LATEST POSITION

BIWI NO. 1 has written box-office history — from North to South and East to West. Collections maintained marvellously after the flying start it took, and new records have been created at many places. Ladies and youngsters are patronising the film in a big, very big way. Second week opened wonderfully well. In Overseas too, the film has stolen the hearts of the audience. In the UK and the USA, first week collections are more than DTPH almost everywhere. At Cineworld, Feltham (U.K.), the film has grossed more than even KKHH had in its 1st week!

Biwi No. 1 has created havoc in 1st week. It is outstanding in Bombay, Delhi-U.P., East Punjab, C.P. Berar, C.I., Rajasthan, Nizam and Mysore. 1st week Bombay 74,44,340 (100%) from 14 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 22,33,286 from 5 cinemas, Baroda 2,45,522 (100%), Vapi (gross) 5,75,120, Padra 2,60,057, Bhuj 1,37,346 (83.74%), Bharuch (gross) 3,44,994, Valsad 3,11,865 (94.88%), Bardoli 1,89,353, Patan 1,91,289, Jamnagar 1,58,450, Adipur 1,50,620 (92.82%); Pune 14,53,307 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,61,909 (100%), Solapur 4,83,539 from 2 cinemas, Ahmednagar 2,01,489 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Malegaon 2,01,617 (100%), Satara 2,12,758 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Sangli 2,23,020 (100%), Islampur 1,59,532 (100%), Miraj 1,40,722 (100%), Nasik 3,52,901; Bijapur 1,83,137 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 69,66,105 (96.76%) from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 8,67,210 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 5,12,075 (100%), Agra 3,61,281, Varanasi 4,03,429, Allahabad 2,19,788, Saharanpur 2,15,171, Meerut 2,97,262, Bareilly 2,76,973 (79.54%), Dehradun 2,89,180, Gorakhpur 2,38,674, Hardwar 1,74,435, Moradabad 2,72,537, Aligarh 2,99,282, Jhansi 2,08,933, Shahjehanpur 1,36,743, Bulandshahr 1,56,468; Calcutta 29,23,458 from 14 cinemas; Nagpur 12,76,016 from 6 cinemas, Amravati 3,47,176, Akola 2,01,288, Raipur (6 days) 1,94,840, Bhilai (6 days) 1,62,964, Durg 1,60,005; Indore 3,53,000 (4 on F.H.), Bhopal 4,42,606 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 15,09,254 from 5 cinemas, Bikaner 1,74,318; Hyderabad (gross) 53,33,893 from 18 cinemas; Vijayawada (gross) 2,13,646.

Sooryavansham has maintained in Calcutta (where even the first week’s collections were very good) and some stations in the other circuits. 2nd week Bombay 16,12,693 (53.96%) from 7 cinemas; Ahmedabad 4,77,223 from 6 cinemas, Rajkot 74,858 (1st 94,633), Jamnagar 46,727 (1st 60,966); Pune 3,16,129 from 3 cinemas; Delhi 6,72,843 from 7 cinemas; Kanpur 56,421, Lucknow 2,03,335 (1st 2,40,591), Varanasi 74,948, Bareilly 40,166 (14.62%), Dehradun 43,421; Calcutta 20,35,555 from 25 cinemas (1st 29,76,818 from 27 cinemas); Nagpur 2,37,402 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 50,263, total 1,08,951, Amravati 94,866 (1st 1,13,879), Akola 92,193, total 1,99,663, Raipur 1,03,520 (1st 1,04,049), Bhilai 60,078, Bilaspur 53,887; Bhopal 55,873; Jaipur 1,21,904; Hyderabad (gross) 4,47,606 from 2 cinemas; Guntur (gross) 73,854, total 1,48,585, Ongole (gross) 77,972, total 1,49,591.

Rajaji 2nd week Bombay 7,50,030 (33.44%) from 7 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,25,857 from 2 cinemas, Rajkot 61,643; Pune 3,48,345 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 8,46,604 from 7 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,39,944 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 99,546, Varanasi 58,578, Bareilly 35,548 (25.62%); Calcutta 1,43,471; Nagpur 77,635 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 59,378, total 1,42,728, Amravati 72,361, Akola 70,336, total 1,98,503, Raipur 74,201, Jalgaon 97,423, Bilaspur 54,422; Indore 90,000, Bhopal 47,216; Jaipur 1,71,187 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 1,42,294 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon).

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet 4th week Bombay 5,85,303 (52.28%) from 3 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,02,670 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot 94,581, Jamnagar 35,072; Pune 98,440 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 4,01,090 from 3 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,52,807 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,64,429, Varanasi 1,42,575, Meerut 80,502, Bareilly 41,114 (13.56%), Dehradun 52,000 (3rd 93,000); Calcutta 2,17,214 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 93,835 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,04,020, total 5,72,271, Amravati 1,24,200, Akola 74,158, total 4,48,045, Raipur 1,34,893, total 7,27,369, Bhilai 80,552, Jalgaon 89,421, total 4,87,877; Bhopal 72,700; Jaipur 1,00,030, Jodhpur 1,08,000, Bikaner 53,582; Hyderabad (gross) 4,85,303 from 3 cinemas.

Sarfarosh 5th week Bombay 28,90,918 (81.50%) from 9 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,76,305 from 3 cinemas; Pune 8,34,034 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,17,484; Delhi 9,17,218 from 5 cinemas; Kanpur 1,46,290 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,40,418, Varanasi 1,03,672, Dehradun 88,791 (4th 1,35,000); Calcutta 2,84,271; Nagpur 1,10,914, 2nd week Jabalpur 1,99,497, total 4,38,670, 5th Amravati 1,10,343, Akola 56,019, total 4,81,370, Raipur 41,428, total 4,40,000, Bhilai 19,860, 1st Durg 32,796, 5th week Jalgaon 48,417, 4th week Wardha (6 days) 29,469; 5th Indore 1,42,202 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 5,87,455; Hyderabad (gross) 7,41,852 from 4 cinemas (1 in noon).

FOUR ARRESTED FOR SELLING ‘BIWI NO. 1’ VIDEO CDs

A police team from Pydhonie, Bombay, on 28th May raided a courier company and recovered pirated video CDs of Biwi No. 1, besides digital video tapes, 198 video CDs and 362 audio CDs of other films. The total value of goods seized was around Rs. 2 lakh. The raid was conducted with the assistance of Vashu Bhagnani, producer of Biwi No. 1, and the Feature Film Copyright Company. Four persons were arrested.

‘SARFAROSH’ TAX-FREE IN DELHI

The Delhi state government has granted Sarfarosh exemption from payment of entertainment tax for a period of 3 months with immediate effect.

Aamir Khan, the hero of Sarfarosh, and the film’s associate director, U.S. Pathik, were in Delhi recently in this connection. Aamir visited Chanakya, Shiela and Anupam PVR cinemas where the film was being screened.

‘SOORYAVANSH’ — THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST

Now this bit of news will surprise many. The latest Amitabh starrer, Sooryavansham, which has fared miserably in many territories, has proved very successful in West Bengal! In fact, if the film’s Bengal distributor, Bijay Khemka, is to be believed, the film’s collections in the first two weeks are so good that it may well go on to become an overflow film there. Sooryavansham, bought by Khemka at an MG royalty of Rs. 45 lakh for West Bengal, has already fetched a share of Rs. 38 lakh in 2 weeks!

This incredible result of the film is not only because the film has been appreciated there but also the outcome of Khemka’s foresight and shrewd pre-release planning. First of all, he changed the film’s title to Sooryavansh and had new posters printed, bearing the new title. “People, especially Muslim audience, have always had some kind of an allergy towards Sanskritised film titles, and I quickly realised that with a name like Sooryavansham, it would be that much harder to pull in the audience,” says Khemka, explaining the rationale behind the move to change the title. Another thing that went in the film’s favour at the box-office in Calcutta was its spaced-out release. Khemka explains, “I could have easily gone overboard like distributors generally do with Amitabh starrers but, I was confident of the film’s merits and knew that a spaced-out release would be best suited for it. Accordingly, I literally hand-picked the cinemas in the territory, keeping in mind that no two cinemas showing Sooryavansham (or rather, Sooryavansh) are within striking distance of each other.”

It is comprehensively evident that Bijay Khemka’s efforts have paid off, and paid off well. This was also the response of Amitabh Bachchan to Bijay Khemka when the latter called the former up in Los Angeles to inform him of the good news.

Sooryavansh is currently running in its third week in Bengal, and Khemka is expecting a slight drop in collections as the ongoing World Cup cricket has entered the interesting Super Six stage. However, the film’s first two weeks have been so encouraging in Calcutta, that there remains no doubt about its smooth sailing in the weeks to come. Like they say — well begun is half done!

YOU ASKED IT

Why do you say (in this column last week) that Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam will take a flying start? The trade insists that its music is not too exciting and you will agree, music today is a key factor in deciding the kind of opening a film will get.

– Let the trade say what it wants to. Ask the public and you will know that the music of HDDCS has been very well received by them.

When was the multiplex policy of the Maharashtra state government announced in the gazette?

– The policy has not yet been gazetted. The gazette is due soon.

Is the great business of Biwi No. 1 the result of publicity hype?

– The publicity helps a film, but no amount of hype can ever benefit a film for more than a couple of days unless the film has merits.

What’s Hot?

♦♦ Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Initial trial reports have it that the film is — hold your breath! — a major hit. Get ready for a great start and a greater run, then!

♦♦ Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria’s Mann. Its music is growing and may soon become super-hit.

♦♦ Music of Smita Thackeray’s Haseena Maan Jaayegi. The ‘I love you bol daal’ song will soon become a rage. The catchy music will ensure a bumper opening to the film.

DO YOU KNOW?

 * Seven different promotional trailers of Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria’s MANN will be aired on DD1 during the live telecast of the World Cup Super Six cricket match between India and Pakistan on 12th June. This is the first time ever that a Hindi film’s promotional trailers would be aired on DD1 during the World Cup live telecast.

* Bengal distributor Bijay Khemka used to be a regular distributor of Hindi films produced in the South, generally those produced by Padmalaya, in the eighties. But he stopped acquisitions in 1990 when the Padmalaya people also stopped producing Hindi films. Khemka restarted buying after nine years, with Padmalaya’s SOORYAVANSHAM this year. And the film is doing very well in West Bengal (he holds the distribution rights for West Bengal and Assam; it opened in Assam this week).

* Like producer Vashu Bhagnani, the C.I. distributor of his BIWI NO. 1 also left no stone unturned to publicise his film on a grand scale. A procession was taken out in Indore city on the opening day last week and the procession was accompanied by a band. The band also played outside the cinema screening the film. Further, specially made BIWI NO. 1 sarees were marketed in the city, and those ladies coming to see the film wearing the special sarees were given free entry!

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Trailer Ki Kasam

One promotional trailer that’s proving magical for the film’s distributors is that of Veeru Devgan’s Hindustan Ki Kasam. Exhibitors of the various circuits are clamouring to book the film at their cinemas. Why, the East Punjab distributor is said to have covered almost a crore of rupees (!) by way of MGs and FHs two months before the film’s release (on 23rd July). Exhibitors of U.P., too, are picking up the film for their cinemas at fancy prices.

Animals Do The Trick

An interesting bit of observation. Among all the Hindi-dubbed foreign films released in India, the ones which usually manage to do well are the ones portraying some kind of an animal in a central role. Be it the Hindi dubbed versions of Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Anaconda or Godzilla, each of these films revolving around a menacing creature (a dinosaur, a huge snake, a gigantic gorilla) has gone down well with our audience. One may infer from the above that our viewers have a penchant of sorts for animals. However, this may be far from the truth. The real reason behind the success of the aforesaid films may be the fact that each of these films offered a spectacular visual novelty, presented in a simple storyline. For some reason, our audience seem to prefer a Hindi dubbed foreign film that deals less with dialogues over the others. Why, as long as the film can be understood without paying attention to its dialogues, it will do even if the creature is nowhere near being menacing, as shown by the success of the funnily titled Hindi dubbed version, Ek Bandar Hotel Ke Andar, of Dunston Checks In. This may also explain why the Hindi dubbed version of Babe (a universal hit about the goings-on in the life of a cute pig) failed to attract viewers. The latter has a lot of dialogues whereas the former is an action comedy. Points to ponder, then?