DNA (October 11, 2016)

Ajay Devgn finds himself in a happy space. Three weeks before the arrival of the biggest film ever of his career, Shivaay, he has the count of screens sorted. Though he and his team are yet to make the number official, insiders reveal that he has managed to strike an impressive enough deal.

“That’s correct,” informs our source, “Since the promo met with such a fantastic response, it was up to exhibitors and theatre chains to take a judicious call. With the film heating up and the songs sustaining the momentum as well, the film is super hot.”

That has ensured that the film will get around 3,000 screens when it releases this Diwali. “It is a good number by all means and also a good split between Shivaay and the other biggie, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” an expert adds, “It is a given that on October 28, there will be only two films playing in theatres that screen Hindi films. Nothing else will really matter at that time. Considering the fact that there are over 5,500 notable screens in the country and many others would be made available in the count as well (especially in smaller towns and cities), this number will increase.”

The situation will then be akin to last year’s clash — Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani — when both films ended up getting a good count of screens as a result of them being the only ones in fray. “It should be a healthy scenario at the box office for both the films now,” the expert adds, “No one is biting into other’s business. Other than multiplexes, Shivaay warrants a larger presence in single screens due to Ajay’s hold over the mass fan base for 25 years. On the other hand, Karan Johar and his team — Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma will be looking at a bigger presence in multiplex chains, though many major single screens would screen the film, too.”

Unlike the past when clashes have turned ugly, 2016 is turning out to be a good year where opportunities have been more or less equal for all. “A few weeks ago, it was Rustom v/s Mohenjo Daro. There was no ill-will or bad talk between those associated with the two films. Both films arrived at a good count of screens,” the source comments, “Now, it looks like Shivaay and ADHM, too, won’t have any complaints as far as presence in theatres is concerned. While a better film will obviously race ahead, the best case scenario would be for both to be good enough so as to entertain the audience in equal measures.” Touché!