Billu opens to an average collections at box office

Shah Rukh Khan’s home production Billu directed by Priyadarshan has taken an average opening in major metros cities on its opening day Friday the 13th. But reports suggest that it is doing slightly better business in the smaller centers than big cities.

The film opened on Friday to 30-40% occupancy. There was a slight improvement with evening shows but not so significant that one can call it a good opening. It has been released with in over 1000 cinema halls including 600 digital screens. If the opening weekend collections don’t touch the 75-80% mark then the film is bound to be declared a FLOP. It will face mighty opposition from next Friday’s release, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6.

The other release of the week, The Stoneman Murders has taken a slow opening but since its carrying very good reports, the positive word of mouth about it is spreading slowly. The weekend may see a big rise in its collections claim trade pundits.

If Billu flops it won’t affect SRK the producer as he has made a clean profit by selling all its rights to Eros but as an actor it will definitely be a blot in his career record. -Sampurn Media

Katrina Kaif sans glam & oomph!

The world's sexiest woman (2008) has decided to shed her glamourous image for her role in critically acclaimed filmmaker Prakash Jha's Rajniti. The change of image is not restricted to her wardrobe alone; Katrina will also be required to speak in a certain dialect, for which she is undergoing voice modulation classes.

Katrina Kaif said, "My role in Rajniti has different shades - I start off as a particular way and end up as a completely changed persona. The character is immensely challenging and it is a huge responsibility to carry off such a character. I am very excited to work with Prakash Jha, who is known for his kind of cinema and believes in involving himself in every department of his films. In a couple of days, I will be shooting for the film in Bhopal where I have scenes with a crowd of around 500 and I am gearing up for it."

Filmmaker Jha is helping Katrina to slip into her role by guiding her. Katrina revealed, "Prakash Jha is so involved in my characterisation that he is choosing the fabrics for the clothes for my character. He is so clued in that he knows exactly what he wants for an actor and that makes the transition of my character all the more challenging."

Ask Katrina if she is undergoing voice modulation for her character as the buzz is that she will be seen in a completely deglam look in the second part of the film and she says, "I can't reveal anything about the transition of my character but yes I am also doing the voice modulation as I need to speak in a certain way toward the end of the film." So committed is Katrina in putting her heart and soul into her role in Rajniti that she was unable to do Rohit Shetty's next film with Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt. Katrina said, "It is unfortunate that I had to opt out of that film as I had date problems."

Kiddie films that adults love to watch

They say there’s a kid inside each one of us. The craving for small joys of life never ceases - be it chocolate, ice-creams or kid’s films. No wonder kid flicks are a big hit with adults.

There was a poll conducted by onepoll.com and 3000 adult fans were asked to choose their favourite children film, reports mirror.co.uk

Emraan Hashmi riding high with Raaz 2 success

EmraanHashmi has done it again. Along with Bhatt brothers, he now has second straight hit in a row in the form of RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES. After JANNAT, a lot was riding on this horror flick by Mohit Suri since a second straight success was much required for Emraan to completely establish himself in the top league. He has done that now with RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES which has taken a much better opening than even CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA. While the Akshay Kumar starrer netted around 26 crores from it’s first week run, RAAZ - THE MYSYERY CONTINUES has brought home close to 20 crores at a much lesser print count.

Says an elated Emraan Hashmi, “The film’s success indeed means a lot to me. Horror is not a safe genre but still all of us associated with the film took this risk and gave it our all to ensure that audience gets it’s ‘paisa-vasool’ moments.”

The film now stands as the biggest opener ever for Emraan Hashmi who last year saw JANNAT seeing a 15 crore opening week. That record has been broken by RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES and it has to be seen how far does the film go from here on.

Says Mukesh Bhatt, “No one and nothing can stop a great product from doing its magic on the audience. All the audience care about is whether the film appeals to their sensibilities and is entertaining at the same time. RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES did just that and the figures speak for themselves.”

Adds Mahesh Bhatt, “Vishesh Films has produced close to 50 films and many of them have been landmark films in terms of box office collections. But RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES has surpassed all of them.” As per the makers, the film has done well even in overseas, especially Dubai, where the response has been overwhelming with the film boasting of good numbers.

This makes RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES, the expensive horror film in Bollywood history, as the biggest money spinner in the horror genre as well. First hit of 2009, the success of the film has proven that good content has the power to appeal across strata, both demographically as well as geographically. No wonder the producers of the film SONY BMG and Vishesh Films are on the seventh heaven.

Comments Shridhar Subramaniam, MD of SONY BMG, presenters of the film, on the film’s opening. “It’s a very special moment for SONY BMG, since the very first film we have co-produced has made history. Our association with Vishesh Films started with a bang with the music of ‘Jannat’, and with RTMC we have taken it to a new height. This shows how effective is the combination of Vishesh Film’s creative and production expertise and SONY BMG’s path-breaking marketing.” -Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Media

"I am overwhelmed with response to Luck By Chance" - Rishi Kapoor

Luck By Chance is not just a Farhan Akhtar film. Rather, it would be apt to call it a film that it is held together by three pillars - Rishi Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and of course Farhan Akhtar himself. Though Rishi Kapoor had (modestly) attributed this Zoya Akhtar film as a Farhan Akhtar starrer, after the release of Luck By Chance one can't deny that this is as much as Rishi Kapoor film as well.

In his meatiest and most credible film ever since the release of Daraar [1996] (there have been notable films like Namastey London, Fanaa, Pyaar Mein Twist, Hum Tum but Luck By Chance easily sees him in the best written and enacted role this decade), Rishi Kapoor has come up with an endearing performance that is easily an added milestone in his four decade long film career.

Tell Rishiji about this and he says while bubbling with excitement, "It's great to see the way audience as well as media is responding to the film. Even my own industry people have responded to the film positively. Luck By Chance was meant to be a tribute to my colleagues and I am happy that everyone has taken it in the right spirit."

In the role of Rommy Rolly, Rishi Kapoor is phenomenal as an old time film producer who not just struggles to get a star hero (Hrithik Roshan) for his newly launched film but also various other entities like corporate house bigwig (Manish Acharya), heroine's mother (Dimple Kapadia), costume designer (Manish Malhotra) and financer (Boman Irani) amongst others. Still, an eternal optimistic that he is, he goes on to launch a new face (Farhan Akhtar), albeit at a peanut remuneration, and as luck would have had it, makes him a star.

Also, a close look at his mannerisms on screen makes him look like a combo of Subhash Ghai, Boney Kapoor, Gulshan Kumar amongst others. Laughs Rishiji, "I wasn't trying to spoof anyone. I would say that the characters in Luck By Chance are more cariacaturish since the behavioral traits have been imported from various sources. There are borrowed images that you would see in my character as well as others."

Though he was in Bangkok for the shoot of Kal Kissne Dekha for an entire week and is currently stationed in New Delhi for the shoot of Do Dooni Chaar, he has been cued on to the box office performance of Luck By Chance. His admirers, friends from the industry and trade sources have been calling and messaging him incessantly in appreciation of what inarguably is one of his best performances ever in a long illustrious career.

"Yes, I guess the film as well as my act has excited quite a lot of people out there", says Rishiji with a childlike enthusiasm, "I am overwhelmed with response to Luck By Chance. I am told that across the country, the film has been doing exceedingly well with every passing show even though the start was a little slow on Friday morning. Now I am just hoping that audience continues to appreciate it only further."