Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

This Friday will see the clash of comedies. While MANORAMA SIX FEET UNDER is a detective/suspense film with humorous touches, DHOL and LOINS OF PUNJAB are both laugh riots. All the three releases are well made products, mainly aiming for the multiplex audience, but the Priyadarshan brand name may just give DHOL the edge and some success. We must add here that the lean month of 'ramzaan', where a sizeable number of cine-goers keep away from the theaters is also taking its toll on the collections of the new and old releases.

Both the releases of last week have had a dismal start at the ticket window. While NANHE JAISALMER had poor start in Bombay, its opening was terrible everywhere, AGGAR had a frighteningly poor start in Bombay and was weak everywhere. Both NANHE JAISALMER and AGGAR are all set to flop at the box-office.

Indra Kumar's DHAMAAL has done well in Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra and Delhi NCR, but it is below the mark elsewhere. The movie collected 1.70 crores from Bombay, 84 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 4 lakhs from Mehsana, 2.25 lakhs from Patan, 2.60 lakhs from Himmatnagar, 12.60 lakhs from Rajkot, 3 lakhs from Jamnagar, 1.1 lakhs each from Surendranagar and Bhuj, 2.30 lakhs from Gandhidham, 2.75 lakhs from Solapur, 5.60 lakhs from Nasik, 1.26 crores from Delhi city, 21.60 lakhs from Gurgaon, 10.55 lakhs from Faridabad, 10.50 lakhs from Kaushambi, 20.25 lakhs from Noida, 4.10 lakhs from Agra, 1 lakh from Bareilly, 5.70 lakhs from Aligarh, 15.60 lakhs from Indore, 1.10 lakhs from Jabalpur, 2.20 lakhs from Amravati, 1.85 lakhs from Akola, 1.65 lakhs from Raipur, 1.25 lakhs Chandrapur, 16.35 lakhs from Indore, 3 lakhs from Ajmer, 1.25 lakhs Bikaner, 16.60 lakhs from Jaipur, 1.35 lakhs from Gauwahati, 38.20 lakhs from Calcutta and 38 lakhs from Calcutta. In its first week DHAMAAL netts around 14 crores from India and given its medium range selling prices the movie is an average. DHAMAAL has also fared decently in the UK grossing $381,110.

Ram Gopal Varma's Fardeen, Esha and Isha starrer DARLING turns out to be a washout. In its first week the movie collected 61 lakhs from Bombay, 10.75 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1.70 lakhs from Rajkot, 1.25 lakhs (gross) from Bhavnagar, 1.15 lakhs each from Solapur and Nasik, 22.80 lakhs from Delhi, 3.85 lakhs from Gurgaon, 2 lakhs from Faridabad, 4.30 lakhs from Noida, 2.25 lakhs from Kaushambi, 3.60 lakhs from Nagpur, 2.60 lakhs from Jaipur and 25 lakhs from Hyderabad. With just 2.30 crores in its first week from India, DARLING is another release and another flop from Ram Gopal Varma !

Moving on to RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG, it crashed by more than 90 percent in the second week. The movie collected 1.40 lakhs from Bombay, 2.15 lakhs from Delhi city and 1.1 lakhs from Jaipur. The movie has been pulled out of most theaters. In its second week it collected a mere 30 lakhs for an all-India total of 8.10 crores. RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG is trade disaster both in India and Overseas.

Meanwhile Sajid Nadiadwala's Akshay, Fardeen, Riteish and Vidya starrer, HEYY BABYY, had its first significant fall. In its third week, the movie collected 87 lakhs from Bombay, 16 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1 lakh from Himmatnagar, 8 lakhs from Rajkot, 3 lakhs from Jamnagar, 1.40 lakhs (gross) from Bhavnagar, 1.85 lakhs from Nasik, 65.80 lakhs from Delhi city, 10.35 lakhs from Gurgaon, 3.15 lakhs from Faridabad, 7.55 lakhs from Noida, 4.70 lakhs from, 2.10 lakhs from Agra, 1.60 lakhs from Bareilly, 4.30 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.45 lakhs from Jabalpur, 1.30 lakhs from Amravati, 3.85 lakhs from Nagpur, 3.45 lakhs (gross) from Ajmer, 24.75 lakhs from Calcutta, 2.10 lakhs from Aurangabad and 12.20 lakhs from Hyderabad. The Sajid Khan directed movie netts around 5.50 crores for a total of 47.50 crores in three weeks from India. HEYY BABYY is now a superhit. In the Overseas, the movie has grossed $1,382,988 from UK and $1,443,521 from the US ( upto September 13) and is a good hit there.

Yash Raj's Shah Rukh Khan-Vidya Malvade starrer, CHAKDE! INDIA continues its steady run, even in its fifth week. During the week, it collected 90 lakhs from Bombay, 8.70 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1.60 lakhs from Rajkot, 1.10 lakhs from Jamnagar, 1.75 lakhs from Nasik, 68.70 lakhs from Delhi city, 11.85 lakhs from Gurgaon, 3.35 lakhs from Faridabad, 7.10 lakhs from Noida, 2.70 lakhs from Kaushambi, 1 lakhs each( approx.) from Agra and Bareilly, 6.85 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.80 lakhs from Amravati, 1.10 lakhs from Akola, 1.55 lakhs from Raipur, 6.75 lakhs from Indore, 3.75 lakhs from Bhopal, 22.75 lakhs from Calcutta, 1.80 lakhs from Aurangabad and 25.65 lakhs from Hyderabad. The movie netted around 4.50 crores for an all-India total of 55.50 crores in five weeks from India. Given the fact that CHAK DE! INDIA has a budget of 18-20 crores and that Yash Raj is also the worldwide distributors, the movie is a blockbuster hit. The movie is also a hit in the Overseas grossing $1,113,542 from the US and $867,265 from UK.