per territory. Distributors lost over Rs one crore in every territory.

Daud: The Ram Gopal Varma-Urmila team set the silver screen ablaze with Rangeela. But Daud — which was sold for in the region of Rs 1.60-Rs 1.75 crore per territory — lost the race. The film’s losses crossed the Rs one crore per territory mark.

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Hameshaa: Distributors refused to touch this Saif Ali Khan-Kajol starrer despite having G P Sippy as its producer. The Sippys had to release it themselves. In Bengal, Hameshaa didn’t even get a release. The estimated losses — Rs three crore.

Itihaas: This Ajay Devgan-Twinkle Khanna starrer directed by Raj Kanwar came and went in a flash. Sold at Rs 1.75 per territory, distributors lost 50 per cent of their investment on this film.

Lahoo Ke Do Rang: Once again distributors lost more than 50 per cent of their investment of Rs 1.25-Rs 1.5 per territory.

Mahaanta: Despite being in the making for several years,the producer of this Sanjay Dutt-Madhuri starrer hiked it’s price at the last minute. Sold at Rs 1.5 crore per territory, the film was taken off within a week. The other loss-making projects of the year include Himalayaputra, Auzaar, Tamanna, Sapnay, Koyla, Mrityudand, Mohabbat, Prithvi and Ghulam-E-Musthafa…. the list goes on.