Tally Of Flops Rises!

Courtesy: IndiaFM
Thursday, March 09, 2006

They created history with Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. The same pair, Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel, did not create one-tenth of an impact with their new release, Teesri Aankh - The Hidden Camera. The success of Gadar and the failure of Teesri Aankh reiterates the fact that it's not the stars, but the script that drives a film to the winning post.

Frankly, Teesri Aankh is old wine packaged in a new bottle. There's not one element in the film that's innovative or inventive. What further goes against the film is the way the plot is treated. Harry Baweja has experimented with various genres in the past, but Teesri Aankh is an absolute letdown in practically every department. Believe me, to find any meritorious aspect in the film is akin to finding a needle in the haystack.

That also brings me to the vital question: What is star power? In simple terms, it means the strength, power and charisma to attract moviegoers to movieplexes. But if you look at how several multi-crore extravaganzas, starring A-list stars, have crumbled at the ticket window, you'll be shocked and bewildered. Forget 100% collections on Day 1, most of them cannot guarantee 100% occupancy in the first show, on an all-India level.

The days of super-stars are over. Business today is akin to the cricket matches: You never know who'd surprise you with a great inning or who'd take you by complete shock.

Back to Teesri Aankh. The film opened to poor houses almost everywhere, except North, where the business was slightly better at single screens. But the business went downhill on Day 2, while the business at some multiplexes ranged from 10% to 15%, on an average. Overall, Teesri Aankh will make a hole in the pocket of its investors!

THIS WEEK, LAST YEAR
[Week: March 4-6, 2005]

It's the third month of 2005 and there's no respite. No signs of business picking up. New releases continue to sink faster than Titanic. Why, at some places, a few theatres had been compelled to cancel shows due to lack of audiences.

Call it a coincidence, two 'nephews' made their debut in love stories on Friday. Dharmendra's nephew Abhay Deol and well-known producer Salim Akhtar's nephew Samir Aftab made their debut with Socha Na Tha and Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, respectively.

Socha Na Tha, which had been in the making for a while now, was released with much fanfare. The talkie promos did create a positive buzz, but, unfortunately, all that aggressive and innovative promotion didn't translate into a decent opening for the film. The opening of the film was way below the mark at many places.

Chand Sa Roshan Chehra also suffered due to this reason. While Socha Na Tha had a far more contemporary approach vis-À-vis its plot, Chand Sa Roshan Chehra relied on the age-old drama of lovers facing parental opposition. But even the tried and tested formulae didn't appease the paying public.