'Dedh Ishqiya' collects Rs.10 crore

Madhuri Dixit starrer "Dedh Ishqiya", not a typical masala movie, received rave reviews from the critics when it released Friday and collected about Rs.10 crore at the domestic box office. Distributors have reacted differently to the collections - some say the earnings are "not up to the mark", while others are satisfied.

"The film picked up, but it is not up to the mark. It has done a business of approximately Rs.10 crore all over India," Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines told IANS.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film was much-awaited as it marked the comeback of actress Madhuri after seven years.

She plays the role of a fading begum in the film and is joined by "Gangs of Wasseypur" actress Huma Qureshi. Of course, glimpses of the prequel can be seen in the performances of Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi who have reprised their roles of Khalujaan and Babban respectively.

Many feel that it did not live upto the original, where box office numbers are concerned.

"It has not done as well as 'Ishqiya'. In fact, the other teenage romance 'Yaariyan' is doing better. On Sunday, we had 100 percent occupancy for 'Yaariyan' and 90-95 percent for 'Dedh Ishqiya'," said Manoj Desai of Gaiety Galaxy in Mumbai.

However, the film is thriving in the capital and it is expected to do even better in the following week.

"It did very well during the weekend. Today (Monday), it did drop but it will pick up in the evening shows. It will do better in the week as only mature audiences are coming to see the film," said Puneet Sahay of Spice Cinemas.

Meanwhile celebrities like Aditi Rao Hydari, Mini Mathur and Sandhya Mridul hailed the film and the performances.