WILL CINEMA LOVERS DAY HELP MR & MRS MAHI?
The nearly 7-week long dry period in Bollywood is about to end tomorrow with the release of Mr & Mrs Mahi. It stars Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor and is directed by Sharan Sharma of Gunjan Saxena fame. It is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Zee Studios and is a story of a cricket-crazy couple.
Mr & Mrs Mahi’s trailer caught attention and so did the song ‘Dekhha Tenu’. Janhvi Kapoor’s enticing sarees and other clothes have kept her as well as the film in the news. However, the male lead – Rajkummar Rao – is no doubt a fine actor but is not an instant crowd-puller. As a result, the hype for the film is limited.
In a normal scenario, Mr & Mrs Mahi would have opened at Rs. 3-4 crores. But the film has got a boost thanks to the Cinema Lovers Day offer. Most theatres across the country will sell the tickets for all films for just Rs. 99. In the past, such an offer has helped several films. Mr & Mrs Mahi, too, will benefit and already, the advance booking has been encouraging.
If all goes well, Mr & Mrs Mahi will open at around Rs. 5 crores and it could even go higher. But the real test of the film will be on Saturday when the rates will be back to normal. This is when the film has to hold strongly. If that happens, Mr & Mrs Mahi will be able to sail through.
The other major release is Savi, starring Divya Khossla, Anil Kapoor and Harshvardhan Rane. The awareness of the film is limited. Also, Anil is the biggest name in the film and he is neither seen in the poster nor in the promotional campaign.
Chhota Bheem And The Curse Of Damyaan, meanwhile, is the first live-action film of the series. The earlier parts trended well but at very low levels. A 2012 animated film with the same name collected Rs. 4.05 crores and that’s the highest a movie of this series has collected. The live-action Chhota Bheem And The Curse Of Damyaan has a very poor buzz. Despite the Rs. 99 ticket offer, the bookings are not there. As a result, it’ll face a tough time.
Lastly, Aranmanai 4’s Hindi version has got a limited release. The original Tamil version, which was released a few weeks ago, was a huge hit. The Hindi version, however, can work only in a few pockets.