“I am humbled” – Vivek Oberoi

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

April 12, 2010 - 12:06 PM IST

Prince has taken a good start all over and in the process has shocked the trade as well as industry in general. This 'almost comic book' actioner is not just Vivek Oberoi's biggest ever opener but also third best for Bollywood this year after Shah Rukh Khan's My Name Is Khan and Salman Khan's Veer. In a season which was reeling with failures and only had an occasional Atithi Tum Kab Jaaoge or Love Sex Aur Dhokha, a medium and low budget film respectively, enjoying a face saving outing at theatres, a big budget movie like Prince showing sparks of resurgence at the box office has been a welcome sign indeed.

“I am humbled” – Vivek Oberoi

Says an obviously excited Vivek Oberoi, "This has been truly humbling. There was a sense of definite positive energy that I could experience before the release of the film. With some terrific promotion preceding the film, I could gauge that there were quite a few waiting to catch Prince in theatres. I am told by trade experts that the film's opening is one of the best in recent times. Great, and now as the figures are coming in, we can see it all by ourselves."

Well, Vivek personally too caught the response first hand when he sneaked into a single screen theatre at Mumbai on Friday evening. While the film was running to packed houses, he silently walked in around the interval point. On finding Vivek amidst them, the crowd (expectedly) went berserk and lifted him in the air.

Says a source who was present on the site, "It was a rockstar treatment that was meted out to Vivek. You know the kind where a star is lifted up in air and passed on from one group to another in a smooth flowing manner. Vivek was so emotionally charged with the entire experience that he just choked. He had waited for all of this for so many years and it was eventually Prince that had him connected to his fan base all over again."

"In the process, over zealous fans were all over him which also resulted in a few minor bruises and nail marks. However, Vivek enjoyed all the attention rather than worrying about physical pain", adds the source. Moreover, such emotional was this moment for Vivek that he even hugged the 'Housefull' board which was kept at the entrance of the theatre.

Meanwhile, trade too is happy that finally there is a film which has done something worthwhile at the box office even as IPL is on full steam. Though an overall run of the film is yet to be ascertained, Wednesday holiday of Baisakhi should further add on the ammunition (read collections) that Prince has in store. Moreover, while there have been dozens of films that have fallen flat on their face in the first quarter of 2010, the very opening that Prince has taken is being acknowledged with huge relief.

Says a prominent film, "If till last week, someone would have said that a film starring Vivek Oberoi would take the third best opening of the year after Shah Rukh Khan's My Name Is Khan and Salman Khan's Veer, he would have been pronto sent to an asylum. Well, that 'someone' can now proudly stand up and make that announcement. The film has taken the biggest opening ever of Vivek's career. For producer Kumar Taurani, a start like this makes it easier now to recover Rs. 40 crores (including print and publicity) that have been spent on the film. Vivek can now afford to enjoy a good night sleep for months to come before he revisits anxious moments yet again with Rakta Charitra."