Thursday, 05 June 2008

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All eyes on 'Sarkar Raj'!

Imagine the impact IPL made during the past few weeks! Anyone who understands film business well would agree that releasing a film during the climax of IPL matches would be committing hara-kiri. I am sure, even non-cricket fans would've kept an eye on who eventually wins the trophy. Venturing into a cineplex was ruled out on the penultimate three days, which coincided with the release of 'Woodstock Villa' and 'Hastey Hastey'.

The first question we asked Hansal Mehta, the director of 'Woodstock Villa', immediately after watching a private screening hosted by the Khers, was, "Why did you time its release during the climax of IPL?" Hansal had his reasons, but look what happened! 'Woodstock Villa' is a decent flick and I'm sure it would've fared better had it opened a week or two later. The opening was sad, the weekend was below the mark, while the weekdays have been better at select screens of Mumbai mainly. But, in other circuits, it's been a tough ride.

Besides its release timing, a section of the industry feels that a majority of Sanjay Gupta movies seem alike. Right from 'Kaante' to 'Musafir' to 'Zinda' to 'Woodstock Villa', the visuals [read grainy effects, sepia look] almost seem similar, the men sport designer outfits with eye catching accessories [expensive watches, rings, bracelets], the characters are grey and the mood is generally dark. Quite an observation… Gupta and co. ought to take a note of it!

The second release, 'Hastey Hastey', is a terrible product and its disastrous fate at the ticket window doesn't come as a surprise. The film had a negligible start, posted a poor weekend and Monday onwards, well, let's not discuss further.

But things should improve from this Friday onwards. 'Sarkar Raj' is carrying excellent pre-release reports and the film is expected to revive and rejuvenate the morale of this thriving and booming industry!