With four hits in a span of a few weeks [ISHQ VISHK, ANDAAZ, BHOOT, CHALTE CHALTE], the film industry was hoping that the two releases of last week – JHANKAAR BEATS and SUPARI – would continue the winning streak. But you can't expect a hit every week, can you?
Let's talk of JHANKAAR BEATS first. The film being metro-centric, it is faring well in metros, in multiplexes mainly. The film caters to a select audience [the elite], who've accepted the film, though not in a big way like it happened during DIL CHAHTA HAI.
On the other hand, SUPARI has been a non-starter at most places. The film has neither been appreciated by cinegoers, nor is the business of the film encouraging. Even at an 'A' class theatre like Fame Adlabs [Mumbai], the collections of the film are below the mark.
ALL EYES ON 'M.P.K.D.H.'
Everyone's waiting with bated breath for the keenly-anticipated MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON. And why not! M.P.K.D.H. is directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya, who has directed three films so far [MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN, HUM SAATH-SAATH HAIN] and all three have been major hits. Obviously, the expectations from the fourth film are gargantuan.
Coincidentally, the three principal stars of the film are star-kids and all three need a hit to consolidate their position. For, you are only as strong or weak depending on how well your last film has fared at the box-office. And in the case of all three, they haven't had a hit for quite some time now. Will Sooraj's film do the trick, is to be seen!
'HAWA' BECOMES HOT OVERNIGHT
The success of BHOOT has reinforced a new confidence in the market for horror films. Take the case of Guddu Dhanoa's HAWA. The promos of the film have attracted the attention of the distributors, so much so that the film was all-India closed in a couple of days after the promos went on air. "It's true that I closed the territories in just three days after the promos began," admits Guddu Dhanoa.
The inside news is that the distribution response has more to do with the kind of endorsement BHOOT has received at the box-office. However, a prominent distributor disagrees, "The trailers have done the trick. Besides, it is not as if every second horror film will be lapped up by the audiences. Ultimately, it depends from project to project," he says.
