Get Ready for big Bollywood films

Despite a stock of films waiting to collide simultaneously at the box-office in the coming weeks, this Friday saw the release of only one Hindi release. Vipul Shah produced Kucch Luv Jaisa, starring the producer���s wife Shifaali Shah as the female lead alongside Rahul Bose, opened to a terrible response. The film was unanimously rejected by both critics and the niche audience that it targeted, thanks to its sloppy screenplay and dull entertainment value.Even the solo release status didn���t help the film get audience in any way.
Cine-goers were more inclined towards the two big Hollywood films, both sequels ��� Hangover 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2 (in 3D) which got a brilliant opening in most urban centers. With the prequels having immense fan-following, the sequels expectedly opened to huge numbers in the Indian market.
With IPL coming to an end, big Bollywood releases return to the big screen. Salman Khan���s Ready marks the return of the movie season as it hits the screen this Friday. With the huge hype surrounding the film, Salman���s first release after last year���s blockbuster Dabangg, is expected to get a magnanimous opening. Single screens will come back in vogue with this popcorn entertainer.
The other release is a B-grader ��� A Strange Love Story starring Ashutosh Rana and Riya Sen which hardly stands any chance ��� with or without Ready in picture.
Top 5 Films this Week
Film: Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Position: 1
Director: Luv Ranjan
Cast: Divyendu, Kartik, Raayo, Nushrat, Ishita, Sonalli
Upside: Good humour, decent performances
Downside: Slackens in second half
Running Week: 2
Trade Comments: This is one of those few films whichpick up in the second week thanks to the positive word of mouth. With no big Hindi film opposition this week other than the dismal Kucch Luv Jaisa, it enjoyed a steady run at the box-office.
Film: Haunted (3D)
Position: 2
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Cast: Makaakshay Chakravarthy, Tia Bajpai, Arif Zakaria, Achint Kaur
Upside: Good 3D work, some scary moments, time-travel in plot, good music and cinematography
Downside: Clich��d horror gimmicks, conventional horror story, wooden performances
Running Week: 4
Box-Office Verdict: Hit
Film: Ragini MMS
Position: 3
Director: Pawan Kriplani
Cast: Raj Kumar Yadav, Kainaz Motivala
Upside: Some spooky moments, technically slick, decent performances by lead pair
Downside: Confusing climax
Running Week: 3
Box-Office Verdict: Hit
Film: Stanley Ka Dabba
Position: 4
Director: Amol Gupte
Cast: Amol Gupte, Partho, Divya Dutta
Upside: Sensitively handled children film, good performances by child cast and Amol Gupte, hilarious moments, good climax
Downside: Shallow on story
Running Week: 3
Box-Office Verdict: Continued to do decent business with its limited shows across multiplexes of metros. The low cost will ensure good returns.
Film: Kucch Luv Jaisa
Position: 5
Director: Barnali Ray Shukla
Cast: Shifaali Shah, Rahul Bose, Sumeet Raghavan
Upside: Shifaali���s performance (though she went over-expressive in scenes)
Downside: Unexciting screenplay, dull film, Rahul Bose seems uncomfortable in his character
Running Week: 1
Trade Comments: Extremely bad opening and clearly rejected by one and all.