The first month of 2008 has almost ended and the report card has red marks all over it. Will SUNDAY change the tide? Let's hope it does!
It's same-same, no different since the past few weeks at the domestic box-office. Post WELCOME [Blockbuster] and TAARE ZAMEEN PAR [Blockbuster in some circuits; Super Hit otherwise], the flurry of flops have hit the industry hard. SHOWBIZ, RETURN OF HANUMAN, HALLA BOL, MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES and now BOMBAY TO BANGKOK and TULSI have only punctured the hopes of the industry that was feeling euphoric after WELCOME and TAARE ZAMEEN PAR hit the bull's eye. The dream run has ended, albeit temporarily!
What ails the industry? Poor scripts, without doubt! Let's discuss the two releases of last Friday -- BOMBAY TO BANGKOK and TULSI.
Nagesh Kukunoor has cultivated a strong, loyal audience over the years. His body of work, his repertoire, his resume has several applaud-worthy films. But what happened this time? BOMBAY TO BANGKOK lacked a solid script to bind you to your seat for the next 2 hours. Oh! What a letdown!
Business-wise, it ranks amongst its producers, Mukta, lowest openers. You could actually count the audience in the audi, show after show. The negative word of mouth only sealed its prospects further. Seriously, Kukunoor ought to do some introspection as to where he faltered. Meant to be a comedy, BOMBAY TO BANGKOK proved a tragedy for those watching it.
The other release, TULSI, took me back to the 1980s. I've grown up on the cinema being churned out then and Jeetendra's socials made a strong impact on the viewers those days. The South industry churned out success after success with amazing regularity. But TULAASI lacked the punch associated with films of that genre. The [strong] emotions only surfaced towards the penultimate reels.
I wonder why Manisha Koirala or Irrfan didn't promote the film. Every film is crucial, isn't it? The common man wasn't even aware that a film called TULSI had opened and that reflected in its b.o. numbers. Sad!
