If the morning shows show the trend, then the highly publicised Shahid Kapoor starrer Deva is all set for a disastrous run. The film has opened to miserably low numbers in most centres across the country.
Deva marks the Hindi directorial debut of Rosshan Andrrews, a name to reckon with in Malayalam cinema. The cop thriller has not captured the audiences’ mind. After woefully low advance booking numbers, Deva opened to near-empty theatres this morning.
I spoke to a number of theatre managers and personnel. One of them spoke on condition of anonymity. “The opening numbers of Deva are not encouraging at all. In fact, they are lower than Varun Dhawan’s Baby John. We were hoping for a month-end bang. But it seems unlikely, considering the opening footfalls. The growth over the weekend will depend purely on word of mouth.”
Roshan Singh, one of Bihar’s most prominent film exhibitors, is more forthright. “Shahid Kapoor as a solo hero is always dicey. Kabir Singh worked for various reasons. But was Teri Baaton Main Aisa Uljha Jiya really a hit? He was highly appreciated in Bajirao Mastani. Also, Shahid Kapoor in an action role is hardly an incentive for audiences to swarm into theatres. Earlier, Varun Dhawan had floundered as an action hero. This year, action films are not doing well.”
As for Deva, only the Devas above can rescue it from the catastrophe it seems to be heading towards.
