Taran Adarsh

Luck On paper, the project (LUCK) looks fetching. Actors Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa and Chitrashi, director Soham Shah, music composers Salim-Sulaiman, cinematographer Santosh Thundiyil, sound designer Dwarak Warrier and action director Allan Amin... a top of the line cast and crew.

The pre-release promotion was befitting the film of this stature. In fact, the Mehtas of Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision ensured that the stylish promos sent out right signals to the audiences. Industry experts predicted a 70% + start for this action-thriller, but were in for a rude shock as the Friday number trickled in.

The question is, why didn't LUCK open to an overwhelming response, despite everything in its favour? Various theories have sprung up since Friday and one of them attributes the slow start to the thanda outcome to Sanju-Imran's first film together KIDNAP, which is fresh in public memory.

Another theory points towards the tremendous hype for LOVE AAJ KAL, which has attracted maximum attention and how everything that came before it was bound to get eclipsed. Yet another theory offers a simplistic reason: Plain bad luck!

Strange, but the industry perception of a movie and the actual response to a film at the ticket window are two different things. What the industry considers 'Hot' may not necessarily be 'Hot' with the paying public, the aam junta.

Now let's talk economics. LUCK is an expensive film and carries with it the burden of a heavy price tag. The international business has been slightly better, but the domestic business has been way below the mark. Given its heavy price, the film had to perform at multiplexes and single screens both, to recover a substantial chunk of investment. Sadly, it hasn't!

Monday onwards, the business has only shown a downward trend, which clearly indicates that the principal distributors would end up losing a good Rs. 20 cr. + on this film. Quite an unlucky proposition, this!