The queen is secure; Padmaavat opens without any incident in Mumbai
4:18 AM
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat opens without incident; despite a slow start is expected to pull crowds over long weekend
Avinash Lohana, Natasha Coutinho, Nishi Tiwari, Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 26, 2018)
While the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-drama Padmaavat on Thursday was marked by sporadic violence in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, Mumbai witnessed an incident-free opening largely due to heavy police bandobast.
On Wednesday, the 6 pm paid previews at Thane’s Korum and Viviana malls were cancelled owing to security concerns after which the police sprang into action to facilitate the 7 pm show, which began on time and ran without glitch. “Checks were in place and there was no damage to property. The 6 pm show was cancelled due to threats,” an employee informed Mirror while a cop at the venue added that security will continue through the threeday weekend.
On Thursday, the pre-emptive move proved effective as the law and order situation appeared to be more streamlined than in other cities. In Chembur’s K Star mall which houses the Fun Republic multiplex on its fourth floor, Padmaavat opened to a 60 per cent turnout, with college students constituting the majority of the morning footfall. However, turnout at the neighbouring Movietime was abysmal amidst unprecedented security at both theatres. “In the RCF (area) an extra 15–20 policemen have been brought in from nearby stations to ensure there is no trouble. We have been on duty since the Wednesday show but there was no trouble whatsoever,” a cop told Mirror even as a particularly inquisitive gent enquired if his gun was loaded.
Despite its A-list star cast and the hype generated by the raging controversy, the film has got off to a slow start. A staff member at a Santa Cruz multiplex on conditions of anonymity — “we have branches in Rajasthan and Gujarat and don’t wish to cause trouble there” — revealed that 102 bookings were made for the 9.30 am show on Thursday and 148 for the 12.45 pm slot. With five screenings a day, the 420-seater theatre clocked in a little over 507 bookings on the first day.
Chandan Cinema in Juhu which has given Padmaavat four shows, wore a deserted look. Viewers were scant at the adjacent PVR theatre, which is screening 20 shows a day (the only other notable film at the multiplex currently is Steven Spielberg’s Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks-starrer The Post), with 2D and 3D versions alternating every 45 minutes. “The first show at 8 am on Thursday saw 32 per cent occupancy which swelled to 86–90 per cent for shows after 5 pm,” a PVR Communications official informs, adding that the slow start was to be attributed to the fact that the film had opened on a weekday and not to the controversy. “It will pick up significantly as indicated by advance bookings for the weekend. We didn’t ask for extra protection but given the multiplex’s prime location, the Mumbai police have deployed security. On our part, we have removed queue managers inside the premises as they are often used to break glass during agitations,” the source informs.
Shoeb Shaikh, duty manager at PVR ECX, Andheri, is even more optimistic. The first show at 8.15 am at his multiplex witnessed 80 per cent occupancy and an overall footfall of 60–65 per cent. The neighbouring Cinepolis multiplex however opened to just 35 per cent occupancy. The central suburbs clocked in lesser bookings as compared to its western counterpart. The first show at Carnival Cinema in Bhandup was cancelled due to zero turnout, while Cinepolis saw 23-30 per cent occupancy. However, the slow start hasn’t dampened spirits in the area. The staff is confident that the cash registers will ring over the next three days. Unlike the suburban theatres, most South Mumbai screens refrained from displaying posters and hoardings of the film. Regal was an exception but Sterling didn’t even put out show timings. INOX, Nariman Point announced the film only on the BO ticker.
Trade analyst Amod Mehra offers a more
holistic view of the situation, pointing out that Padmaavat is bound to
lose 30 per cent of its collections as it has not released in four
states, but is quick to add that the unwarranted attention to the film’s
story has only fuelled the moviegoers’ curiosity. “The only problem is
the mixed response from the audience, which ranges from good to boring.
The 3D format has backfired because it renders the film dark while
moviegoers want historicals to look vibrant. But the film will be
unstoppable over the long weekend with highly priced tickets. The
official verdict though will be determined only on Monday,” he says.
He is expecting the film to rake in between Rs 100–150 crore over the next three days. “If it crashes on Monday, it will only manage to recover costs, but the satellite deal can be renegotiated and that should help it bring in profits,” he signs off on an optimistic note.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh follow suit
Padmaavat release was glitchfree in West Bengal too, with the exception of Asansol district’s Kumarpur, where members of the Viswa Hindu Parishad and Rajput Kalyan Samiti burnt an effigy of Bhansali in front of Manoj movie hall. The situation was quickly brought under control.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also witnessed a largely peaceful first day save for a token protest at Tivoli theatre last Sunday. BJP MLA from Goshamahal Raja Singh, also did a U-turn on his call to damage the theatres, asking people to watch the movie and protest only if they find anything objectionable.
— Jatari Nag and P Pavan
While the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-drama Padmaavat on Thursday was marked by sporadic violence in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, Mumbai witnessed an incident-free opening largely due to heavy police bandobast.
On Wednesday, the 6 pm paid previews at Thane’s Korum and Viviana malls were cancelled owing to security concerns after which the police sprang into action to facilitate the 7 pm show, which began on time and ran without glitch. “Checks were in place and there was no damage to property. The 6 pm show was cancelled due to threats,” an employee informed Mirror while a cop at the venue added that security will continue through the threeday weekend.
On Thursday, the pre-emptive move proved effective as the law and order situation appeared to be more streamlined than in other cities. In Chembur’s K Star mall which houses the Fun Republic multiplex on its fourth floor, Padmaavat opened to a 60 per cent turnout, with college students constituting the majority of the morning footfall. However, turnout at the neighbouring Movietime was abysmal amidst unprecedented security at both theatres. “In the RCF (area) an extra 15–20 policemen have been brought in from nearby stations to ensure there is no trouble. We have been on duty since the Wednesday show but there was no trouble whatsoever,” a cop told Mirror even as a particularly inquisitive gent enquired if his gun was loaded.
Despite its A-list star cast and the hype generated by the raging controversy, the film has got off to a slow start. A staff member at a Santa Cruz multiplex on conditions of anonymity — “we have branches in Rajasthan and Gujarat and don’t wish to cause trouble there” — revealed that 102 bookings were made for the 9.30 am show on Thursday and 148 for the 12.45 pm slot. With five screenings a day, the 420-seater theatre clocked in a little over 507 bookings on the first day.
Chandan Cinema in Juhu which has given Padmaavat four shows, wore a deserted look. Viewers were scant at the adjacent PVR theatre, which is screening 20 shows a day (the only other notable film at the multiplex currently is Steven Spielberg’s Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks-starrer The Post), with 2D and 3D versions alternating every 45 minutes. “The first show at 8 am on Thursday saw 32 per cent occupancy which swelled to 86–90 per cent for shows after 5 pm,” a PVR Communications official informs, adding that the slow start was to be attributed to the fact that the film had opened on a weekday and not to the controversy. “It will pick up significantly as indicated by advance bookings for the weekend. We didn’t ask for extra protection but given the multiplex’s prime location, the Mumbai police have deployed security. On our part, we have removed queue managers inside the premises as they are often used to break glass during agitations,” the source informs.
Shoeb Shaikh, duty manager at PVR ECX, Andheri, is even more optimistic. The first show at 8.15 am at his multiplex witnessed 80 per cent occupancy and an overall footfall of 60–65 per cent. The neighbouring Cinepolis multiplex however opened to just 35 per cent occupancy. The central suburbs clocked in lesser bookings as compared to its western counterpart. The first show at Carnival Cinema in Bhandup was cancelled due to zero turnout, while Cinepolis saw 23-30 per cent occupancy. However, the slow start hasn’t dampened spirits in the area. The staff is confident that the cash registers will ring over the next three days. Unlike the suburban theatres, most South Mumbai screens refrained from displaying posters and hoardings of the film. Regal was an exception but Sterling didn’t even put out show timings. INOX, Nariman Point announced the film only on the BO ticker.
Trade analyst Amod Mehra offers a more
holistic view of the situation, pointing out that Padmaavat is bound to
lose 30 per cent of its collections as it has not released in four
states, but is quick to add that the unwarranted attention to the film’s
story has only fuelled the moviegoers’ curiosity. “The only problem is
the mixed response from the audience, which ranges from good to boring.
The 3D format has backfired because it renders the film dark while
moviegoers want historicals to look vibrant. But the film will be
unstoppable over the long weekend with highly priced tickets. The
official verdict though will be determined only on Monday,” he says.He is expecting the film to rake in between Rs 100–150 crore over the next three days. “If it crashes on Monday, it will only manage to recover costs, but the satellite deal can be renegotiated and that should help it bring in profits,” he signs off on an optimistic note.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh follow suit
Padmaavat release was glitchfree in West Bengal too, with the exception of Asansol district’s Kumarpur, where members of the Viswa Hindu Parishad and Rajput Kalyan Samiti burnt an effigy of Bhansali in front of Manoj movie hall. The situation was quickly brought under control.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also witnessed a largely peaceful first day save for a token protest at Tivoli theatre last Sunday. BJP MLA from Goshamahal Raja Singh, also did a U-turn on his call to damage the theatres, asking people to watch the movie and protest only if they find anything objectionable.
— Jatari Nag and P Pavan
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