Everyone's talking about Hrithik Roshan. Except that this time the talk is anything but positive!
After the verdict on AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE was out, the fourth estate got busy doing stories on Hrithik's current status, post-A.M.A.L.L. I've been inundated with calls from journos wanting my reactions on the teen sensation's future prospects.
The question on everyone's lips is, Is Hrithik no longer a draw at the box-office?
"The press puts you on a pedestal after a hit and the same people pull you down once you deliver a turkey," a sought-after star told me the other day. He was siding Hrithik obviously, not for any other reason but because he'd walked the same path a few summers ago.
AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE has definitely taken Hrithik a few steps down. From the distributor's point of view, his films will not fetch the price they fetched after K.N.P.H. That's for sure!
So what went wrong with AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE? Plenty of things!
One, the story was as old as the hills.
Two, barring a song or two, Rajesh Roshan's music was uninspiring and not a patch on his earlier works.
Three, Hrithik after YAADEIN and Amisha after YEH ZINDAGI KA SAFAR, KRANTI and KYA YEHI PYAAR HAI were facing rough weather at the box-office. This affected AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE to an extent.
Four, the promotion of AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE was as unexciting as yesterday's headlines.
But what came as a shock was that AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE did not fetch a great opening at several cities. Even in Mumbai, although the first day collections were excellent (98%), at most cinema halls got full in the current booking, not in advance.
Now that's sad considering that AAP MUJHE ACHCHE LAGNE LAGE is an expensive film and Hrithik is amongst the country's top five stars.
Let's have a look at how the film has fared in various circuits (as on Monday/Tuesday). An IndiaFM exclusive.
MUMBAI CITY-SUBURBS, GUJARAT, MAHARASHTRA:
The collections dipped on the second day itself in Mumbai city-suburbs. In Thane too, the collections are not as expected. At Baroda, Rajkot and Jamnagar, the collections have dropped considerably. Ditto in Pune and Sholapur.
DELHI CITY-SUBURBS, UTTAR PRADESH:
The opening in Delhi city-suburbs was not up to the mark. The film took a 100% start at a few theatres, not all. In U.P., the collections are good average/average, although there are chances that the film may fare better at small centres.
KOLKATA CITY-SUBURBS, BIHAR:
The opening was not as expected. The reports are weak and the collections are already showing a downward trend. In Bihar too, the response is mixed.
C.P. BERAR, C.I., RAJASTHAN:
The film took a head start in Nagpur, but the collections started falling from the second day itself. A similar trend was witnessed at other stations. In Indore, the film did not fetch a hearty opening. In Jaipur, the film opened to an average response, but dropped considerably on the second and third days.
SOUTH:
The opening was very good in Hyderabad and the collections at a couple of cinemas are rock-steady, but there has been a drop at several halls.
