99 witnesses lukewarm opening

Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK directed crime comedy is quiet a decent entertainer but the kind of response it has got in its opening weekend has puzzled many. The film starring Kunal Khemu, Soha Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Cyrus Broacha and Mahesh Manjrekar has got good response from the critics and the word of mouth is good as well. It was being looked upon as one film that might bring back audiences to the multiplexes as it was a neatly packaged multiplex targeted film.

Trade sources of the industry claim that the lukewarm response of the public to this week"s release, 99, in single-screen cinemas as well as in multiplexes, disproves the theory that if people are hungry for entertainment – as they are in the present times due to absence of new film releases since the producers v/s multiplex owners standoff, they will watch any new film.

Had 99 a star cast film or one which boasted of hit music, the theory may have held good, but in the absence of any bait, it is grossly incorrect to expect that people would throng to the cinemas to watch any film merely because there had been a drought of releases."

There is another theory doing the rounds in the trade circles – that people had lost the habit of frequenting cinemas. Although this too may not be true, it does appear to be the case, more so because 99 has the game of cricket as the backdrop and it has been released right when the IPL cricket fever has gripped the nation, but still, people preferred to give the film a miss – at least on the day of its release.