Belying all boxoffice calculations, director Milap Zaveri’s Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is the first preference of the audience this Diwali season, over and above the excessively hyped over-puffed up and over-sold Thamma, which is showing a substantial decline in collections on Day 2 and 3.
While the Mumbai media and influencers are silenced by the production house with unwarranted generosity, the truth about the two films’ box-office collection emerge from sources within the multiplexes.
The manager of a leading multiplex chain in Mumbai says, “Thamma was oversold to the audience. The frenzy and hype created before release have backfired. The endproduct is underwhelming. Audiences don’t know whether it is horror or comedy. Horror toh hai hi nahin. It’s like one big comedy, and not very funny.”
Kumar Abhishek, Manager Connplex is more forthright. “Sir, Ayushmann Khurrana is not an A-lister. He cannot carry an expensive film on his shoulder. The maths is all wrong for Thamma. Whereas Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat relies on content. Harshvardhan Rane may not be a big star. But he has a massive fan following among youngsters.”
Budgeted at a modest Rs 25 crores Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat minted Rs 20 crores on the day of release. It is all set to become a blockbuster. Thamma saw a steep drop on the second and third day. Recovering its Rs 250 crore investment would not be easy.
