Bollywood News and Stories From India

Padmaavat recorded a huge extended weekend of 110 crore nett apprx which includes four days plus paid previews. This has been done with 25% of the total market missing over the four days. The real value of this business is around 145 crore nett if you apply the territory figures which would have come if it played all over. The business on Sunday is 30 crore nett apprx which again is huge if we consider Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh missing and some other parts of the country. The film is looking the biggest outright Hindi film South India has seen as the collections started at record levels and have held. Mumbai / Maharashtra has also seen record collections. The key belts of Delhi NCR and East Punjab are not huge but have trended very strong post Republic Day and look set for a good run. This area has never come on for a Bhansali film in a big way like this. Devdas did well enough but not great. The film has done exceptionally well to get this far considering the release a...

Asha Parekh on Padmaavat: I wonder what the Karni Sena is shouting and raging about Hema Malini, Asha Parekh and Waheeda Rehman cannot stop raving about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat and say that this is a film that will be remembered forever. “The nation has gone mad,” said a furious Asha Parekh, the veteran actress who saw Padmaavat a few days back at a special screening organised by the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “Believe me, I haven’t been able to sleep. I am in a trance after watching the film,” said Asha, an unabashed fan of Bhansali’s work. “The work he extracts from his actors… I wish I could become 30 years younger to play a Bhansali heroine. But having said that, I would like to congratulate Deepika Padukone for her performance. “If today I had to make a film on Rani Padmavati, I would cast none other but Deepika,” she said. Asha watched the special screening on Thursday. “Her grace, when she dances or acts is simply commendable. R...

Deepika Padukone enjoys a Marwari thali in Mumbai as she celebrates Padmaavat’s success. See pics Deepika Padukone celebrated the success of her film Padmaavat by feasting on scrumptious Marwari thali. Deepika Padukone, who faced threats over Padmaavat, says she remained confident throughout the row due to the upbringing she got from her parents, who were full of pride after watching the movie. At a select media meet over a Marwari thali here on Saturday, Deepika looked calm, content and relaxed after the release of Padmaavat. She is counting her blessings. “My parents are immensely proud. I saw that pride on their face. Mom and dad made a video call after their screening finished late at night and I was in my pyjama and going to bed. So for them, they just saw the film and then me... So, their expression was like, ‘Is she our daughter?’ I saw their expression and they were both brimming and glowing with pride,” Deepika said. The film Padmaavat went through a lot of...

Padmaavat box office day 3: Deepika-Ranveer’s film is on an epic run, crosses Rs 83 crore. After facing so many controversies and death threats, the Padmaavat has taken the box office by storm and raked in Rs 83 crore in three days of its release, including paid previews. After facing so many controversies and death threats, the Padmaavat has taken the box office by storm and raked in Rs 83 crore in three days of its release, including paid previews. The movie had collected Rs 5 crore on January 24 (paid reviews), Rs 19 crore on Day 1 of the release, Rs 32 crore on Friday and Rs 27 crore on Saturday bringing the total collection of the film to Rs 83 crore. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the figures on his Twitter. Despite Padmaavat not releasing in some parts of the country, the film has opened to a phenomenal response at the Box Office.   taran adarsh ✔ @taran_adarsh # Padmaavat continues to SPARKLE... Biz on Sat [after a b...

Padmaavat has emerged a huge winner at the box office as it grossed 27.50 crore nett on Saturday to take its three day total to 80.50 crore nett including paid previews. The film did not even drop in Delhi city and East Punjab after the big national holiday as these circuits have come on board in a huge way which is a first for a Bhansali film. The film could now go anywhere as now the content has worked and its getting the numbers whereas initially it was external factors. The film is a universal winner which means the circuits not playing would also have been doing optimum business. It is that first huge blockbuster in the 20 odd career of Sanjay Leela Bhansali but whether the blockbuster numbers come is anoather matter as the film is not being allowed to do its maximum business. Slowly more places are opening up but still a lot of potential business is missing. Normally Sunday growth would be huge for the film but here the big growth areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan and CI...

Padmaavat set an all time record in US /Canada for a the opening day with business of $1.20 million apprx. Bahubali - The Conclusion has a higher number with $4.75m but that was in three languages with the Telugu version getting most of the business. The only other film to cross $1 million in US / Canada is Dhoom3. The director has strong follwing in the North American mearket with most of his films doing well since Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1998. Below are the top opening days in US / Canada 1. Padmaavat - $1.200,000 2. Dhoom 3 - $1,082,000 3. PK - $991,000 4. Dangal - $889,000 5. Chennai Express - $760,000 The film had grossed $500,000 on previews the day before which takes the total of the film to $1.7 million. The film has the potential to be the highest grossing Hindi film in US / Canada. Thisis the trend in South India and US market normally is very similar.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, due to the controversies, could not actually get time and opportunity for going on a promotional spree. Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, due to the controversies, could not actually get time and opportunity for going on a promotional spree. But Shahid Kapoor, who plays Maha Rawal Ratan Singh, feels this film needs no promotion, rather it’s time for the audience to decide upon it. “I don’t think we need to promote this film any more. This film should speak for itself. I think we have done everything we need to do. Now it’s time for people to decide what they feel,” he said, while addressing the media at the HT Most Stylish Awards on Wednesday. “We have not really promoted this film. It was the toughest thing. I thought it will be a relaxing thing. Generally the extreme nervousness of a film, before its release, passes by on a promotional spree. But this time, it was a long wait,” the 36-year-old actor added. ...

Deepika Padukone’s star power drives social media On the release day of Padmaavat, a unique hashtag, #DP1stDay1stShow started trending that has united Deepika Padukone’s fans on social media. Nowadays, before any other platform, films get traction on the social media. The same goes for Deepika Padukone-starrer highly-anticipated release, Padmaavat. On the day of the release (January 25), fans of the actress have broken out into a frenzy on social media. “On the release day, a unique hashtag, #DP1stDay1stShow started trending that has united Deepika’s fans on social media, where they celebrate the release of her film. Her fans have gotten a new reason to celebrate as she comes back on celluloid after almost a year, with her last outing being xXX: Return of Xander Cage,” says an insider. A number of Deepika’s fans have flocked to theatres in numbers throughout the country to mark the release of Padmaavat. The film is Deepika’s hat trick release with film-maker Sanja...

Padmaavat: What’s the fuss about? Viewers wonder after watching Bhansali’s film.  Padmaavat finally released in theatres on Thursday to lukewarm critical response but a generous applause from viewers. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat finally opened on Thursday amid tight security and palpable tension but audiences streamed in to theatres across the country to watch the film that has the nation agog. Initial reports suggested good business for the film, which has been the focal point of protests by various Rajput groups, which allege that it distorts their history and defames their queen Padmavati. While the occupancy in Delhi was around 60 to 70% for the first show at 9 am, in Mumbai it was lower at 40-45%. Shows later in the day, including late night, were almost packed. Given that it’s a long weekend, trade analysts were hopeful that business would be good. “The response has been positive so far. We are hopeful it will increase during the day a...

Padmaavat has taken an excellent opening of around 50-55% (paid previews perfomed at 60% occupancy yesterday) where it has been been to allowed. If this was a clean release then as per the multiplexes in areas like Mumbai West Bengal and Andhra where there are no problems the opening on real value is a 30 crore nett opening.. The core mass cant really be judged as the release is limited but on what there is its a bit less than the big city multiplexes but even allowing for that you take around 5% of the 30 crore nett which is simply extraordinary for a non holiday and this cast. But the problem the pace is at close to 30 crore nett where its an unaffected release and not how much will be discounted where the film is a no show. The film is a no show in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh (there were negotiations held here between exhibitors and state government but the exhibitors did not get the confidence they needed to run the film in Madhya Pradesh). Haryana, UP a...

Loved Trying To Be as Good as Frame in Padmaavat: Jim Sarbh For Jim Sarbh, who has been attracting positive reviews for his portrayal as a slave-general of Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat, says working with a nuanced director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who pays attention to detail, gave him an opportunity to try and be as good as the grand and beautiful frame. For Jim Sarbh, who has been attracting positive reviews for his portrayal as a slave-general of Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat, says working with a nuanced director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who pays attention to detail, gave him an opportunity to try and be as good as the grand and beautiful frame. A theatre actor and a director himself, Sarbh, who has worked in films like Neerja and A Death in the Gunj, and performed live in several plays including Kalki Koechlin's The Living Room and Rajat Kapoor's What is Done, is Done, says it's always an empowering experience to work with directors who are passionate...

“I do what I think is in the best interest of the state; I do not care whether it conforms to the shariat or not” - Alauddin Khalji to Qazi Mughisuddin, who had announced to the Sultan that almost everything he did violated the shariat. One grave problem with history is that while historians seek it out in all its complexities, popular perception reduces it to utter simplicities, as entirely one dimensional. If for the historian any age or a reign or a ruler would be marked by diverse and often conflicting facets and actions, for the TV channels and for the slogan shouting mobs, an age gets visualised as uniformly golden or dark, a ruler is forever either weak or strong, kind or cruel, liberal or dogmatic, anti-this or pro-that. One wishes history was as simple as that. Indeed, even as our own individual, family or institutional lives are more multidimensional than this gross simplicity! And things get far more complex at the apex. The popular image of Alauddin Khalji bei...