Welcome , TZP both are hits!

NEW DELHI: Four days after the release of Taare Zameen Par, actor, co-producer and director Aamir Khan is a happy man. His maiden directorial venture has received a "dream response" from his fans. Despite an initial tiff between exhibitors and distributors on revenue sharing, both Taare Zameen Par (TZP) and Welcome have managed to rake in the moolah, turning the yuletide extended weekend into a premiere season, as important as Diwali for Bollywood.

TZP, which opened with 425 prints pan-India, has raked in Rs 15 crore at the domestic box office in the first three days. PVR Pictures' first co-production is expected to touch an estimated Rs 20-21 crore by Tuesday-end in revenues. TZP's co-producer & director Aamir Khan told ET: "The movie has received a great response. I got a standing ovation from fans. It has appealed to all age groups — from 15-45 years, parents to kids — and it is being watched repeatedly. I agree the movie has been marketed well and it was a good week for the release. But I think if the content is bad, marketing alone cannot save any movie. TZP's storyline has been received well by all."

He added that an estimated Rs 3 crore was spent on marketing the movie in the domestic circuit. "We got a good response overseas with the US market. The movie is being appreciated and the collections are good," Mr Khan said. Talking about future targets for his company, Aamir Khan Productions (AKPL), he said: "AKPL would target a variety of relevant scripts — some more mainstream, others less so. But I would strive to make movies that have good scripts and are economically viable for everyone involved with them. This is something which I have learnt in the past 20 years of my career."

AKPL has lined up projects with partners like PVR Pictures and UTV in the near future. Mr Khan will be next seen in the role of a producer in another PVR co-production Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na where he is launching his nephew Imran Khan.

His next as an actor will be the Hindi remake of Tamil film Ghajini. "I don't know when will I next direct a movie; it depends on the kind of scripts I get," he added. Aamir Khan, however, denied that he is consciously moving towards non-commercial cinema. "It is not a conscious decision. My last movie Fanaa was a commercial film. In fact my next (Ghajini remake) would be an action flick. So, it all depends on the kind of scripts I get and like."

TZP missed the first show on Friday at non-PVR Cinema screens since multiplex owners did not settle down on revenue sharing. "Yes, it has impacted the revenues a bit and created confusion in the minds of moviegoers about timings and we did lose some shows because of the problem. However, it's not a big problem and the industry people — directors, producers and exhibition company — just need to sit together and sort it out," Mr Khan added.

Akshay Kumar-starrer Welcome's distributors, Indian Film Company, said the movie was released with 825 prints and raked in around Rs 17 crore pan-India in the first three days. Indian Film Company's Priti Shahani said: "We expect collections of over Rs 31 crore by Thursday and expect to be among the top grossers of the year for Bollywood. This also indicates that the Christmas weekend is now as significant as Diwali for the industry."

Welcome's screening started only by Saturday afternoon due to the tiff with distributors, particularly persistent in Mumbai and Thane. "Welcome did lose some business to TZP, however the opening was phenomenal and it kind of picked up. The occupancy levels at our theatres for Welcome ranged between 80% and 90%, and for TZP it has been 85-90%," said Shravan Shroff, CMD, Shringar Cinemas.

Industry players believe that while Taare Zameen Par started on a slow note, occupancies picked up on Monday and Tuesday, Welcome, which hit the screens only on Saturday, did very well. Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra agreed that both films are doing well and not cannibalising each other, thanks to totally different content.

Gautam Dutta, CEO - Cine Media, PVR, said: "Both movies are beautifully co-existing rather than cannibalising each other. While Taare Zameen Par is a sensitive movie, Welcome is a comedy. Therefore, the audience is going to watch both." As for Aamir Khan, TZP spelt more than just box office success. Working on a script about a dyslexic child made him more sensitive to kids in general, he said.