KYA SAB KUSHAL MANGAL HAI? - The Verdict On 'Mangal Pandey'!
IndiaFM
I happened to watch MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING at a private screening on
Thursday noon, before
the Asian premiere of this film was organized at the swanky Inox multiplex in
South Mumbai. No
sooner did the screening get over, a prominent producer [who had seen me
entering the
auditorium for the screening] called to enquire: 'Sab mangal hai?'
MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING had been the topic of discussion much before it hit
the screens. And
now that the film has opened to an overwhelming response, the film continues to
make news.
Practically all news-channels focused on the epic on Friday, with updates on
the film being
beamed every single day. Newspapers and periodicals weren't far behind. Pro and
anti-MANGAL
PANDEY - THE RISING articles have been in circulation ever since the film
opened worldwide this
Friday.
The film industry has also been monitoring its day-to-day business with a
magnifying glass.
Text messages have been flying left, right and centre since its premiere
screening on Thursday
night. Clearly, MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING has caught everyone's fancy in India.
So if people enquire 'Sab mangal hai?', there are ample reasons for it --
* An Aamir Khan film after almost four years. Isn't that reason enough?
* A section of the industry is of the opinion that historicals don't work
anymore, so will
MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING break the jinx?
* The stakes are high. The film, a lavishly-mounted epic, is an expensive
proposition,
talking from the economics point of view.
* The film has had the widest release ever for a Bollywood film.
Reportedly, the film is
being screened at 1000 + screens worldwide.
2005 has witnessed a good flow of biggies, including those made by Subhash Ghai
[KISNA], Sanjay
Leela Bhansali [BLACK], Dharmesh Darshan [BEWAFAA], T-Series [LUCKY - NO TIME
FOR LOVE], Vipul
Shah [WAQT - THE RACE AGAINST TIME], Karan Johar [KAAL], Rahul Rawail [JO BOLE
SO NIHAAL], Yash
Raj [BUNTY AUR BABLI], Vidhu Vinod Chopra [PARINEETA], SRK [PAHELI], Ramgopal
Varma [SARKAR],
Nitin Manmohan [DUS], David Dhawan [MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA] and Big B [VIRUDDH].
But the craze for MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING was unparalleled, at par with last
year's
VEER-ZAARA. Since most conversations veered towards Aamir and his new release
after a 4-year
sabbatical, cinelovers were curious to know whether the film would live up to
the gargantuan
expectations.
Like it happens with all biggies, MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING opened to a mixed
response. Some
liked the film, some didn't. A section of the audience found the first half
better, but a
segment loved the post-interval portions more. Everyone has an opinion and we
need to respect
that.
FIRST 4 DAYS: HISTORIC
>From the business point of view, MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING has had the best
>weekend this year.
With multiplexes performing 12-15-18 shows a day and ticket rates ranging from
Rs. 150 to Rs.
225, the first four days' business [Monday was a holiday] was mind-boggling
everywhere,
especially at big centres.
Irrespective of what the so-called soothsayers had to say, the first week
shares of MANGAL
PANDEY - THE RISING from every circuit in India is expected to be unprecedented
thanks to: [a]
The historic first 4 days, [b] The inflated ticket rates and [c] The extensive
release
strategy, which paid off in a big way.
POST-TUESDAY: DECLINE
Like it happens with all films, the collections come sliding down on weekdays
and it happened
with MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING as well. The multiplexes in most parts of the
country were
still steady, but the single screens did show a downward trend. Besides, with
too many prints
in circulation and multiple shows in each theatre, the collections had to
register a drop on
weekdays, which, frankly, should not come as a surprise or misconstrued as a
setback.
SECOND WEEKEND: CRUCIAL
While the first week shares are expected to be superb, the real test for MANGAL
PANDEY - THE
RISING begins from its second week. Friday, August 19 is Raksha Bandhan and
Saturday, August 20
is Parsi New Year, so MANGAL PANDEY - THE RISING gets an additional weekend to
consolidate its
status. But there're two oppositions as well [BARSAAT, MY WIFE'S MURDER], on
the other hand.
It's a wait and watch phase right now!
"We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the
nation."
-John F. Kennedy
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This August, Discover the Birth of Your Independence
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Music released: Jul 14, 2005 Movie releases: Aug 12, 2005
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