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Box office 2007: Comedies biggest hit
Box office 2007: Comedies biggest hit
11 Dec 2007, 0121 hrs IST,Nikhat Kazmi,TNN
Khallas ! It's closing time and the booking window at Bollywood is still grinning, despite the series of flops in the last two weeks.
If Yash Chopra's much-awaited Madhuri magic failed to work its jaadu with Aaja Nachle clicking a mere Rs 11 crore in its first week, then Sudhir Mishra's film noir, Khoya Khoya Chand managed a mere 15% opening this Friday, along with an equally dismal show for Sanjay Gupta's star-heavy Dus Kahaniyan , which opened to just 30% occupancy. Last week, John Abraham's histrinoics in the football field too offered no cause for celebration. Dhan Dhan Dhana Goal has garnered a two-weeks gross of only Rs 15 crore.
So why's Bollywood grinning? Year 2006 has gone down in Bollywood history as the turnaround year, when the top 25 films grossed a total of Rs 620 crore, which was a 26% increase over the grosses of 2005. This was the year that witnessed a renewed Dhoom ( Dhoom 2 ) in film-making and set the tone for a braver, bouncier 2007.
Officially, 2007 too has just ten certified hits, which almost measures up to last year's list that boasts of biggies like Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Omkara ... But it's the money that makes the real difference. Year 2007 boasts of one the biggest hits of the decade.
Om Shanti Om has already outgrossed the 21st century's biggest hit, Gadar (with a net adjusted gross of Rs 94 crore) with a staggering BO bounty of Rs 76 crore and is still going strong. Blame it on Shah Rukh Khan's charisma or Deepika Padukone's dusky sensuality, but the film has managed to make its millions despite being nothing more than a comedy circus that has no after-hours impact, whatsoever.
Seeing the staggering response, the industry has anointed Farah Khan as 'The Entertainer', replacing Karan Johar and his brand of Mumbai-meets-Manhattan masala .
But that's just the tip of the cherry shake. Yesterday's Badshah of Blah, David Dhawan too made a comeback in a blockbuster way with his desi Hitch, Partner , grossing Rs 62 crore. Again, the film hardly matched the rib tickling humour of Dhawan's earlier teasers like Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1 , but the Salman and Govinda chemistry clicked in a big way. The year definitely belonged to comedies and comedies alone, with Partner leading the laugh riot which includes Dhamaal, Heyy Babyy, Dhol and Bhool Bhulaiyya . Add OSO to this, and you'll find the top 10 list already has six comedies in it.
At the number two position, there is more serious stuff: Chak De India with Rs 65 crore in its coffers. Surely, this can easily be crowned the film of the year with its gentle, subtle and straight-from-the-heart message of desh-prem which must necessarily sift out regional chauvinism and minority bashing from its ambit. More importantly, Chak De India can easily go down in SRK's filmography as his best performance, till date.
The rest of the winners include Mani Ratnam's Guru, Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met and Vipul Shah's Namastey London . All these films have grossed more than Rs 30 crore. And if the top 10 haven't created a storm at the box office, there are a number of semi-hits which have kept the industry afloat. Films like Apne, Aap Ka suroor, Shootout at Lokhandwala , Bheja Fry, Khosla ka Ghosla, Metro, Black Friday, Parzania , The Namesake and Honeymoon Travels have shown that the industry is eager to tread the untrodden path and definitely wants to break new ground.
Surely, it will take more than a Salaam-e-Ishq, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom , or a Ram Gopal Ki Aag to script its doom story. Perhaps nobody reflects the current mood better than the house of Yash Chopra Inc, which shows a dismal record of four flops ( Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaj Nachle ) on one side of the coin and Chak De India glittering on the other side of it. Hits or flops, the show just keeps going on and on.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/B...ow/2612828.cms
Box office 2007: Comedies biggest hit
11 Dec 2007, 0121 hrs IST,Nikhat Kazmi,TNN
Khallas ! It's closing time and the booking window at Bollywood is still grinning, despite the series of flops in the last two weeks.
If Yash Chopra's much-awaited Madhuri magic failed to work its jaadu with Aaja Nachle clicking a mere Rs 11 crore in its first week, then Sudhir Mishra's film noir, Khoya Khoya Chand managed a mere 15% opening this Friday, along with an equally dismal show for Sanjay Gupta's star-heavy Dus Kahaniyan , which opened to just 30% occupancy. Last week, John Abraham's histrinoics in the football field too offered no cause for celebration. Dhan Dhan Dhana Goal has garnered a two-weeks gross of only Rs 15 crore.
So why's Bollywood grinning? Year 2006 has gone down in Bollywood history as the turnaround year, when the top 25 films grossed a total of Rs 620 crore, which was a 26% increase over the grosses of 2005. This was the year that witnessed a renewed Dhoom ( Dhoom 2 ) in film-making and set the tone for a braver, bouncier 2007.
Officially, 2007 too has just ten certified hits, which almost measures up to last year's list that boasts of biggies like Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Omkara ... But it's the money that makes the real difference. Year 2007 boasts of one the biggest hits of the decade.
Om Shanti Om has already outgrossed the 21st century's biggest hit, Gadar (with a net adjusted gross of Rs 94 crore) with a staggering BO bounty of Rs 76 crore and is still going strong. Blame it on Shah Rukh Khan's charisma or Deepika Padukone's dusky sensuality, but the film has managed to make its millions despite being nothing more than a comedy circus that has no after-hours impact, whatsoever.
Seeing the staggering response, the industry has anointed Farah Khan as 'The Entertainer', replacing Karan Johar and his brand of Mumbai-meets-Manhattan masala .
But that's just the tip of the cherry shake. Yesterday's Badshah of Blah, David Dhawan too made a comeback in a blockbuster way with his desi Hitch, Partner , grossing Rs 62 crore. Again, the film hardly matched the rib tickling humour of Dhawan's earlier teasers like Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1 , but the Salman and Govinda chemistry clicked in a big way. The year definitely belonged to comedies and comedies alone, with Partner leading the laugh riot which includes Dhamaal, Heyy Babyy, Dhol and Bhool Bhulaiyya . Add OSO to this, and you'll find the top 10 list already has six comedies in it.
At the number two position, there is more serious stuff: Chak De India with Rs 65 crore in its coffers. Surely, this can easily be crowned the film of the year with its gentle, subtle and straight-from-the-heart message of desh-prem which must necessarily sift out regional chauvinism and minority bashing from its ambit. More importantly, Chak De India can easily go down in SRK's filmography as his best performance, till date.
The rest of the winners include Mani Ratnam's Guru, Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met and Vipul Shah's Namastey London . All these films have grossed more than Rs 30 crore. And if the top 10 haven't created a storm at the box office, there are a number of semi-hits which have kept the industry afloat. Films like Apne, Aap Ka suroor, Shootout at Lokhandwala , Bheja Fry, Khosla ka Ghosla, Metro, Black Friday, Parzania , The Namesake and Honeymoon Travels have shown that the industry is eager to tread the untrodden path and definitely wants to break new ground.
Surely, it will take more than a Salaam-e-Ishq, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom , or a Ram Gopal Ki Aag to script its doom story. Perhaps nobody reflects the current mood better than the house of Yash Chopra Inc, which shows a dismal record of four flops ( Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaj Nachle ) on one side of the coin and Chak De India glittering on the other side of it. Hits or flops, the show just keeps going on and on.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/B...ow/2612828.cms
Cricket
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