Hrithik buzz in Chennai Na Tum Jaano... draws crowds to the theatres

Shobha Warrier in Chennai

Among the recent Hindi releases, none has been as successful as Aamir Khan's Lagaan in Chennai.

Muni Kannaih, manager, Satyam theatre complex, says the film did not draw a large audience in the first week. Slowly, collections increased by leaps and bounds. For 225 days, people whistled and cheered in the theatre. Now, its gross collection of Rs 67 lakhs is unmatched for a Hindi film.

"Hindi cinema lovers in Chennai are very choosy. The films must have a good, original storyline. The director must be well-known for it to be successful," says Kannaih.

Even though Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan are favourites among the Chennai crowd, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham has not matched the Lagaan mania. K3G ran for 100 days and grossed Rs 45 lakhs.

Balraj, manager of Melody --- an old theatre screening only Hindi films --- claims that the theatre has not had a big hit after Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, starring Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. He adds, "The latest Hindi films are horrible. None run for more than two weeks."

The film now running at Melody --- Aap Mujhe Acche Lagne Lage (Hrithik Roshan, Amisha Patel) --- is a flop, declares Balraj. "Collections have been very poor since the first day. People are not even curious about the film."

But Roshan's next release Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (starring Esha Deol and Saif Ali Khan) has kindled curiosity. "People are queuing up from morning to book tickets in advance," says Balraj. "This film might run well."

Besides Lagaan, Company and Aankhen have captured the Chennai audience. "Company is doing extraordinary business. We can easily call it a superhit. Usually, collections drop from 98 per cent to 90 per cent in the first week, and from 80 per cent to 75 per cent in the second. Company has maintained 98 per cent even in its fifth week," says Kannaih.

He adds, "A Ram Gopal Varma film gets a good initial in Chennai, but to sustain audience interest after the first week, a film has to be good. Company is such a big success that even matinee shows are full. The film may even cross 200 days."

But it is not Ajay Devgan or Vivek Oberoi being whistled and cheered at. It is Mohanlal. The Malayalam superstar plays Sreenivasan, an IPS officer in the film. Company grossed Rs 18 lakhs in 24 days. On the other hand, Aankhen collected Rs 14 lakhs in 30 days.

Another popular film this summer is Harry Potter And The Sorceror's Stone. The film grossed Rs 21 lakhs in 24 days.

None of the above mentioned films match the success of the Vikram starrer Tamil film, Gemini, though. The unprecedented success of the film has brought cheers to an industry that has been starved of a big hit for a while. Even in its fifth week, it is impossible to get tickets over the counter.