Dilwale: An Unstoppable Force

The industry was taken aback when Red Chillies Pvt Ltd and Rohit Shetty Productions decided to release their next venture, Dilwale, on their own instead of having a corporate house do the honours.

The industry was taken aback when Red Chillies Pvt Ltd and Rohit Shetty Productions started selling territories in quick succession and with the kind of money they were asking in every territory.

The industry was taken aback when Red Chillies Pvt Ltd and Rohit Shetty Productions started getting what they were asking for from distributors in every territory.

And, obviously, all territories were locked except Mumbai and CI, where Red Chillies Pvt Ltd and Rohit Shetty Productions decided to release the film on their own via Rahul Haksar and PVR Pictures, and Akshay Distributors respectively.

The industry was taken aback when Red Chillies Pvt Ltd and Rohit Shetty Productions decided to invite all their distributors to Hyderabad and show them more than an hour's footage of the movie. (The production house also showed 30 minutes footage to journalists whom they had invited from across India. Not one or two but 119 journalists were invited to watch the shoot and also the movie.)

It goes without saying that the verdict was unanimous: everyone who was invited for the sneak peek is of the opinion that this film will be the biggest blockbuster of the year, by far. Many say it might just become the biggest blockbuster the industry has ever seen.

And now that the trailer and one song have been released, distributors and exhibitors believe that Dilwale will be unstoppable at the ticket counter. No wonder those who have the theatrical rights to the film, in various territories, are grinning from ear to ear!

Prashant Tiwari, who took Delhi-UP and East Punjab for an unheard-of price, says he had faith in the film well before he watched the special footage. "The film has everything it needs to become the biggest blockbuster of not just this year but of all time. It has everything that a commercial film requires, right from action to comedy to romance to emotion. It is an Indian commercial film and the way it has been shot is unbelievable," he says.

Arun Mehra, who has taken the distribution rights of Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa, has an interesting tale to tell. He says he doesn't receive phone calls late, not unless there's an emergency. But on both nights, when the trailer and the song released, his phone didn't stop ringing all night! Mehra narrates, "My phone started ringing and I was, like, what's wrong at this hour? And each caller said the same line - trailer dekha bahut maza aaya'. On the night of the song launch, that line changed to, Kya song hai!!! Congrats on having four territories."

Tiwari narrates an anecdote. He says he thought he would have to struggle to get maximum screens but after the trailer and song, exhibitors have been pursuing him to get the movie. "I was a little nervous as the film is huge but the trailer and song solved everything for me. Now I know I'm going to get a record number of screens. I can't wait for this hurricane called Dilwale to release on December 18."

Like Mehra and Tiwari, Manohar Wadhwani, who's taken the distribution rights of CP, is totally confident of the film. He has already booked 180 screens out of 250 in his territory. "This is just the beginning and after the trailer and song, I'm more confident that I will block the entire circuit. My phone has never rung so much and I have never seen this kind of craze among exhibitors for any other movie," says Wadhwani.

Dilip Tandon of Nizam waxes nostalgic, saying that ever since Shah Rukh Khan made his debut to filmdom, the actor has ruled the Nizam territory. The audience in Nizam adores him and waits for his movies with bated breath. "And Dilwale doesn't just have Shah Rukh Khan; it has Kajol with him and Rohit Shetty directing it. Moreover, Varun Dhawan is the current flavour. It's not just distributors and exhibitors; the audience is eagerly waiting for Dilwale to release," adds Tandon.

Before he bought the Mysore territory, BH Basha had spoken to this writer and had claimed the writer's friend was asking for a lot of money for Dilwale. Basha was referring to Gaurav Varma, CRO of Red Chillies Pvt Ltd. But, after he watched the movie in Hyderabad, he called this writer and said, "Your friend didn't ask for lots of money; I'm lucky that I have this movie." Then, after the trailer and song released, he remarked, "SRK is the king of Mysore and, looking at the response I am receiving, there's no end to Dilwale."

Sanjay Bhattachrjee, consultant to Kinesis Distribution and who has taken Rajasthan, cannot contain his excitement. He says that after watching the movie in Hyderabad, he returned home the next day and immediately told the industry that the biggest entertainer was to release on December 18. "The song has created havoc. And I am not only talking about the industry but friends who have nothing to do with the movie business. They are saying this film is a must-watch for all movie lovers," he says.

Sunder Menon is aiming to create a few records in terms of how he's planning to release the film in his territory. "This film will get as many cinemas as a Tamil movie gets. This is a BIG film and deserves a biggest release, and that's what I'm going to do in my area," vows Menon.

Abdul Mannan Faruk, who has the Assam territory, doesn't want to comment on the response. He has just two words to say about the film - "sure-shot blockbuster".

The countdown has begun for the BIGGEST entertainer of the year. This writer, who has watched most of the footage of Dilwale, would like to end this article SRK ishtyle by saying - "picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!" On December 18, let's celebrate cinema withDILWALE!!!