Deewar: Why it fell

Taran Adarsh / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jun 30, 2004, 10:27 IST

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Despite a huge star cast, this week’s big ticket opening Deewar faltered at the box office. Here’s the post-mortem.

<arttitle><i>Deewar</i>: Why it fell</arttitle>

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script> It was to be this summerâ€™s blockbuster, but has turned out to be a damp squib with the opening ranging from lacklustre to good. Hereâ€™s what the industry has to say about why Deewar hasnâ€™t fared well. </div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -3"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="28.0%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/759185.cms" alt="/photo/759185.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">Gaurang Doshi, producer, Deewar "Two factors went against the film - an overdose of Mr Bachchan''s films, which, unfortunately, weren''t well received.And the viewer had a pre-conceived notion that it was yet another film based on the Kargil war. There was also a false impression that Deewar reeked of jingoism and had Pak-bashing dialogues in abundance. "Deewar is faring well in Mumbai, is steady in Delhi and in parts of South, but I have to admit that it is not too happening in UP, Punjab and CI (Madhya Pradesh). But the word of mouth has been pretty strong." Anil Sharma, producer-director, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo "I find it rather strange when a few opinion-makers state that Indo-Pak themes are an absolute no-no in today''s times. Any subject would work provided it''s handled well, whether it is a love story or a murder mystery. There has to be a strong undercurrent of emotions in the film. Take the case of Gadar. It clicked not because it delved into the Indo-Pak issue, but because of its strong emotional quotient. Plus, the dialogues also worked in a big way. Both these factors (emotions, dialogues) were lacking in Deewar." Shyam Shroff, leading Mumbai & Delhi-UP Distributor "The one factor that went against the film was that its 3-minute theatrical trailer was on for more than nine months in theatres. That kind of gave a stale look to the film. Besides, these silly taglines like Letâ€™s Bring Our Heroes Home, Men at Work also go against the films." Next page: <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/msid-759052,curpg-2.cms" style="" font-face:arialfont-size:10ptcolor:0066cc="">Pakistan never looked like Pakistan</a> </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"> "I don''t think Deewar is an anti-Pak film, though the makers should have increased the role of the sympathetic character in the jail and also should have been more kind to the Pakistani characters in the film. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that Pakistan in the film never looked like Pakistan. The people, the atmosphere, the language, the clothes, the locations were all terribly wrong. How can you pass on Mukesh Mills (in Mumbai) as Karachi port? "I also don''t subscribe to the theory that people prefer feel-good cinema. Every movie has its strengths and weaknesses, but it ought to have that something to keep you glued to your seats for the next 150 minutes." Denis Selarka, prominent Mumbai distributor "An over-exposure to Amitabh Bachchan and an overdose of Pak-based films could be two reasons why Deewar didn''t open to an expected response. Yet, I would say that its opening in Mumbai was fairly impressive. I also agree that the viewer today prefers to watch feel-good entertainers."</div> </div>

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