It’s been a week since Hum Aapke Hai Koun completed 25 weeks but the celebrations and the euphoria refuses to die down. Moreover, a special screening of the film was held on August 9 at the same cinema hall where it released in 1994 – Liberty cinema in Mumbai – and it was attended by Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Renuka Shahane, Mohnish Bahl, Sooraj Barjatya etc. The event was unforgettable and its pictures, videos and articles went viral.
Taking the craze forward, Bollywood Hungama now brings some unknown and lost trivia about the film. Take a look at the unusual release strategy adopted by the producers, how audiences went crazy over the film and a lot more:
1. It was the norm then that the video cassettes of the film would be out simultaneously with the theatrical release. But Barjatyas didn’t follow this trend. The film was released only in cinemas. The artistes and technicians associated with Hum Aapke Hai Koun appealed to the audiences to watch this film only in cinemas.
2. Initially, the Rajshri team released only 30 prints of Hum Aapke Hai Koun. Out of which only 1 theatre – Liberty cinema – was chosen to screen in Mumbai. But in the Bombay (present-day Mumbai) circuit, they released 8 prints in all. In Delhi, Kolkata and Nagpur, 2 prints each were released. Hum Aapke Hai Koun didn’t release in East Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on August 5. However, the film had an overseas release in United Kingdom on the same day.
3. The Barjatyas then substantially increased the number of prints from Week 4, that is, from August 26, 1994 onwards. Naturally, this decision was met with mixed reactions from the trade. Some applauded Rajshri for the bold and unconventional move. But there were those who felt such a policy can backfire. However, trade magazines observed that Rajshi saved crores of rupees for a couple of weeks with their move since more prints means more money spent.
4. The initial running time of Hum Aapke Hai Koun was 3 hours 27 minutes. Two prints were released however with running time of 3 hours and 34 minutes. But after some complaints over long length, two songs – ‘Chocolate Lime Juice’ and ‘Mujhse Juda Hokar’ were removed along with two antaras of ‘Dhiktana’. The edited parts of the reel totalled 1100 feet. The running time of the film was now 3 hours 14 minutes. These cuts came into effect in Mumbai from August 10 and it was implemented later in other places
5. The norm of having inflated ticket rates nowadays was applied for Hum Aapke Hai Koun too. The ticket prices in Liberty were increased and were as follows:
Dress Circle (150 seats): Rs 50
Balcony (257 seats): Rs 40
Upper Stall (741 seats): Rs 20
Lower Stall (68 seats): Rs 10
The film earned Rs 32,280 per show, when fully sold out, while weekly with 21 sold-out shows, it earned Rs 3,38,940 nett.
6. Watching Hum Aapke Hai Koun at Liberty was a novel experience. The theatre was revamped and it added to the experience. Viewers came out not only complementing the film but also the theatre. The Barjatyas installed special moving lights all around the screen and these were switched on during ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’ and ‘Joote De Do Paise Le Lo’ songs. Also, audiences marvelled as the air conditioner was kept switched on continuously! The entire premise was kept neat and tidy throughout the day. Even the sound system was first-class. The official merchandise of the film was sold near the ticket counters and it was in huge demand. If all these weren’t enough, the Liberty management went a step ahead and made an executive lounge with catering by Croissants. The youngsters and family audience lapped it up. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan even remarked, “For once, I felt I was watching a film in a cinema abroad!”
One of the top art deco cinemas, Liberty getting ready for HAHK release. They spent over 1 crore for renovation. 2nd pic HAHK running houseful in its 102nd week at Liberty.
Every media is wrongly showing Delite cinema (delhi) as liberty in their HAHK articles #25YearsOfHAHK pic.twitter.com/OJaDjIwSwF
— Shiv Shetty (@shiv_shetty1) August 5, 2019
7. Not just in Liberty but the film generated craze nationwide. Audience showering coins on the screen during the ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’ song was a common sight. On day of release, youngsters danced on the ‘Joote De Do Paise Le Lo’ song in a cinema hall in Indore.
8. Not a single hoarding, banner, or poster of Hum Aapke Hai Koun was displayed in Hyderabad and its twin city Secundarabad. Yet, there was heavy black marketing of tickets from Day 1 and all the shows were sold out in advance for days. The female audiences at Maheshwari cinema in Hyderabad were seen carrying their lunch boxes with them. If the current show was sold out, they’d eat their meal in the cinema premises itself while waiting for the next show.
9. At Jayshree cinema in Vapi, a lady in the audience in the last show of the film on Sunday August 7 fell unconscious in the scene where Renuka Shahane falls and dies. She had to be immediately taken to a hospital for treatment.
10. In Kolkata, 200 people gatecrashed without tickets at Hind Cinema for a late night show of Hum Aapke Hai Koun. The exhibitor had to call the police to control the situation. The show which was to commence at 8:45 pm started only at 9:30 pm.
11. Abhinay cinema in Aurangabad ran special ladies-only show of Hum Aapke Hai Koun every morning from August 15, 1994 onwards.
12. An old lady, the mother of Deep Jain, distributor from Delhi, had stopped going to cinema since 22 years. But she made an exception for Hum Aapke Hai Koun.
More Pages: Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! Box Office Collection
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