Disastrous phase continues!

The dull, disturbing and disastrous phase at the domestic box-office continues! Almost every film is getting the royal ignore from the audiences, but it's foolhardy to blame the IPL [cricket matches] solely for the chaotic situation we are in. The quality of films is equally pathetic.

The traders are yet to recover from a debacle called TASHAN. Even though the issue with multiplexes has been settled, it hasn't helped the film at all. The word of mouth has been outright negative and the occupancy, therefore, is equally disheartening. Equally sad has been the outcome of the three new releases -- MR. WHITE MR. BLACK, ANAMIKA and PRANALI - THE TRADITION.

Of late, comedies have had a dream run at the turnstiles, but not all comedies have worked. Although aggressively promoted prior to its release, MR. WHITE MR. BLACK found very few takers on Day 1 itself. The teaming of Suniel and Arshad for the first time [no casting coup this!] didn't help. As for the content, the less said the better. My friends often chide me for sitting wide-eyed through the worst of films. But it really got unbearable during the second hour of MR. WHITE MR. BLACK. The ticket sales reflected the audience's apathy towards the film. And I am not surprised!

ANAMIKA is the new addition to the long list of also-ran films. I genuinely feel that Ananth Mahadevan knows the grammar of thrillers right, he knows how to treat a mystery well, how to create the eerie atmosphere, but his movies run out of steam while reaching their culmination. ANAMIKA suffered for this reason as well. It went awry during the post-interval portions. Its box-office fate was at par with Ananth's previous outing, VICTORIA NO. 203. The plexes bore an empty look, you could actually count the people inside an audi.

The cast plays a vital role in prompting you to dig into your pockets and shelling out Rs. 200 on a ticket. However, even if the face-value isn't interesting, the word of mouth as also the reviews are the deciding factors. ANAMIKA suffered on all three counts.

As for PRANALI - THE TRADITION, I am genuinely impressed with the enthusiasm displayed by its debutante producer [Nikhil Mathur], who left no stone unturned to promote the film. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts, the paying public wasn't enthusiastic about this film. Its fate was also evident on the day of its release!

But let's not lose sleep over the failures. Let's hope that the tide changes for better with BHOOTHNATH and JANNAT. Let's hope for the best!