`Peepli Live` strikes gold at box office on opening day
Aamir Khan`s Midas touch continues with his production venture `Peepli Live`, a non commercial film about farmer suicides, doing well on its opening day.
|Last Updated: Aug 14, 2010, 09:00 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Mumbai: Aamir Khan`s Midas touch continues with his production venture `Peepli Live`, a non commercial film about farmer suicides, doing well on its opening day, taking the actor pleasantly by surprise, and raking up about Rs.70 million and still counting.
"Initially, we had planned to open with 200 screens. But the reaction to the promos and trailers has been most encouraging. We are trying to react to the perceived demand to the film," said Aamir in a statement.
Journalist-turned-director Anusha Rizvi`s direcotrial debut, "Peepli Live" was made on a budget of approximately Rs.100 million (including marketing costs) and recovered its investment even before its release by selling its satellite rights for Rs.100 million and music rights for Rs.40 million.
"`Peepli Live` has opened extremely well. What is surprising is the reaction from single screens - it opened to almost 90 to 95 percent in single screens," said a source close to Aamir.
"As a non-star cast film with A-certificate, trade expected the film to do modest business. However, the film has done bigger business than small films by three times," added the source.
The cast of the film didn`t have any big names except Naseeruddin Shah. Many actors are tribals from Bhadwai village in Madhya Pradesh, while other cast members are from late playwright Habib Tanvir`s theatre troupe Naya Theatre, including the main lead Omkar Das Manikpuri, who plays Natha.
Other names in the cast are Malaika Shenoy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shalini Vatsa, Farrukh Jaffer, Vishal O. Sharma, Aamir Bashir, Sitaram Panchal and Yugal Kishore.
"Peepli Live" had the widest film release ever for a non star cast Hindi film. It hit 600 screens in India and 100 in overseas markets, except Britain Friday.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.