Taran Adarsh

Till a few weeks ago, no one expected a Saif Ali Khan starrer to gross as much as Aamir (GHAJINI), SRK (RAB NE BANA DI JODI) and Akshay (SINGH IS KINNG, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ) starrers. But LOVE AAJ KAL has made its way into the Top 5 openers of all times (opening weekend).

Several factors have led to the staggering start of this film...

* A sought-after actor's home-production always generates heat, prior to its release.

* The novel casting (Saif and Deepika were teamed for the first time).

* Pritam's fabulous musical score.

* Imtiaz Ali - a name that has earned tremendous respect and goodwill after JAB WE MET.

* The terrific promotion embarked upon by its makers. Quality-wise as also quantity-wise, LOVE AAJ KAL is amongst the best publicized films in recent times.

That LOVE AAJ KAL has fared exceptionally well in its opening weekend, is old news. With a fantabulous Rs. 28 crores nett generated in its first three days, the film stands tall in box-office rankings, after GHAJINI. Multiplexes have been huge, while single screens (of 'A' class centres) have been good.

Single screens at smaller centres, of course, haven't been energetic, but the volume of business at plexes is so huge that Eros should recover a substantial chunk of investment from India theatrical distribution.

A tiny section of the audience feels that Imtiaz Ali's JAB WE MET was a better film. Opinions may vary and differ, but the fact remains that the youth has gone ga-ga over LOVE AAJ KAL. In times to come, LOVE AAJ KAL should also enjoy a tremendous shelf life when its DVD hit the stores.

Business-wise, of course, there's no comparison with JAB WE MET. LOVE AAJ KAL is miles ahead and like everyone agrees, everything boils down to how rosy your balance sheet looks at the end of the day. Box-office is king!

The naysayers had predicted doomsday for the film on Day 1 itself, but changed their tune soon. Then they predicted that LOVE AAJ KAL would collapse from Monday onwards. Sure there has been a 60% drop in several circuits from Monday onwards, but let's not forget that the film is playing in multiple shows (22, 24, 26, even 28) even on weekdays. The drop was inevitable.

However, the business is expected to show a big jump today (Raksha Bandhan holiday) and the collections, as I see it, should be super-strong today.

In the final tally, I'd say that the domestic business coupled with the roaring international business should ensure an easy recovery for its principal distributors. The revenue generated from Satellite and Home Video should only add to the booty. Business-wise, this one's a success story!