Massy 'Dilwale' gets good start, classy 'Bajirao Mastani' to catch on
It was a good Friday at the Bollywood box office with big budget films "Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani" raking in over Rs.20 crore and Rs.12 crore respectively on the opening day itself.
Published: Saturday,Dec 19, 2015 17:04 PM GMT-07:00
It was a good Friday at the Bollywood box office with big budget films "Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani" raking in over Rs.20 crore and Rs.12 crore respectively on the opening day itself.
It was termed as a clash of the titans when Shah Rukh Khan's "Dilwale" opposite Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's "Bajirao Mastani" were going to be released on the same day. Eventually, both the films seem to have found their own audience. Industry experts say though "Dilwale" has opened to packed houses, the numbers will only get better for "Bajirao Mastani".
"Dilwale" amassed Rs.21 crore, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh while the net box office collection in India for "Bajirao Mastani" is Rs.12.80 crore.
The distributors term "Bajirao Mastani" as a "slow-starter", adding that the weekend will decide the fate of both the films.
"It all depends on the weekend. Though 'Dilwale' has opened up well, I don't see 'Dilwale' sustaining too long after the weekend. As far as 'Bajirao Mastani' is concerned, it's a slow-starter. It will sustain in the long run and I don't think there will be a dip in the collection in "Bajirao Mastani' even after the weekend," distributor Sanjay Ghai from Delhi, told IANS.
Directed by Rohit Shetty, "Dilwale" brings back SRK and Kajol together on the silver screen after a gap of five years with a story laced with action, rib-tickling comedy and romance.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Bajirao Mastani", on the other hand, turns back the clock to narrate the historical love saga of Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao I (Ranveer) and his relationship with Mastani (Deepika). The film also stars Priyanka Chopra.
Another industry expert Manoj Desai from Gaiety Galaxy emphasised that the response to Bhansali's magnums opus is growing with word of mouth.
"'Bajirao Mastani' has got more appreciation and it is growing through word of mouth. 'Bajirao Mastani' is houseful along with 'Dilwale' on Saturday and that's a positive sign," Desai told IANS.
The distributors also assert that content will be the final winner of the box office war.
Ghai said: "Both the films are extremely different. While 'Dilwale' is for masses, 'Bajirao Mastani' is for the class audience and ultimately it's the content that will steal the show."
Ranveer and Deepika, who are reportedly dating each other, are thrilled with the positive response. Deepika said: "It's been a very emotional and overwhelming experience. I haven't seen so much appreciation for a film till now."
The release of the films was also met with protests at various cities across India on Friday, resulting in a minor setback for them.
Trade guru Sunil Bansal from Rajasthan told IANS: "Due to protests, a few shows of 'Dilwale' were cancelled in Rajasthan. As far as 'Bajirao Mastani' was concerned, only one or two centres in Maharashtra were affected."
"Bajirao Mastani" has released in 3050 screens in India, while it is reported that "Dilwale" made its way into as many as 2700 screens. The budgets of both films are clearly over Rs.100 crore.
Comments (13)
I will never understand these comparisons. People are going to see what they like, plain and simple.
8 years ago
Just watched Dilwale amazing movie. But please dont campare Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale. Both are two complete different movies
8 years ago
I dont see why people need to compare Dilwale and BM. Both are good movies.
8 years ago
Why would anyone even compare Bajirao Mastani with Dilwale or vice versa? Those two are completely different genre. Watched BM and it's absolutely amazing. And I'm sure Dilwale must be good because it has shah rukh in it. His fans will enjoy it. Why does anyone have to put one or the other movie down? :-/
8 years ago
Dilwale is very entertaining and a good movie!!
8 years ago
Bajirao is the epic movie...fantaaastic... Dilwale will not even come any near to this movie...
8 years ago
Watched dilwale yesterday...good movie,full tp...nothin on earth cud beat the srk-kajol chemistry,not even an average script...honestly though I feel srk-kajol r best suited for a kjo,yash Raj film only...rohit shetty is getting over confident!
8 years ago
Looks like the writer is deepika or that ranveer dude's fan. The screen report is totally fake. I've read in trusted news reports, dilwale got 60% of the screens all over the india while the other movie had 30% or less. Get your facts right before you write an article.
8 years ago
Dilwale all the way...No one can beat SRK-Kajol magic.. @Diamond -agree with you...Dilwale is released all over India even in South india..Here in Kerala also it's houseful..n the Dilwale is running in more than 1 theatre of the same city here..n its the first tym a hindi movie is getting such an attention here in kerala...so how can be the theatre no.of mastani more..so it clearly is a fake news... Dilwale is rocking here...i don't even know whether Mastaani is releasing here or not..no one even heard of it here n no one even cares...
8 years ago
Dilwale is very entertaining and a good movie!!!!
8 years ago