By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Friday,
June
30,
2006
First
Fanaa.
Then
Phir
Hera
Pheri.
Now
Krrish.
It's
raining
hits
at
the
box-office.
Three
hits
in
one
month
[Fanaa
opened
on
May
26
and
Krrish
on
June
23]
is
a
rarity.
At
a
time
when
the
film
industry
was
fervently
praying
for
hits,
the
super
success
of
the
three
films
has
rejuvenated
the
spirits
and
revived
an
ailing
industry.
Producers,
distributors,
exhibitors...
everyone
I
meet
these
days
is
smiling
from
ear
to
ear.
The
best
part
is,
the
volume
of
business
has
increased
by
leaps
and
bounds.
The
business
in
the
domestic
market
as
also
the
Overseas
circuit
has
grown
over
the
years.
At
the
rate
the
print
count
and
the
overall
business
have
escalated,
I
strongly
feel
that
this
is
just
the
beginning.
Wait
till
films
like
Omkara,
Kabhi
Alvida
Naa
Kehna,
Jaanemann,
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai,
Kabul
Express,
Umrao
Jaan,
Don,
Dhoom
2,
Eklavya
-
The
Royal
Guard,
Vivah
and
Baabul
open.
The
arithmetic
of
film-making
has
undergone
a
change
for
better
and
will
continue
to
change
in
weeks
to
come.
Hindi
cinema
is
shining
and
how!
Krrish
SPELLS
MAGIC
It's
magic,
it's
magic!
No,
I
am
not
humming
the
song
Hrithik
Roshan
rendered
in
Koi...
Mil
Gaya.
I
am
only
reacting
to
the
day-wise
figures
of
Krrish.
Released
with
1000
+
prints
[includes
Tamil
and
Telugu
versions
as
well
as
Digital
prints],
the
sequel
to
Koi...
Mil
Gaya
embarked
on
a
historic
start
at
the
ticket
window.
The
entire
weekend
was
packed
at
most
movieplexes
in
advance
itself
and
the
first
week
billing
should
cross
that
of
Fanaa,
as
per
initial
indications.
As
expected,
Krrish
was
slammed
by
'critics' and
the
reaction
within
a
section
of
the
industry
was
also
'mixed'.
Looking
at
their
predictions
of
late,
a
producer
should
start
getting
sleepless
nights
if
these
'critics'
praise
a
film
or
give
it
a
4-star
rating.
And
if
they
shower
the
film
with
choicest
of
names,
the
producer
in
turn
should
pop
champagne.
Films
like
Fanaa,
Phir
Hera
Pheri
and
now
Krrish
were
butchered
badly,
but
the
business
of
these
films
only
goes
to
show
that
the
paying
public
knows
what's
good
for
them
and
what
actually
deserves
to
be
kicked.
And
no
amount
of
nasty,
mean,
spiteful,
vicious,
disgusting
and
horrid
reviews
could
make
even
1%
of
difference
to
the
fate
of
these
films.
I
am
also
perplexed
at
the
double
standards
of
a
section
of
the
industry.
Everyone
prays
for
a
hit
prior
to
a
Friday,
but
when
a
film
actually
takes
a
historic/earth
shattering
start,
the
same
people
want
to
pull
it
down
by
spreading
nasty
text
messages.
Pet
mein
dard
shuru
ho
jaata
hain.
Reports
mixed
hain,
they
echo.
So?
Is
this
a
new
trend?
Didn't
Sholay
go
through
a
similar
grind
years
ago?
And
didn't
the
same
industrymen
lash
out
at
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Koun,
calling
it
a
shaadi
ka
video?
It's
natural
for
the
opinion
to
be
divided.
Some
like
it,
some
don't.
But
what
eventually
matters
is
how
interesting
your
balance
sheet
looks
at
the
end
of
the
day.
Coming
back
to
Krrish,
a
section
of
the
industry
was
of
the
opinion
that
it's
a
poor
clone
of
a
Hollywood
film.
But
I
need
to
ask
the
same
people
one
vital
question:
Why
do
we
need
to
look
for
a
Hollywood
film
in
a
Bollywood
film?
Krrish
is
a
Bollywood
film,
made
for
those
who
relish
such
extravaganzas.
And
for
the
Indian
masses,
the
stunts
and
effects
are
a
novel
experience.
Krrish
has
won
immense
praise
from
the
expected
quarters:
kids.
The
children
have
taken
to
the
film
in
a
big
way
and
their
reaction
to
an
Indian
superhero
has
contributed
to
the
repeat
viewing
of
the
film.
Armed
with
a
fabulous
weekend
on
hand,
Krrish
began
the
weekdays
on
an
equally
zealous
note.
The
film
has
worked
at
not
just
A
class
centres,
but
also
at
single
screens
as
well
as
smaller
centres.
Krrish
has
set
new
records
and
with
no
major
release
for
another
three
weeks
[till
Golmaal
-
Fun
Unlimited
on
July
14],
the
dream
run
is
expected
to
continue.
THIS
WEEK,
LAST
YEAR
[Weekend:
May
24-26,
2005]
The
much-in-news
Paheli,
starring
the
country's
biggest
star,
SRK
[who
also
produced
this
folklore]
and
co-starring
a
host
of
impressive
names
[Big
B,
Rani
Mukerji,
Suniel
Shetty,
Juhi
Chawla],
didn't
open
to
a
stupendous
response
at
many
places.
The
opening
ranged
from
excellent
to
fairly
good
at
multiplexes,
but
at
single
screens
in
Mumbai
as
well
as
at
several
stations
across
the
country,
the
initial
was
not
befitting
a
biggie.
When
a
movie
doesn't
open
to
a
desired
response,
the
blame-game
begins
instantly.
It
happened
with
Paheli
as
well.
From
SRK's
moustache
to
the
heavy
downpour
[the
release
of
the
film
coincided
with
the
onset
of
monsoons]
to
the
not-too-exciting
promos
to
the
offbeat
nature
of
the
film,
the
industry
was
quick
to
point
reasons
that
were
responsible
for
the
not-too-strong
opening.
Let's
just
say
that
the
paying
public
wasn't
too
excited.
Or,
perhaps,
the
hardcore
masses
had
realized,
even
before
the
film
hit
the
marquee,
that
Paheli
was
not
their
idea
of
entertainment.