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It's
raining hits in Bollywood
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It's celebration time in Bollywood !
With EK RISHTAA-THE BOND OF LOVE faring
exceptionally well in Delhi-U.P. and Overseas and
doing steady business in Mumbai, MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA
HAI proving the first universal hit of 2001 and last
week's LAGAAN and GADAR-EK PREM KATHA rewriting
history in various territories, it's time to
celebrate for the Hindi film industry that has been
plagued with controversies and failures from the
onset of this year.
 June
15, 2001 will be a much-remembered date for a long
time to come, since this Friday did not spell terror
for the industry. The two period films LAGAAN and
GADAR have brought back the missing smile on the
faces of distributors and exhibitors.
Yet, like I have maintained always, had this
clash been averted, the business of both the films
would've been slightly better. With two mighty films
clashing in one week, the collections were expected
to be divided and that's what happened in the case
of these two films as well.
The clash of the two films and more particularly
the two stars (Aamir and Sunny) was covered
extensively by the media. But what went in favour of
both the films were the reviews that were extremely
positive and at times, flattering, which
complimented the general feedback of the cinegoers.
 Comparatively
speaking, the opening of GADAR was better than
LAGAAN in most parts of the country, mainly because
the hero (Sunny Deol) and the film looked more mass
appealing. In Mumbai and Overseas, like I clearly
pointed out in the review, it was LAGAAN that had an
edge, since Aamir Khan is more popular here.
But the question on everyone's lips is, how are
the two films faring? And, of course, who has
emerged the winner in this race?
The box-office performance clearly indicates that
both the films are neck-to-neck in some circuits,
while overtaking the other in a few.
 Before
I give a breakdown of the business in each
territory, let me tell you that the outcome of the
two films is akin to 'sanjeevani booti' for the
industry that has been on its death-bed for quite
some time.
The victory of the two films shatters the myth
that only modern-day romantic films are lapped up by
the audience. The triumph of the two films is a slap
on the faces of those who felt that period films
wouldn't work in the current scenario. The success
of the two films is a lesson for the film industry,
which believes in fixed formulas to attain success.
The feat the two films have achieved is also an
eye-opener for those who strongly feel that urban
themes (keeping the Mumbai and Overseas market in
mind) are the order of the day.
But, most importantly, the success of the two
films proves that films made with honesty and
sincerity, with scripts being the most important
factor, are bound to click.
Have a look at the box-office performance of the
two films, which is an IndiaFM exclusive.
 MUMBAI,
MAHARASHTRA, GUJARAT AND KARNATAKA : Both LAGAAN
and GADAR opened to 100% collections in Mumbai city
and to date, LAGAAN is running to packed houses in
the city. The craze for the film is unparalleled in
Mumbai, with the theatres registering house full
collections in advance booking itself. If the
collections of LAGAAN are an indicator, the film
will cross the business of all Aamir starrers
released so far. GADAR too opened to a fantastic
response and till Tuesday, the b.o. collections were
approx. 95% in the city. There has been a slight
drop in the matinee shows in the suburbs. In Pune,
both LAGAAN and GADAR are going neck-to-neck. LAGAAN
is 100% as of this date, while GADAR is faring very
well too. In Malegaon, GADAR is on a 100% track.
In Gujarat, GADAR is running to packed houses
(100%) in Surat, Baroda, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. In
Ahmedabad, the collections are approx. 97%, which is
fantastic. LAGAAN too is behaving similarly, with
the film fetching 100% collections in Baroda, Surat,
Rajkot and Bhavnagar. In Ahmedabad, it is doing
exceptional business as well. In Karnataka too, both
the films are doing remarkably well.
DELHI AND UTTAR PRADESH : GADAR raced
ahead of LAGAAN from the very first show. The
collections of GADAR were cent per cent at all
centres and the business is being compared to that
of TITANIC in Hollywood. Released with 62 prints,
the overall business is expected to be more than
some of the biggest hits of the last few years. The
film opened at 16 theatres in Delhi city and in the
second week, three more prints are being added due
to the craze. In Uttar Pradesh, the film is
rewriting history as well.
LAGAAN opened to divided response in Delhi, with
certain theatres registering 100% collections, while
some opening to an 80% response. Even in Uttar
Pradesh, the collections are good, but not
extra-ordinary, mainly because of the clash with
GADAR.
C.P. BERAR (parts of Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh) : GADAR opened to almost 100% response
in Nagpur, while the opening at Akola, Raipur,
Amravati and Bilaspur was phenomenal too. In several
cities, as many as six shows are being performed
daily to meet the public demand. LAGAAN also opened
to a terrific response in
Nagpur and other cities of this circuit and is
maintaining amazingly well. The film is a big
grosser here.
C.I. (parts of Madhya Pradesh) : Both
LAGAAN and GADAR opened to a not-as-expected
response in Indore, but picked up gradually.
However, GADAR is slightly better at theatres
patronised by the masses, while LAGAAN is not too
strong. Its length has come in for criticism.
BENGAL AND BIHAR : GADAR did not release
in Kolkata due to the cinema bandh (it will open
this week), but LAGAAN opened in the city to an
excellent response. In Bihar, the opening of GADAR
was terrific, but the response to LAGAAN is divided.
Although the film opened to a good response, the
reports pouring in are of a mixed nature.
EAST PUNJAB (includes Punjab, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and J.K.) : The Punjab
distributor has already sent the Overflow (profit)
cheque to the producers of GADAR on the day of its
release, which happens rarely. Released with 35
prints, GADAR will emerge the biggest hit of the
year and its business is expected to cross that of
H.A.H.K., D.D.L.J., K.K.H.H. and K.N.P.H.. In many
cities, serpentine queues were observed outside
theatres as early as 4 a.m. for the 6 a.m. shows
(yes, the shows are being held that early to meet
the demand!).
LAGAAN opened to an average response here, mainly
because of the stiff opposition from GADAR. The film
is being patronised by the classes, which will
restrict its business to an extent. RAJASTHAN : In
Jaipur, LAGAAN collected 52.55% at Ankur, 73.14% at
Golcha and 53.77% at Laxmi Mandir on its opening
day, which is not up to the mark. As on Wednesday
noon, the film's total collections were 7,41,966
(61%), which indicates that there has been a drop in
the collections.
 On
the other hand, GADAR set new records in Bhilwara,
Chomu and Jodhpur cities on its opening day, while
the Jaipur figures were 100% at Raj Mandir, 80.10%
at Saroj and 91.49% at Gem on its opening day. As on
Wednesday noon, the film's total collections were
12,65,066 (97%).
SOUTH INDIA : Both LAGAAN and GADAR are
doing fabulous business in Hyderabad, Secunderabad
and Aurangabad cities. LAGAAN hasn't released in
Andhra circuit, but GADAR opened to full houses at
Vijayawada and almost full houses at Kurnool.
To conclude, what more can one say except that
one looks forward to the subsequent releases
repeating history at the turnstiles!
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