Bollywood box-office report of the week

Bollywood box-office report of the week

With RAMA RAMA KYA HAI DRAMAAA moving ahead by a week, the solo release of this Friday is going to be Rohit Shetty's Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan and Ayesha Takia starrer, SUNDAY. A section of the trade feels that due to the slick promos, popular music and an open week, with an additional Republic day holiday, SUNDAY may see a good to decent weekend run.

Both the new releases of last Friday, Nagesh Kukunoor's Shreyas Talpade starrer BOMBAY TO BANGKOK and Ajay Kumar's Irrfan Khan starrer TULSI, failed to create any impact at the ticket window. And that comes as no surprise. While BOMBAY TO BANGKOK managed a dull opening, TULSI was poor all over. The outcome is obvious and both have already been declared flops/failures.

The poor show of Rajkumar Santoshi's Pankaj Kapur, Ajay Devgan and Vidya Balan starrer, HALLA BOL, has shocked a section of the trade, which was expecting it to pick up by positive word-of-mouth. In its first week HALLA BOL collected 1.25 crores from Bombay, 56 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1.15 lakhs from Himmatnagar, 7 lakhs from Rajkot, 2.90 lakhs from Jamnagar, 3 lakhs from Bhavnagar, 2 lakhs each from Gandhidham and Solapur, 1.10 lakhs from Adipur, 4.10 lakhs from Nasik, 72 lakhs from Delhi city, 13.75 lakhs from Noida, 18 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 12 lakhs from Lucknow, 2.50 lakhs from Agra, 3.70 lakhs from Meerut, 1.85 lakhs from Moradabad, 1.20 lakhs from Bareilly, 3.20 lakhs from Aligarh, 14 lakhs from Gurgaon, 4.50 lakhs from Faridabad, 1 lakh from Panipat, 8.75 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.25 lakhs from Akola, 1.50 lakhs from Raipur, 1.70 lakhs from Amravati, 8.50 lakhs from Indore, 17.40 lakhs from Jaipur, 1.65 lakhs (gross) from Ajmer, 1.25 lakhs from Guwahati, 25 lakhs from Calcutta and 31 lakhs from Hyderabad. In its first week the Abdol Samee Siddiqui produced HALLA BOL has netted just 10.50 crores from India. It is estimated that Pyramid Saimira, which had procured the worldwide distribution rights of the film will lose at least 10 crores. HALLA BOL has also failed in the UK grossing an ordinary $132,082.

The movie that released with HALLA BOL was MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES, and it turned out to be a total loss making enterprise. The E. Niwas directed Nikhil-Amrita starrer collected 15.50 lakhs from Bombay, 2.25 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 4 lakhs from Delhi city, 1 lakh each from Noida and Lucknow, 1.50 lakhs from Ghaziabad and 4.75 lakhs from Hyderabad. With pathetic collections to show and netting a paltry 55 lakhs in its opening week from India, Sahara One Motion Pictures' MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES is a monumental trade disaster.

Meanwhile the 'Eid-Christmas' release, Aamir Khan's TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is still strong at the multiplexes of big cities. Checking out the numbers, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR collected 1.25 crores from Bombay, 43 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1 lakh from Himmatnagar, 3.60 lakhs from Rajkot, 2.50 lakhs from Jamnagar, 2.55 lakhs (gross) from Bhavnagar, 1.15 lakhs from Solapur, 4 lakhs from Nasik, 90 lakhs from Delhi city, 10.20 lakhs from Noida, 12.25 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 8.70 lakhs from Lucknow, 1.50 lakhs from Agra, 2.25 lakhs from Meerut, 1.30 lakhs from Moradabad, 12.40 lakhs from Gurgaon, 5 lakhs from Faridabad, 11.80 lakhs from Nagpur, 1 lakh each from Jabalpur and Chandrapur, 1.15 lakhs from Amravati, 1.20 lakhs from Wardha, 6.35 lakhs from Indore, 4 lakhs from Bhopal, 7 lakhs from Jaipur, 2.50 lakhs from Guwahati, 37 lakhs from Calcutta, 2.25 lakhs from Aurangabad and 23.25 lakhs from Hyderabad. During its latest outing, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR collected another 7 crores and has so far netted an impressive 46 crores in four weeks from India. The Darsheel, Aamir and Tisca starrer is now a superhit plus in India, based on its distribution price (inclusive of the cost of print and publicity). TAARE ZAMEEN PAR has done very well in the US, grossing $1,164,453 but has underperformed in the UK with a gross of $619,814. But given the overall collections in the overseas circuit, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is a hit there.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR's release partner, Anees Bazmee's WELCOME takes another fall, though its run in the North and Central India, Gujarat and also the interiors is still quite impressive. During the week WELCOME collected 66 lakhs from Bombay, 28.40 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1.80 lakhs from Himmatnagar, 7.75 lakhs from Rajkot, 3.10 lakhs from Jamnagar, 1.60 lakhs from Bhavnagar, 1 lakh from Dwarka, 1.55 lakhs from Gandhidham, 2.25 lakhs from Solapur, 1.85 lakhs from Nasik, 30 lakhs from Delhi city, 4.50 lakhs from Noida, 7.50 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 4.55 lakhs from Lucknow, 1.65 lakhs from Agra, 2.50 lakhs from Meerut, 1.65 lakhs from Moradabad, 1 lakh from Bareilly, 5.60 lakhs from Gurgaon, 3 lakhs from Faridabad, 5.50 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.60 lakhs from Jabalpur, 2 lakhs from Amravati, 1.30 lakhs from Akola, 1.55 lakhs from Raipur, 3.10 lakhs from Indore, 9.50 lakhs from Jaipur, 1.70 lakhs (gross) from Ajmer, 2.75 lakhs from Aurangabad and 13.25 lakhs from Hyderabad. With another 4.50 crores during its latest outing, WELCOME has so far netted 69.75 crores in just four weeks from India. Firoz Nadiadwala's Feroze, Anil, Nana, Akshay and Katrina starrer is now a blockbuster hit in India, given its distribution price (including cost of print and publicity). In the Overseas, WELCOME is already a superhit, grossing $1,762,418 in the UK and over $ 1 million (as per Studio 18) though the US numbers are still to be audited / validated.

We are victims: Hrithik

We are victims: Hrithik

The actor, dressed in snug blue jeans and a white tee, chaired the editorial meeting for this issue over many cups of coffee, punctuating it with several witty and some pithy observations.

Yes, he is a DT reader. “We are all victims of being fascinated by ourselves – wanting to know if we deserve to be in the paper or not,” he wryly commented at the start. Then, it was down to business, muscular arms drumming the table, sometimes punching the air to make a point, or pushing back the new Elvis pompadour that he had worn to work and which kept falling on his forehead.

The guest editor ran through the pages, discussing story ideas, making recommendations. He would like to see a lead story on Kajol, she was a married actress making a comeback, and he knew the audience and industry had little support or sympathy for married actresses. It was different for actors.

“When you see Shah Rukh Khan romancing Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge , you don’t remember he is married to Gauri. It should work the same way for the female lead,” observed Hrithik.

He also suggested a story on all married actresses returning to films. And one on the No.1 star of television. He talked of fitness, the six pack abs craze, and cautioned against burnout and injury during workouts. Stress had suddenly become a major killer, but it was a state of the mind. Page 3 fascinated him. And the Hollywood page he keenly followed, especially since it had mention of his two favourite actors, Johnny Depp and Leonardo di Caprio, or his all-time inspiration, Sylvester Stallone.

We recorded his take on each story. You will find it on every page in this issue. Enjoy reading it. We had fun putting it together, even if Hrithik Roshan was only acting out a role for the day.

Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan, exclusive with NDTV

Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan, exclusive with NDTV

SHAHRUKH: …lets not take money under the table and let’s not do shady stuff. If we do it right we are all going to make money, we’re all going to be happy and we’re all going to be a great and a very proud nation. So my advice to all the politicians is that please be as honest as is realistically possible.


Mumbai, 23 January, 2008: “I would love to work but I think I have over exposed myself last year so most of the producer, directors are not signing me. Until Mr. Chidambaram lowers the taxes I guess none of the producers can afford me. So I am just out of work right now” said Shah Rukh Khan to NDTV 24x7 Managing Editor, Sonia Singh on being asked what his plans were for 2008.


Bollywood icon, Shah Rukh Khan was speaking to Sonia Singh at the NDTV Indian of the Year Award Function held in Delhi on 17 January, 2008.


Shah Rukh also advised all politicians to be ‘as honest as is realistically possible’, on being asked by Congress General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi on what his advice to politicians would be.


Shah Rukh received the Indian of the Year award for the Actor with the most impact on Hindi Cinema in the year 2007.


You can watch the NDTV Indian of the Year Event on 26 January, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. with a repeat on 27 January, 11:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. only on NDTV 24x7

Dev Anand honoured with lifetime achievement award

Dev Anand honoured with lifetime achievement award

Bollywood's evergreen star, Dev Anand , has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the Indian cinema.

Justice V S Malimath, former chief justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts, conferred the film icon with 'Anmol Ratan, Lifetime Achievement Award' at a function organised in Bangalore on Saturday night by the Vintage Film-Music Lovers' Association.

"It is marvellous, it is prestigious. Thank you for your love and generosity which has made me fly all the way from Mumbai to be with you," the actor-director-producer, famous for his unique acting style, said after receiving the award.

"My heart goes out to you. I am totally overwhelmed. May be, I'll come back here to make a film," said the heartthrob of the 50s and 60s, wiping away tears from his eyes.

Going down the memory lane, the 85-year-old movie veteran nostalgically recalled his trip to Mysore to ‘convince’ writer R K Narayan on making a film version of his novel ‘Guide’.

That trip is till "green in my memory", he said.

He exhorted Bangaloreans to keep their ambitions alive and march forward in the global arena.

"Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon City of India, a leap forward in technology. Keep the ambition alive, keep ahead of every other state... Keep going forward," he said.

"I adore Bangalore as much as I admire Bangaloreans. Even in the world, they are much admired. When people in California called it silicon city of India, I felt proud of my country," said the Dada Saheb Phalke awardee in his singsong voice.

Earlier, chartbuster song of the 60s, ‘Gaata Rahe Mera Dil’ from his magnum opus ‘Guide’ sung by amateur singers welcomed Dev Anand when made his entry.
source of the picture

Kareena is with me in spirit always- Saif

IndiaFM

Saif is unhappy with his rock concert being held at the Andheri Sports Complex. 'Even Beyonce can't fill up the Andheri Sports Complex in India. You can't have 3000-4000 people in such a huge place. It looks like a small gathering. I'd have preferred a more intimate environment. Better that we should've played at Poison or some such night club. But it was a good fun. The people who came loved the music so much, it was worth it."

For Saif one of the perks of playing live with a rock band in Mumbai on Sunday evening was having his children in the audience watching him play. "I'm not a rock star. I'm an actor playing the guitar. My son and my daughter had a good time. And that was enough for me. It was nice to showcase my abilities on the strings. Parikarama is a great band. And I had fun."

But did Saif's kids enjoy a retro-rock performance by their dad? "Sarah said she hates rock, but loves me. That's why she enjoyed it." But Saif didn't miss Kareena at the Bangalore and Mumbai gigs. "She's constantly with me. No need for her to be present with me physically."

Out of the four scheduled gigs in the four metros Saif has already completed two. "Both Bangalore and Mumbai were really good. However, we're averaging like 4000-5000 people per gig. And that's the audience for a closed auditorium or maybe a club, not a stadium. The concerts should've been done indoors like those small rock bands that play in the night club."

Saif found the audience in Bangalore more receptive. "They were more passionate about rock music. They made a lot of appreciative noises. Like I said, the same number of people in a club would've been really terrific. I mean, come on…we can't be put on a platform meant for Led Zepplin! Anyway, Bangalore was fun. I believe the same is true of Kolkata where we perform next. Bombay is more into films. Delhi too has some great rockers. "

After the gigs in Kolkata on Feb 25 and Delhi on Feb 27, Saif is done with rocking for now. "I'd love to keep playing. Maybe once in a while at some club, and become a good guitarist. But looking at the gigs, they're part of my contract with Seagram's. I've to work eight days a year with them. It's a professional obligation that happens to be a lot of fun. But for now, I've had enough. It's not as tiring as dancing on stage for the Bollywood shows. It's just 8 songs in 30 minutes. But after a while the hand starts aching."