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Posts tagged devang sampat
The curious case of Bebo and Shahid
Jul 9th
Boney Kapoor’s new film has managed to create the required buzz
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; July 9, 2010)
For an industry that thrives on hope, no situation is actually beyond it. Case in point would be Boney Kapoor’s Milenge Milenge that is releasing worldwide today. This mushy romantic caper with Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor is not oven-fresh. Even the star-couple have grown apart in the last three years; yet the excitement over their screen outing is palpable.
Rakesh Sippy, who has acquired the distribution rights of this Satish Kaushik film for Mumbai, says, “I think the film has immense potential. Besides, my father Ramesh Sippy has been distributing Boneyji’s films since Mr India, and we have a long and fruitful association.’’
Devang Sampat, Senior Vice President, Cinemax chain, is hopeful the curiosity generated by the Shahid-Kareena pairing will get the movie-goer in. “The youth is excited about seeing these two actors together after a gap,’’ says Devang. Trade consultant Amod Mehra believes the film has an advantage coming after the couple’s super hit Jab We Met. “Though there has been a long screen interval between the two films, this has only whetted the appetite for them,” he says.
A theatre round shows that the standees of Milenge Milenge with Kareena and Shahid is a topic for avid discussion among youngsters.
Prompting trade guru Taran Adarsh to say, “Jab We Met came in 2007, but people are still talking about the magical chemistry
between Kareena and Shahid. And while Milenge Milenge may not be able to replicate the same sentiments, this jodi in a romantic film is exciting for me as a viewer.’’ Amod adds, “In Bollywood, one doesn’t say never because neither friendship nor enmity is permanent here. However, this could well be Shahid and Kareena’s last film together, and because of this factor alone, people are curious to see this film.’’
Kites to have as many as 31 shows per day per multiplex
May 19th
Get ready for the mother of all releases in Bollywood. Kites, which is a hit even before its release, will have as many as 31 shows per day, with the earliest show starting at 6.30 am
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2010)
There is bound to be a lot of excitement when a star as big as Hrithik Roshan comes up with a release, that too after two years. His last release was Jodhaa Akbar in 2008. This Friday, the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites will go down as the biggest release in the history of multiplexes in India.
Multiplexes across the country will screen as many as 31 shows of Kites per day, which surpasses the record of 27 shows screened for the Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots. All this despite the fact that the film’s distributor Reliance is taking a much higher advance payment from the exhibitors than they did for 3 Idiots.
Buzz in the trade is that Reliance has taken this step because they have still not entirely received the outstanding amount of 3 Idiots from some exhibitors.
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A distributor says, “Hrithik and Aamir only do a few movies. So there is generally a lot of curiosity about their films. This time is no exception. Everyone is upbeat about Kites. Picture bahut garam ho gayi hai. The advance booking is good. It should do well.”
The short length (124 mins) has only spurred the exhibitors into thinking big in terms of the likely profits. Devang Sampat, Senior VP, Cinemax India Ltd, says, “Yes, we are having as many as 31 shows of Kites at Versova.”
Ashish Saxena, COO, Big Cinemas, says, “Apart from the crisp length of the film, Hrithik’s stardom came into play when we took the decision of stepping up the number of shows. As of now, the plan is to have at least 27 shows in R City, Mulund.”
Fun Cinemas, however, said that their screenings of Kites would be on par with 3 Idiots. “We will give it maximum exposure. Wherever we have six screens, we will have 30 shows,” says Vishal Kapoor, COO, Fun Cinemas.
A source from Cinemax says, “The earliest show will be around 6.30 am and the last one will be around midnight.” Saxena of BIG Cinemas says, “We have hired a few part timers who will assist the existing theatre staff.”
As for the exorbitant amount Reliance has asked from the multiplex chains, Sampat says, “That’s not a problem when it comes to a Reliance film. We usually expect great results from them. Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, too looks very promising.” “The advance paid is an indication of the business expected. The kind of release we have planned for Kites says it all,” seconds Saxena.
Small-budget films to battle it out at box office during IPL
Mar 11th
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 11, 2010)
Mumbai: Small-budget films that cost a total of around Rs 200 crore to make face an uncertain future due to their release dates clashing with IPL matches, which are expected to generate only about Rs 60 crore from screenings in about 700 cinemas across India in the next 45 days.
Sanjay Gaikwad, MD, UFO Moviez, said the IPL is “content-driven and I’m hoping it generates business of more than Rs 40 crore. If this works, I’m sure IPL will generate at least Rs 70 to 80 crore next season’’.
Marketing experts said exhibitors are eyeing business of Rs 60 crore to 70 crore if cinemas get occupancy of about 70% with each screen showing all 46 matches. “It’s something new they are trying as there is no good content in cinema right now,’’ said a marketing expert.
Devang Sampat, vice president, Cinemax Cinema, said, “We are expecting to generate about Rs 6 crore from the IPL and will screen all 46 matches at our 30 properties.’’ Harshvardhan Gangurde, vice president (marketing), Inox cinemas, said, “Any highprofile content, like T20, will impact attendance in cinemas. One has to live with it now and, in fact, amalgamate cricket into the programming in the future.’’
But some trade experts are unsure if it will work. An insider said, “The youth like to smoke and drink while watching IPL, so they would prefer a bar or stay at home rather than go to a cinema.’’
But cricket is a religion in India and the film industry is scared of it taking over cinemas too. Most big movies will release only after April 16, when IPL and the T-20 World Cup will be over. The only exception is ‘Housefull’, which will release between the two tournaments.
Meanwhile, small-budget films are going to brave it out. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, “There are five releases per week and some from the likes of Subhash Ghai and Shyam Benegal. If IPL screening works, the film industry will be doomed because theatres will start screening all big matches.’’
Some films being released are RGV’s ‘Phoonk 2’, ‘Paathshala’, Nikhil Advani’s ‘Jaane Kaha Se Aayi Hai’, ‘Lahore’, the Vivek Oberoi-starrer ‘Prince’ and T P Agarwal’s ‘Na Ghar Ke, Na Ghaat Ke’. Some films, like Sunny Deol’s ‘Right Yaa Wrong’ and the Shahid Kapoor-starrer ‘Milenge Milenge’, have been in the making for long.
50 city cinemas to show IPL matches
Mar 11th
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 11, 2010)
It is cricket-ainment time at cinema halls across India, with nearly 650 screens gearing up for live telecasts of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, which will begin from Friday and continue for more than six weeks. Sources said that the final number of screens could cross 700. Cine-goers will get to watch matches without commercial breaks and also avail of other incentives. Topmost among them is master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s autographed bat, which will be circulated across all cinemas and later auctioned. Sanjay Gaikwad, of UFO Moviez, said, “A bat Tendulkar has used will be auctioned off.’’ The funds will go to Apnalaya, an NGO endorsed by him.
Tendulkar also auctioned off the first theatre ticket for the matches. From a base price of Rs 5 lakh it went for Rs 11 lakh. The money will also go to Apnalaya. Tendulkar said, “This is a very good initiative and if high-content cricket reaches the remotest areas of the country more and more youngsters will be encouraged to play the game.’’
In Mumbai, about 50 cinema halls will screen matches, including Cinemax, New Excelsior, Roxy, Meghraj (Vashi), Gem (Bandra), Inox, Fame, PVR, Big and Broadway (Kandivli).
While the cinemas are geared up for the games, there is a small hitch in opening the advance bookings. Inox cinemas’ vice-president (marketing) Harshvardhan Gangurde said, “We are all set, but await a formal notification from the state government on taxes. Otherwise, things are in place.’’ There will be no entertainment tax exemption on IPL tickets. Gaikwad added, “The government will be charging about 20 to 34%, which is the same for any film ticket.’’ Sources said tickets would cost Rs 250 to Rs 300, the cost of an average movie ticket on weekends.
Some cinemas will offer alcohol. Devang Sampat, vice president, Cinemax Cinemas, said, “Corporate bookings have started and we are offering alcohol with them.’’
Most team sponsors have already done block bookings for the entire IPL season. A source said, “There is a lot of demand for Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, who probably have the maximum sponsors on board. Last season, KKR matches got the maximum eyeballs. With Tendulkar in tremendous form, there will definitely be a mad rush for his matches too.’’ Cinemas will offer cricketing merchandise and have cheerleaders, celebrities and live bands. Gaikwad said, “We are trying to bring the stadium into the theatre. There are lot of small towns where bookings are full and we have to add screens. In Nagpur it’s house-full even before the tournament begins.’’ In some states, including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, cinema halls will not be able to screen the matches as film producers have objected because there would be fewer screens to show local movies. Gangurde, of INOX, said, “We hope to resolve the issue in Bangalore, but no live telecasts will happen in cinemas in TN and AP.’’
Multiplexes in Mumbai stop MNIK bookings
Feb 10th
Despite halls being vandalised, and threat of Sena protests, Shah Rukh and Karan Johar say… Khan WILL release this week
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 10, 2010)
With the Shiv Sena going on the rampage against the theatres screening My Name Is Khan, the sudden and violent change of stance after indicating a truce has shocked the film industry.
Several Sena dominated pockets of the city including Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Ghatkopar and Chembur witnessed attacks on theatres planning to screen My Name Is Khan. Huma Adlabs, Shreyas, Ashish and Metro were among the theatres attacked.
Yesterday, the film’s producer Karan Johar met up with Police Commissioner D Sivanandan to discuss the situation. While the police has warned of strict action against troublemakers and over 200 arrests were made on Tuesday, the situation remains volatile. And bearing the brunt are the theatres.
“We are waiting to hear from the distributors (Fox Cinemas) to take an official stand on whether or not to go ahead with the release of My Name Is Khan. It is as much their decision as ours,” said Shunali Shroff of Fame Big Cinemas, adding, “Hopefully, by Wednesday morning, things should get resolved.”
Devang Sampat, GM Marketing, Cinemax said, “We are yet to take a call on this. I have still to speak to the operation team since this is more of an operation call.”
Meanwhile, in an interview to a television channel, Shah Rukh Khan said that while he has had a warm relationship with Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, he didn’t feel there was anything he had said which he should apologise for. He also said that he had not sought any appointment with them to sort out the issue.
It may be recalled that the Shiv Senas had taken an objection to Shah Rukh’s comment that Pakistani cricket players should be allowed to play in the IPL.
At the time of going to press, representatives from all the multiplexes were in a meeting with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to find a solution to the impasse.
Watch 3 Idiots 6am show and get free chai and biscuits!
Dec 23rd
Rise and shine. 3 Idiots is luring you to the multiplexes for a 6am show with free chai and biscuits
By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 23, 2009)
This Christmas morning if you manage to wedge your eyes open by four am, try and make it for 3 Idiots at the multiplexes, which are screening the movie at six in the morning! For all your efforts, Aamir Khan and Co have even decided to give you free chai and biscuits.
Considering that 2009 hasn’t paid off for most films, everyone is putting their money on the Aamir Khan-starrer. In fact, only two films have broken box-office records – Salman Khan’s Wanted and the Ranbir-Katrina starrer, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. 3 Idiots hits the theatres on Friday and everyone seems upbeat about it.
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| 3 Idiots |
Devang Sampat, Senior VP, Cinemax India Ltd, says, “There is often scope for a 6am show. There are many morning walkers and call centre employees who flock to the theatres at that time of the day. But we are doing it for the first time because there is a good demand for the tickets.” How many people watch movies after a sweaty morning jog is debatable, but it seems like nothing can dampen the festive mood.
Aditya Shroff, Asst VP Programming & Corporate Sales, Fame India Ltd, is geared to splash the movie across as many screens as possible. He says, “As we start early, we can accommodate more number of shows. We will have 37 shows spread over seven screens every day in Fame Malad. This would be the highest number of shows recorded in our chain on one single day.” Cinemax India will have as many as 28 shows on one day in their Andheri multiplex.
The said multiplexes are also planning to hold their last show as late at midnight. Naturally, the theatres are going to pay additional incentives to their staff.”We have also instructed our people to work in shifts. Honestly, nobody is complaining,” says Sampat.
At the time of going to the press, Fame India had decided to have their first show at 6.30am. However, a source from the industry says, “They might push it up to 6am.”
Fun Republic will not start as early. Vishal, Fun Republic VP, Marketing says, “We will start early, but at 9am. Fame and Cinemax have more screens. They have programming flexibility.”
Ditto for Imax. Inox will not have early shows. As for PVR, their earliest show will be at 8.30am.
Whose bright idea was it to screen the film at the crack of dawn? The marketing man of 3 Idiots, Aamir Khan? Shroff says, “I came up with this idea for my chain of theatres. I think it will work.” Sampat laughs, “We also have a thinking brain.”
Would you go for 3 IDIOTS at 6am?
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| Will the multiplex be houseful at 6am? |
• Ishita Thakur (22), Mahim: No way. Firstly, I don’t get up so early. Secondly, I am not excited about this film. I don’t think it will be awesome. If it was Avatar, I would have definitely gone for it.
• Sunder Chandiramani (68), Seven Bungalows: I like to see a film in a relaxed mood. I want to jog in the mornings.
• Poonam Tilani, Seven Bungalows: I meditate in the morning. I don’t want to disturb my schedule.
• Satish Shenoy (45), Vile Parle: That is the time I am getting ready to go to the office. I want to see 3 Idiots at leisure.
• Nameeta Bandekar (24), Borivli: Why? I can watch movies at any time.
• Manisha Jaisinghani (35), Kandivli: Sorry, I can’t get up so early. 6am is a terribly inconvenient show.
'We are still laughing'
Oct 23rd
LAUGH OUT LOUD: Ajay Devgn, Bipasha Basu and Sanjay Dutt pose with fans who have loved watching their film
Audiences, Bollywood stars and trade analysts, say Ajay Devgn gave them ‘best’ gift of all for Diwali
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2009)
Ajay Devgn kept his promise. His film All the Best — Fun Begins… directed by Rohit Shetty, is as fine a Diwali gift to cinegoers as it may get. Slowly, it has picked up steam at the box office and is now laughing its way to the bank. Literally!
“The film didn’t open big on Friday but on Sunday and Monday, it jumped by leaps and bounds — from 30 per cent to 95 per cent,” said trade analyst Amod Mehra. Indeed, because audiences everywhere are having a blast watching the comic timings of Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Mugdha Godse, Fardeen Khan and Ajay. “It’s very refreshing. No number of stars given by critics can change the opinion of cinegoers. Once the public says a film’s a hit, then it’s a hit. This film picked up because of word-of-mouth publicity,” added trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Multiplexes are enjoying the post-Diwali ticket sales that this Ajay Devgn Ffilms’ release is fetching them. “On Tuesday, the film did better business than it did on Sunday and Monday. The audience, just like me, was laughing its guts out,” said Ashish Saxena from Reliance BIG Pictures. Devang Sampat from Cinemax attributes the success to Ajay having picked the right script for the festive season. “It’s been a trend where people look for total entertainment during Diwali. They just want to have a good time… I’m expecting this film to do even better in the coming days,” he said.
Not strangely, film critics have given good ratings to this one too. Even Bollywood stars, keeping their own films aside, have been entertained by this comedy. “It’s an honest entertainer and I laughed throughout. I felt happy after watching it,” said hunk John Abraham. Ditto was the reaction of the producer’s wife and beautiful actress Kajol. “I laughed, my daughter Nysa laughed and the whole theatre laughed. And that’s when Diwali started!” she said.
— SWB
Now watch Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on TV!
Oct 21st
Theatre owners flay MAMK’s DTH release
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 21, 2009)
Mumbai: After Main Aur Mrs Khanna failed to impress at the box office, its producers released the film on DTH (direct to home) on Tuesday. The producers’ decision has upset theatre owners, who are considering taking the film off their screens.
The Rs 45-crore Prem Soni directed Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer, released last Friday, filled theatres to only about 30% of capacity. A theatre source said, “The film has not made an impression at all. Not even Salman Khan’s effort to boost collections has helped much. That’s probably why the producers took the decision they did.”
Tata Sky premiered the film on October 20. Other DTH services plan to follow suit. Tata Sky chief marketing officer Vikram Mehra said, “It’s the first time a film is going to DTH within four days. We released What’s Your Rashee in a week. I don’t think this will affect the business of the film in theatres. DTH releases help curb piracy and earn additional revenue for the producer.”
But theatre owners aren’t happy. They plan to meet in early November to discuss the issue, said Cinemax Cinemas vice-president Devang Sampat.
Vishal Kapur, COO of Fun Cinemas, said, “We’re contemplating pulling out the film from cinema halls.” He added, “We’ve got seven shows scheduled per day, and people aren’t going to turn up. It’s going to hurt business.”
The Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots is likely to be the first film to be released on DTH and in cinema halls simultaneously. Trade analyst Amod Mehra said DTH releases of new films would “kill the film industry which is already suffering due to piracy. If DTH becomes a trend the theatre business will collapse.If people can watch a movie for Rs 100, why would they go to a theatre?”
Mukesh Bhatt, who upset many by releasing satellite rights to Ghulam six months after its release, also opposes a film going to DTH too soon. He said, “One must give space for theatrical revenues. Only then should DTH and satellite rights be released.” Sidharth Roy Kapur of UTV Producers, the distributor of Main Aur Mrs Khanna, was not available for comment.
Kaminey and Life Partner have a slow start in Mumbai
Aug 18th
Multiplexes in city crawl out of swine flu slumber
Mumbai: Life Partner and Kaminey, the two releases which got bitten by the government’s enforced swine flu vacation, opened to a slow start on Monday with just about 35% occupancy. However, by the end of the day, business had reportedly zoomed to 75% at theatres in the city, with Kaminey scoring over Life Partner.
After taking the hit of missing out on the opening weekend, some marketing gimmicks were used to attract audiences. At G-7 multiplex, Bandra, the cast and crew of Life Partner sold tickets at the box-office and later interacted with the audiences. The occupancy picked up by the second show, said Manoj Desai, managing director of G-7.
Most multiplexes around Andheri saw a growing crowd towards the evening. Said Devang Sampat, senior vice-president, Cinemax Cinemas, “Kaminey opened at 50% and Life Partner at 30%. The audience at our cinema halls is more enthusiastic about Kaminey.’’ Because of missing out on the I-Day weekend, both films have reportedly lost about Rs 5 crore jointly. “It is doubtful if the films will be able to recover the losses, as reactions to them are very mixed,’’ said trade analyst Amod Mehra. “Kaminey was hugely hyped, but the dropping numbers in Delhi and other places look a bit scary.’’
M M Sathish, who heads Anti-Piracy Worldwide, said, because of piracy, 25% of Mumbai had already seen the film. “You may not find physical prints, but my sources tell me that pirates have begun making home deliveries,’’ he said. Meanwhile, Kaminey’s producers, UTV, claimed that the film did about Rs 33 crore worth of business in the first weekend worldwide.
Kaminey not to release in Mumbai on Friday
Aug 14th
Closure of multiplexes for three days spells disaster for the season’s most-awaited movie; Bollywood badly hit by year’s continuing poor run
By Indu Mirani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 13, 2009)
 2009, one of the worst years for Bollywood in recent times, just got battered some more. Tuesday’s call for closure of all multiplexes for the next three days means that one of the year’s most-awaited films, the UTV-produced Kaminey, takes a hit. Here’s why: Mumbai is the most lucrative film territory in the country. Seventy per cent of a film’s gross earnings in the first week comes from collections in the opening weekend and Mumbai accounts for 40 per cent of that.
In Kaminey’s case, for instance, the paid previews, a relatively new concept that allows one to see a film before official release at a premium, were all sold out. “We had paid previews at 12 locations in Mumbai and we will suffer a loss of around Rs 50 lakh per day on an average on account of cancellation,” says Devang Sampat, senior vice president, Cinemax. “However we are covered by insurance.” The Shahid Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra caper directed by Vishal Bharadwaj was to be one of UTV’s big films of the year and is slated to be released across the world with 1,200 prints. The bigger the film, the more number of prints to saturate the market, which producers hope to encash in the first week itself on the strength of the hype built around it. Both Mumbai and Pune are big markets for such films. Once the film has been seen elsewhere there is the danger of it getting stale and an even bigger risk is of piracy. “The prints are out and people will be looking at getting pirated copies to Mumbai to satiate the curiosity, it can spell doom for a film,” says a trade analyst not wanting to be quoted. Something similar happened to another UTV film, Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, which was released in the weekend of the November 26 terror attack when fear psychosis of another kind kept people indoors and away from cinema theatres. By the time Mumbaikars woke up to the idea of entering a cinema hall, the damage had been done and a perfectly good film paid the price for it.
However, UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapoor still remains upbeat, pointing out that in the absence of any major release till September 18, Kaminey still stands a good chance. Vishal Bhardwaj, the film’s director, refers to the closure as an unpleasant surprise, but also points to the, “terrific buzz about the film all over India and the fact is that Mumbai and Pune are not all that India is about. Yes, I can’t deny that they are important, but I also can’t deny swine flu,” he said. Sandeep Bhargava of Indian films which is releasing Life Partner also said that they were going ahead with the film’s release as it was too late to withdraw and push the release. “All our prints have been sent across India,” he said. With just one mega hit so far - Love Aaj Kal - and the film industry still to recover from the two-month multiplex ban earlier this year, Bollywood’s run of bad luck continues. |
Rumy Jaffrey, the director of Life Partner, the other film to be released along with Kaminey this Friday, said, “This is just a financial loss. The important thing is to safeguard everyone’s health. However, I would like to say that since the government has taken such a decision, it should also look into the piracy problem. I hope they try and stop pirated CDs and DVDs coming in to Mumbai.”
