‘Fashion’, ‘Golmaal Returns’ set box office on fire post Diwali

Much-hyped and awaited movies “Fashion” and “Golmaal Returns” that released Wednesday, a day after Diwali, have set the cash registers ringing – with the latter even breaking some records.

While last year’s Diwali release “Om Shanti Om” and “Saawariya” had a neck-to-neck tussle with the latter proving to be a debacle, both movies released this year are faring well.

“Both films are faring exceptionally well at the box office. Content wise ‘Fashion’ is for upper crust audiences and is attracting youngsters, ‘Golmaal Returns’ is for the masses,” Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan told IANS.

“However, as per the current statistics, the reaction for ‘Fashion’ is going at around 70 percent, while ‘Golmaal Returns’ has fallen to 50 percent. Stay wise, the former is a long-term movie and the initial reaction for it has been 100 percent,” he added.

Girish Johar, associate VP, UTV motion pictures that produced “Fashion”, echoed this, adding: ‘Fashion’ has done fabulously well and it has been the biggest opening for a Madhur Bhandarkar film ever. We are very happy and the audiences are loving the film. It is doing bigger and better than its other counterparts. We are sure it will get audiences for at least the next five weeks.”

Starring Priyanak Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, debutante Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan, Arjan Bajwa and many of the Who’s Who of the style fraternity, ‘Fashion’ is a take on the Indian fashion industry.

“Golmaal Returns” is a sequel to the 2006 hit comedy ‘Golmaal’. The film is about a couple whose married life takes comical twists and turns when the husband gets stuck for a night on a yacht with a beautiful woman.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, it stars host of actors including Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Celina Jaitley, Amrita Arora, Anjana Sukhani and Paresh Rawal.

In terms of budget, producers Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Limited invested around Rs.330 million in “Golmaal Returns”, UTV Motion pictures’ “Fashion” was made on a budget of Rs.190 million and is said to be Bhandarkar’s costliest film till date.

“Fashion” had already recovered half of its costs – around Rs.8.5 million – from in-film advertising through its sponsors and endorsements from brands like Lenovo, Sunsilk, Reebok and Kimaya even before it released.

Distributed by TV 18 network, “Golmaal Returns” released with 1,000 prints worldwide for 1,400 shows while “Fashion” hit the screens with around 700 prints worldwide and collected 40,000 pounds on its opening day in Britain.

“We are expecting to earn Rs.400 million in the first week. The movie collected 40,000 pounds in Britain on the first day itself. It also broke records in Chitra Cinema in Mumbai where it is booked for the nine days. Exhibitors in north India have earned more than Rs. 1 million on first day. It is faring exceptionally well at single screens across the country,” said a spokesperson for Ashtavinayak.

UTV to unveil ‘Fashion’ across 700 screens worldwide!

UTV Motion Pictures’ FASHION is anticipated to release with over 630 screens in India and another 120 screens in 16 countries across the globe. On October 24, the film will be screened at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York. This will be followed by an exclusive promotion held by The Citibank NRI division inviting their distinguished clients for select FASHION screenings on October 29 across six US cities — New York, New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco and Chicago.

Dubai is hosting the FASHION Red Carpet Premiere on 29th October, in association with Star TV Middle East. Australia and New Zealand will be host to ‘Fashion Nights’ contest across 5 cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland, wherein the winners, crowned as Ms. ‘Fashion Australia’, will be rewarded with certificates attested by director Madhur Bhandarkar and Priyanka Chopra. FASHION will be released in the US and the Middle East on 30th October, with the other international markets following on 31st October.

Back in India, the three leading ladies from the movie – Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse – are all set to walk the ramp on October 20 for the Sunsilk Fashion Week in Mumbai. FASHION theme parties coined as ‘Fashion Nights’ will be held in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore along with partner brands.