Ready is second to Dabangg

TNN Jun 7, 2011, 04.53pm IST

(Asin and Salman in ReadyMore Pics)

Salman Khan's 'Ready' starts on an expected high note crossing a weekend gross of Rs 40.5 crore though it remains second to 'Dabangg'.

Every new big release in Bollywood is raising the bar of the opening weekend collections. So we see every new Bollywood release bagging the title for the biggest opener. Salman Khan's Ready starts on an expected high note crossing a weekend gross of Rs 40.5 crore, making a new record. The film however remains second to Dabangg (again Salman Khan starrer) for the biggest opening so far.

Ready started on a steady note and cinema-halls saw occupancy as good as 70-80%. Though it catered more to single-screen audiences, with no opposition, the business was good at both single-screens and multiplexes. And while Ready is not essentially a film catering to NRI audiences, the business was good in the overseas market as well with combined collection of Rs 8 crore from US, UK, UAE and other foreign markets.

The coming Friday has small-budget releases of which Shaitan appears most promising, which some claim is a revised version of Anurag Kashyap's Paanch (which never released in theatres but became, perhaps, the most popular pirated film ever). Starring Kalki Koechlin, Rajeev Khandelwal and a relatively new cast, this Viacom 18 production is targeted at youth and the multiplex audiences. Provided it is as interesting as it promises to be, Shaitan could be the Udaan of this year.

Subhash Ghai is perhaps the only producer other than Sanjay Gupta to release two of his films on the same Friday. But unlike Gupta's films ( Pankh and The Great Indian Butterfly ), Ghai seems to have made a comparatively smarter decision by combining both films and offering you two movies at the price of one. While Love Express comes as the first film from his Whistling Woods film school, Cycle Kick is a 4-year old project. While the films lack individual appeal due to low publicity, the combined offer also doesn't seem to excite audiences much. So these smallies stand a chance purely on basis of its merits.

West is West , Om Puri's sequel to the 1999 Hollywood hit East is East also releases this week. Having garnered good reviews with its international release, the film should hold appeal in India for its Pakistani setting and Indian cast.

Top 5 Films this Week

Film: Ready

Position: 1

Director: Anees Bazmee

Cast: Salman Khan, Asin, Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar

Upside: Mass appeal in Salman Khan and music

Downside: Loud comedy, ham performances, silly dialogues, seems too long

Running Week: 1

Trade Comments: The first big release post the cricket season, Ready had the advantage of both – good release timing and Salman's mass-appeal. Expectedly the film opened to huge response collecting as big as Rs 40.5 cr + in its opening weekend. Though this is a record-breaking start for a Hindi film, Ready is second to Dabangg which holds the numero-uno position for the biggest opener for a Bollywood film till date.

Film: Pyaar Ka Punchnama

Position: 2

Director: Luv Ranjan

Cast: Divyendu, Kartik, Raayo, Nushrat, Ishita, Sonalli

Upside: Good humour, decent performances

Downside: Slackens in second half

Running Week: 3

Box-Office Verdict: Above average

Film: Haunted (3D)

Position: 3

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Cast: Makaakshay Chakravarthy, Tia Bajpai, Arif Zakaria, Achint Kaur