Zee Studios’ Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari opened today in cinemas all over, making it the first new release after eight months! Cinemas started to reopen in some states of India from 15th October but since they hadn’t reopened in several other states including Maharashtra, producers were wary of releasing their new films in the cinemas. The reopening of cinemas in Maharashtra happened on 5th November, and that prompted Zee to announce the release of its Diljit Dosanjh and Fatima Sana Shaikh starrer on Diwali. Instead of the usual Friday, the comedy film opened in cinemas all over the country today (Sunday, 15th November).
As expected, the crowds were slow to return to the cinemas for the first new film in eight months. Before this, audience attendance had been very low for several reasons: lack of new film releases; poor footfalls due to fear of the coronavirus; reduced spending power in the hands of people, especially those who’ve lost their jobs or had to shut down their business following the crippling lockdown. For the first new film release, people were slow to return to the cinemas but the good point is that the film is being loved by the audience. Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is a very appropriate Diwali release as it is a breezy, light entertainer. As an exhibitor, who released the film in his single-screen cinema, remarked, “There couldn’t have been a better film in the small and medium film category, to reopen the cinemas. People have been in tension since March, and this film is the best for which they would feel inclined to come out of their homes. It is a perfect family entertainer and makes for good festive viewing.” Another exhibitor, from Gujarat, said, “The attendance today should have been better but the silver lining is that people who are coming on the first day, are laughing a lot in the auditorium. The word of mouth is so positive that we will definitely see collections spike. Talking about Gujarat in particular, I can confidently say that collections will improve from tomorrow (16th).” Incidentally, the five-six days after Diwali (Laxmi Pooja day) are considered bountiful for the box-office in Gujarat, by tradition.
The box-office performance of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari will decide which other films will release in the coming weeks. All producers, who have their films ready or almost ready for release, will be keenly watching the collections of Suraj… as they would decide whether to release their films now or wait further, based on the box-office collections of Suraj. An industry person, who watched the film at a property of PVR in Bombay today, remarked, “I went for the film with four friends, and we all enjoyed the film. But the rule in Maharashtra, which doesn’t allow patrons to take eatables inside the auditorium, gets irritating for those who don’t want to eat anything in the lobby. To allow those willing to eat or drink something, to finish with their snacks, the interval time is stretched to almost 25-30 minutes, making the others seated in the auditorium, feel restless. Also, such a long interval breaks the flow of the audience which is waiting for the second half to start, especially if they have enjoyed the pre-interval portion.” The Maharashtra government would do well to change the rule.
At Lalit Agarwal’s Anand Mandir, a single-screen cinema in Varanasi, a Bhojpuri film, Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna, is doing very well. It drew a full house in one show today, of course, after taking into account the 50% occupancy rule due to lockdown protocol. In all, there were 410 patrons in the house-full show. The house-full board occupied a pride of place at the cinema. Perhaps, Anand Mandir cinema must have created a record of sorts by being the first cinema to put up the house-full board after the lockdown!