Picture this…
You're watching a movie in a movieplex, your eyes are focused on screen, you're trying to absorb every word that the on-screen characters are mouthing… suddenly, out of nowhere, someone from the audience passes a snide remark and the whole auditorium bursts out laughing. Have you encountered such occurrences in your movie-going career? Actually, incidents like these are a commonality at single screens in India.
Snide remarks and comments erupt only when the movie you're watching gets derailed. If the content lacks the power to keep you glued to the screen, you get restless and start fidgeting with the ticket you're holding or break into a yawn or look all around except the screen. Knowing that there's no escape, you might even pass a rude comment loudly.
Cut to the present…
Even though I slept well on Thursday night, I couldn't stop yawning during the early morning screening of KYA LOVE STORY HAI on Friday. I actually rubbed my eyes in disbelief when I watched the story unfold on screen. I am not against cinema that borrows from 1970s and 1980s. In fact, Bollywood was braver and smarter and churned out better stories in 1960s and 1970s. Sadly, KYA LOVE STORY HAI didn't even do justice to the oft-repeated material.
Even before the screening could conclude, I knew the movie had missed the bus. The crowd that had come to watch the film was getting restless by the minute and the unkind and ruthless remarks from the junta were flying left, right and centre throughout those two odd hours.
The business prospects of KYA LOVE STORY HAI seemed bright prior to its release. The summer vacations have begun, plus it faced no major opposition from any new release this week [PANGA NAA LO, AUR PAPPU PASS HO GAYA and MY BOLLYWOOD BRIDE]. What also went in its favor was its chartbusting musical score [especially the Kareena Kapoor track 'It's Rocking'], besides the qualitative promos [the talkie ones].
But KYA LOVE STORY HAI didn't have enough meat to sustain audience interest. Starting on a dull note [20%], the collections fell on the opening day itself due to the negative word of mouth. There was no respite on Saturday or Sunday. In fact, an English film, MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY, opened way ahead of KYA LOVE STORY HAI at several screens. That's not all, last week's BHEJA FRY [in its second week] also fetched better collections than the Tusshar-Ayesha starrer.
I'd blame the content of KYA LOVE STORY HAI for its downfall. When the lights are switched off and the reels begin to unfold, it's the content that does the talking. No amount of gloss or snazzy item songs or spellbinding visuals can substitute for content. I hope, debutante director Lovely Singh takes a note of this!
THIS WEEK IN 2006
[Weekend: April 21-23, 2006]
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 were being lapped up by moviegoers in a big way. 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. Without doubt, PYARE MOHAN ranked amongst the weakest films of 2006. Right from its script to acting to direction, everything in this enterprise was sub-standard.
THIS WEEK IN 2005
[Weekend: April 22-24, 2005]
The second biggie to hit the marquee this month, WAQT - THE RACE AGAINST TIME, didn't take a fabulous start, but gradually made its presence felt with each passing day. Most family entertainers, including the immensely successful BAGHBAN, 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.
And that's exactly what happened! The collections showed an upward trend on Day 1 itself and the first weekend, on an average, finished at 85% +. The film succeeded in attracting families and emerged a success story in days to come.
