The film was supposed to make moviegoers break into laughter. Instead, all you could see after the screening of the film concluded was a frown. PYARE MOHAN, a comedy, was more of a tragedy for moviegoers, who expected so much more from the film.
From the business point of view, PYARE MOHAN had so many factors going in its favor. Directed by an accomplished name [Indra Kumar], whose repertoire boasts of several hits, PYARE MOHAN came at a time when comedies are being lapped up by moviegoers in a big way. The volume of business of comedies has increased by leaps and bounds since the Hrishikesh Mukherjee / Basu Chatterjee days. Despite hiccups [DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL, SHAADI NO. 1, SHAADI SE PEHLE and now PYARE MOHAN], comedy continues to be the flavor of the season.
Furthermore, PYARE MOHAN was a solo release this Friday [April 21], leaving the field clear for the film to reap a harvest in its opening week. With ample promotion initiated by the producers, everyone expected PYARE MOHAN to embark on a flying start.
But the opening response was below the mark almost everywhere. And the unanimously poor reports were clear indicator of what to expect in the forthcoming days. The business of PYARE MOHAN only slided downwards as days progressed, which, frankly, didn't come as a surprise at all.
Without doubt, PYARE MOHAN stands tall amongst the weakest films of 2006. Right from its script to acting to direction, everything in this enterprise is sub-standard. A film like PYARE MOHAN, which abounds in cinematic liberties, may have worked in the 1980s and 1990s, but in this rapidly-changing scenario, the moviegoer is just not interested in watching such outdated fares.
All said, the tally of flops only got bigger!
THIS WEEK, LAST YEAR
[Weekend: April 22-24, 2005]
When compared to the business scenario in March 2005, the business in April 2005 seemed fairly upbeat. While the results of LUCKY are out [great start in Week 1, decline in collections in Week 2; overall a plus film], the second biggie to hit the marquee this month, WAQT - THE RACE AGAINST TIME, didn't really take a fabulous start, but gradually made its presence felt at multiplexes.
Most family entertainers, including the immensely successful BAGHBAN, have had a slow start at the ticket window. Going by this theory, WAQT - THE RACE AGAINST TIME was also expected to have a moderate start, with the business gathering momentum if the film clicked with families.
Vipul Amrutlal Shah's Big B-Akshay-Priyanka starrer had the best start in Mumbai. The collections showed an upward trend on Day 1 itself, while at other places, the opening ranged from 60% to 75%. The first weekend, on an average, finished at 85% +, which is a positive sign. If the film succeeds to attract families in its second weekend, then, yes, the distributors would make a neat profit in the process.
