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DIL SE.. has been rejected by the classes as well as the masses. It will put distributors and exhibitors to heavy losses. It has done somewhat better in Bombay and South. The Telugu dubbed version is also weak.

Dil Se.. has been rejected by the audience despite its hit music. Although it has done well in the first week in Bombay, Delhi, some centres of U.P. and in South, it will entail losses to the tune of about 60 lakh to a crore per major territory. 1st week Bombay 66,25 958 (91.20%) from 13 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 12,40,017 from 6 cinemas, Vapi 2,56,062, Padra 1,56,006, Rajkot 1,60,468, Jamnagar (matinee) 27,492; Pune 11,95,029 from 6 cinemas (3 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,17,000 (1 unrecd.), Solapur 3,23,775 from 2 cinemas; Hubli 100%, Belgaum 100%; Delhi 52,41,206 (88.99%) from 10 cinemas; Kanpur 3,33,570, Lucknow (6 days) 3,20,471, Agra 2,35,400, Varanasi 1,97,165, Allahabad 1,75,000, Meerut (6 days) 1,81,489, Bareilly (6 days) 1,23,677 (64.60%); Calcutta 23,07,967 (69.93%) from 16 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Nagpur 7,89,592 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,51,774, Amravati 1,82,659, Akola 1,36,469, Raipur (6 days) 1,51,820, Jalgaon (6 days) 1,09,970, Bilaspur (6 days) 1,22,870; Indore (6 days) 3,53,402 from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal (6 days) 3,07,532 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Hyderabad 43,40,353 from 17 cinemas.

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Godzilla (dubbed) 3rd week Bombay 5,95,152 from 2 cinemas; Ahmedabad 1,99,347 from 3 cinemas, Baroda (Hindi & Eng.) 1,30,108, Rajkot 1,00,500; Pune 1,95,474; Delhi 16,05,434 from 7 cinemas; Kanpur 80,156, Lucknow 1,77,193, Agra 72,000, Varanasi 86,033, Allahabad 29,338; 1st week Rohtak 10,270; 3rd week Nagpur 2,10,372, 1st week Jabalpur 57,742, Akola 49,542.

Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha 5th week Bombay 22,75,065 (97.70%) from 5 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 86,421 (2 unrecd.), Rajkot (matinee) 15,507 (1 unrecd.), Jamnagar 75,803; Pune 6,04,096 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 65,724, Solapur 89,276; Delhi 15,45,063 from 7 cinemas; Lucknow 2,26,678, Varanasi 1,05,898, Allahabad 62,000, Meerut (6 days) 89,973, 3rd week Bareilly 51,114 (22.70%), 5th week Hardwar 24,544; Calcutta 3,74,431 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 1,76,049 from 2 cinemas, 3rd Jabalpur 1,68,524, total 6,18,866, 5th week Amravati 81,247, Akola 91,144 (4th 1,27,320), total 6,86,718, Raipur 93,369, 2nd week Yavatmal 84,268; 5th week Indore 1,51,429 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal 1,13,197; 3rd week Bikaner 1,04,278; 5th Hyderabad 5,07,417 from 4 cinemas.

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Godzilla (English) 3rd week Bombay 5,07,970 (69.59%); Delhi 7,83,950 from 2 cinemas; Calcutta 2,05,177; Vijayawada 3 weeks’ total 6,45,680.

CINE ARTISTES’ ASSOCIATION FINDS INFORMATION EDITORIAL DISTURBING

While Information‘s editorial last week, condemning the stars for remaining absent from the Bombay film industry’s rally against cable piracy on 18th August came in for a lot of praise for its boldness, frankness and honesty, the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association has taken strong objection to the same.

In a letter to Film Information, the honorary general secretary of CINTAA, Ram Mohan, has blamed Information of unnecessarily blaming the stars for utter lack of responsibility. The letter, quite strangely, asks of the editor: “Do you expect, my dear friend editor, that our stars should leave aside their shooting schedules and their other professional commitments?”

(Of course, we did expect that. After all, why else did the Action Committee cancel all production activities that day?)

The letter further adds: “Was it a rally to draw the government attention towards video piracy? Or was it a get-together of the stars? Or a tamasha to draw the public out of their homes on to the streets to collect donations for some drought or flood relief fund or defence fund?”

(Here, we’d like to ask Mr. Ram Mohan: If you justify the absence of stars, what were Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty and CINTAA president Asha Parekh doing at the rally? Creating a tamasha?!?)

The letter also requests us to desist from criticising each other at this “crucial juncture”.

(If it is such a crucial juncture, why did the stars not attend the rally, we ask again. A wrong must be criticised and will be criticised.)

SINGER SUNIDHI ROBBED

Singer Sunidhi Chauhan and her family were robbed by seven men at gun-point last week in Bombay. The armed men robbed their car, gold chains, rings, cellphone and other valuables worth Rs. 3 lakh. A complaint has been lodged at the Oshiwara police station in Bombay.

SAURASHTRA DISTRIBUTOR ATTEMPTS SUICIDE

Saurashtra sub-distributor Vasu Jayram (Deepa Films, Rajkot) attempted suicide last week but was saved in time. He was reportedly forced to take such a drastic step after running into huge debts following the flopping of some of his films. He is presently recuperating in a Rajkot hospital.

YOU ASKED IT

What repercussions will the flopping of Dil Se.. have?

– Distributors and exhibitors will brood over its failure for some more days and also swear that unrealistic prices are killing the industry. After that, everyone will forget about it and continue to pay crazy prices for films.

Will the industry rally of 18th August against cable piracy yield fruits?

– The government has made promises to the industry but it seems very unlikely that there will be implementation of what has been promised. This is India.

When will distributors stop ‘playing blind’ in the acquisition of films?

– Never! Very often, films are bought by distributors on announcement or while they are under-production. It has to be a blind game in such cases. When completed films are acquired, their producers may be unwilling to show the film to the prospective buyers. So, it’s again a blind game.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Chandan at Juhu, Bombay, has become a favourite cinema of a number of film stars who have been frequently seen enjoying their evenings there with friends and families. Madhuri Dixit, Abhishek Bachchan and Sanjay Khan are only a few names on the long list of Chandan’s high-profile visitors.

* SATYA (tax-free) has created a theatre and Khandesh record by collecting 1,62,374/- in 1st week at Ashok, Jalgaon.

* PYAAR TO HONA HI THA has collected an excellent 16,03,754/- in 5 weeks at Novelty, Lucknow. 5th week: 2,26,677/-.

* TITANIC (E.) has created a record by collecting 70,230/- in 1st week (21 shows) and 59,794/- in 2nd week (despite heavy rains) at Shivshankar, Miraj.

‘DIL SE..’: ZOR KA JHATKA LAGE AUR BHI ZOR SE..

Distributors of Dil Se.. all over except, perhaps, of Mysore circuit, are in for terrible losses.

Exhibitors of the various circuits are queuing up in their respective distributors’ offices, asking for compensation. Like the film’s distributors, the exhibitors, who paid fancy MGs or FHs, also stand to lose heavily.

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A new cinema, Sapna, was to open in Nasik with Dil Se.. on 28th August. The cinema owner, Sanwaldas Thakur, had paid a hefty MG amount to Bombay distributor VIP Enterprises. A part of this amount was paid by a post-dated cheque. Reportedly, the cinema owner was so shaken by the film’s debacle that he refuses to take the licence for starting the new cinema.

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Some cinemas in Gujarat, like Apsara in Baroda and Krishna in Padra, are repeating the hit Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan song after interval. Their logic is that there’s no relief in the second half. Also, the song comes right at the start of the film, thereby diluting its impact. Besides, they argue that even where the song actually appears, it does so without a situation, so, even after interval, it can be repeated without any situation. Distributors of several circuits have become self-appointed editors and have reportedly heavily edited the film.

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Saurashtra sub-distributor Nanubhai had acquired both, Barood and Dil Se.., from VIP for a fantastic (combined) price. The combined loss will be more than 50% of his investment. Kasam se!

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In Delhi, an exhibitor of Hapur (U.P.) went to the office of Om Namah Shivay Enterprises, the distributors of Dil Se.. and Gunda. Asking for the booking, the exhibitor told the distributor that he would screen the film for just one week. The distributor tried to prevail upon him to screen it for 2 weeks at his cinema. “After all, Dil Se.. is such a big film,” argued the distributor. This shocked the exhibitor. He cried, “Dil Se..? Who has come here for Dil Se..? I’ve come to book Gunda!” The distributor didn’t know where to look!

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In C.I., the collections of Dil Se.. were disastrous everywhere. For example, in Dewas, collections were Rs. 700 against a capacity of Rs. 6,500 in some shows on the fourth day. Little wonder, the film has been discontinued in Dewas after just one week.

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In Rajasthan too, the scene was as ugly as in C.I. Fifth day’s collections in some cinemas of Jaipur were less than 40%.

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In Bihar, collections nosedived from 2nd and 3rd day onwards.

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A Bengal exhibitor joked about Dil Se... “It has a super hero, a super heroine, a super-hit director, super-hit music, super-hit choreography and super-hit opening. Everything is super. Even the losses are super-duper!”

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An East Punjab exhibitor telephoned us to say that this is what distributors and exhibitors of Dil Se.. are singing:

Jiyaa jale
Jahan jahan chale..

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Distributors’ Woes

Many distributors all over the country are getting disillusioned with their producers — and the flopping of their films is not the only reason. Actually, it is because of the current practice of keeping the film under wraps right till the day of its release. This is fast becoming a trend among film producers. Many producers have begun excluding even their distributors from having a dekko at the film! Very often, the poor distributors, even after investing huge sums of money in the film, do not get to see even a single frame before its release. Take the case of Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se... Not a single preview of the film was held for its distributors and exhibitors. Hence, when the film bombed so terribly, it caught its distributors completely unawares. Repeated occurrences of such types have finally forced the distributors to openly voice their protest at this “unfair” and “unethical” practice indulged into by producers. On the other hand, producers complain that if they hold trials of their films and if distributors do not like them, they start playing games with the producers.

Jitendra Jain, a leading C.I. distributor, compares today’s scenario with that of the past. He recalls how valued the opinions of distributors and exhibitors were to even a producer-director of such a stature as Dr. V. Shantaram. Says Jain, “Even though he distributed all his films himself all over India, he would still invite a number of distributors, exhibitors and friends for the previews of his films. After the previews, he would very seriously consider every suggestion made by them about improving/exploiting the film.” According to Jain, there was no compulsion of any kind on Shantaram to show his films to the distributors as he distributed them himself. But he did so only because he had a healthy respect for their opinions, a trait, sadly, missing in today’s producers, he laments. Jain also cites the example of the Barjatyas who likewise distribute their films themselves. Yet, they make sure that their films are previewed by distributors, exhibitors and friends much before their release. And their suggestions are taken seriously by the Barjatyas.

Finally, the point remains that even if a producer does not have respect for his distributors’ opinions, he must be obligated to show him the film, say distributors. If for nothing else, only because the distributor has invested money in the product. Sadly, this right is being denied to him, feel distributors of all India. Maybe, after seeing a film in a preview, a distributor can plan his release strategy better. But……..

Four New Cinemas For Jodhpur

Jodhpur residents will have four more cinemas for their viewing comforts. The owners of Kohinoor Cinema, Jodhpur, are building a cinema hall on the same road on which Kohinoor stands. It is expected to be ready soon. Permission to construct three more cinemas has already been sought. The work is expected to begin shortly on a cinema to be built on a plot between Kamla Nehru Nagar and Housing Board Colony. It will be owned by the Nasranis of Nasrani Cinema, Jodhpur. Jagdeo Singh Khalsa of Khalsa Theatre, Falna, is coming up with a 300-seat cinema hall on Sardarpura ‘B’ Road. The Bohra brothers (producers and exhibitors) have already set the plans in motion for a 200-seat cinema on the Jodhpur-Pali highway. This cinema will be part of a multiplex, complete with restaurants and other recreational facilities.

Manisha + Khan = Jinx

Our resident statistician is not in the least bit surprised over the dismal failure of Dil Se.. at the box-office. According to him, the film was destined to bomb the moment Manisha Koirala was signed opposite Shah Rukh Khan. His analysis indicates that the odds are always against the film that pairs Manisha with a ‘Khan’. To prove his point further, he provides the examples of Akele Hum Akele Tum, in which she was paired with Aamir Khan; Majhdhaar, Sangdil Sanam and Khamoshi, in which she starred opposite Salman Khan. Needless to say, all the four films were super-duds. Come to think of it, even the only earlier film in which she was paired with Shah Rukh Khan, Guddu, turned out to be a turkey at the box-office! So Dil Se.. was, perhaps, destined to go the Guddu way! Raj Kumar Santoshi is well aware of this ‘Manisha + Khan = Jinx’ equation. Maybe he would, therefore, steer clear of Manisha while casting a heroine for his film that stars not only one but two Khans (Aamir and Shah Rukh). Hmmm….. about time we took our resident statistician more seriously!

Rational Thinking Is Need Of The Hour

The debacle of Dil Se.. has sent tremors in the industry. While this is not the first film to have bombed, its resounding failure raises some pertinent points.

Were the producers justified in selling the film at the price of 2 crore per major circuit? If one were to go by the market forces of demand and supply, the price of 2 crore looks perfectly justified. But it is a wonder that our distributors, who constantly crib about the risk factor in their business, agreed to be dictated simply by the market forces and chose to overlook the risk in buying the film at the prohibitive price. Frankly speaking, the proposal looked tempting, what with Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Mani Ratnam’s names adorning it. To top it all, A.R. Rahman’s music score was a definite bait to lure buyers to strike a deal at even an otherwise unthinkable price.

But if the distributors would have thought rationally and not let emotions dictate terms, would they have really paid 2 crore for a film directed by Mani? After all, Mani Ratnam may have given hits but he has also delivered bombs. His Bombay was a super-hit but his Roja was only a sectional hit. A number of his other dubbed films like Anjali and Dalapathi and Hindi remakes of his Tamil hits, like Dayavan, have bombed miserably. Business prudence then should not have permitted distributors to pay the fancy money demanded by Mani and presenter Bharat Shah.

Even after having paid such a heavy price, what did the distributor get? A whole lot of suspense before the film’s release! No distributor was shown the trial of Dil Se.. till one day before its release. Not that seeing the film two or three days or even a week in advance would have made any difference to how it ultimately fared. But still, distributors did get a feeling of being cheated after having paid through their nose. Like the distributors, exhibitors too were groping in the dark. They too paid fancy terms to distributors and are, today, shedding tears of blood alongwith the distributors.

Coming to Mani Ratnam, how could he have been so careless and callous about his script? When his heroine was being shown as a terrorist, he should have at least taken care to show his hero in good light. But he chose to do the reverse. People are complaining that Manisha Koirala’s negative character is not easily digestible, but they are also disillusioned with the characterisation of Shah Rukh Khan. For, he too is a negative character in the film, maybe not as negative as Manisha but, nevertheless, negative. At least two points in the film bring out his negative traits. One, even after getting engaged to Preity Zinta, he is shown as trying to woo Manisha. Which means, if Manisha would have said “yes” to his advances, he would have dumped Preity — and for no fault of hers! That’s not like a Hindi film hero. Secondly, Shah Rukh is least concerned about the security of India, his primary aim being to coax Manisha to get married to him. That is why, his death in the climax failed to evoke the sympathy it should have. Indians don’t like selfish lovers, and Shah Rukh is shown as being exactly that. Further, there’s no repentance on his part for his selfishness.

It is because of faux pas such as these that the concept of script doctoring must come soon in India. Hollywood has script doctors, who are experts in their field. Writers, directors and producers there bury their egos when it comes to the betterment of their films. They don’t mind taking the expert opinion of a script doctor, but will Indian directors or writers be ready to take a second opinion? Considering that the stakes are so high today, they should be more than willing to do so. That’s the only way, complete objectivity can be brought into a project. A dialogue on this aspect would be an interesting exercise.

Coming back to Dil Se.., the losses in most of the circuits are going to be back-breaking. The failure of Dil Se.. will, one hopes, teach a few lessons to the trade. For one, prices of films should be more reasonable and realistic. Yash Chopra, after DDLJ, could have sold his DTPH at the ratio of 3 crore, but he chose to sell it at 2 crore only. The market forces were at work then also, but Chopra did not let greed get the better of his considerateness. Secondly, the background of a maker and his past films should decide the right price of his next. Mani Ratnam has always made ‘class’ films and such films, even if they click, have limitations. Thirdly, super-hit music score may not be enough for a film to hit the bull’s eye. Fourthly, script is the thing. We need to become more serious about this single aspect of filmmaking and if that happens, the other things will fall in place automatically.

– Komal Nahta