Entertainment - Bollywood takes a hit after terror attacks

Despite Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye!! and Sorry Bhai falling flat at the box office, producers of four movies, which are scheduled for release this Friday, have decided to go ahead according to their plans.

Meerabai.. Not Out, Oh My God, Dil Kabbadi, will hit the screens on schedule, trade sources said. However, the producers of Khalbali and Kash.. Mere Hote, which were to hit the screen on December 5, have deferred their releases, which is being seen as a cascading effect of the terror attacks on Mumbai, they said.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra said that the cost of publicising and marketing a movie is so huge that a producer is not able to defer the release whatever the circumstances may be. Another trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, films business has suffered heavily due to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The opening of Oye Lucky... was dull, while that of Sorry Bhai was disastrous. Sorry Bhai had to be pulled out of many theatres and multiplexes due to the lack of audience. The business done by both the films, especially in Mumbai in the aftermath of the deadliest-ever terror attack on the city, has been affected badly, he said.

Taran said even though Sorry Bhai had skilled performances, the subject where the younger brother falls for his brother’s fiancee on the eve of the marriage, was too bold for Indian audiences.

Subhash Ghai’s Yuvvraaj is a flop while Dostana and Gomaal Returns have faired averagely, he said. With two of 2008’s biggest releases Shah Rukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana di Jodi and Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini scheduled for release on December 12 and 25, respectively, Mehra feels that the situation would be normalised within a week’s time.

“We are a bold city and I think we will overcome the trauma by that time,” he said. However, producers of Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye!! said that the film has grossed Rs 4.61 crore at the box office in its opening weekend in the country and continues to hold strong.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO UTV Motion Pictures said, “Despite the depressing mood all around us, Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye!! has managed to do steady business over the weekend.”