But Bollywood is still celebrating!

Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; May 4, 2011)

It is ironical that Bollywood sees mirth in gloom. Of the 67 odd films (including the dubbed ones) that released, only six made an impact at the box office. That is a meagre 10 per cent ratio. However, Bollywood trade pundits say that the first four months of 2011 have definitely been more lucrative than the corresponding period in 2010. And that is the reason why even cynics are smiling, not scowling.

Better than 2010 The January to April 2010 period saw major turkeys like Shahid Kapoor’s Chance Pe Dance, Priyanka Chopra’s Pyaar Impossible, Amitabh Bachchan’s Teen Patti and Abhay Deol’s Road Movie to mention a few. “This year we have been lucky,” says Vajir Singh, Editor of trade journal Box Office India. “First we broke the January jinx with No One Killed Jessica and the huge hit in Yamla Pagla Deewana. Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji and Dhobi Ghat sailed through. In the World Cup season too we managed to have a runaway hit in Tanu Weds Manu.

Hits versus flops Trade analyst Taran Adarsh (Bollywood Hungama) agrees that the producers did fear the ides of March; this month didn’t have any significant release but April brought some relief in Faltu that opened well. Taran also adds that 2011 most certainly brought a smile on the faces of some distributors. “While the number of flops far outnumbered the hits, the important thing to note is that the dark horses worked. More >