Loving every bit of Bheja Fry

A small film made on a shoestring budget is on its way to becoming the surprise blockbuster of 2007.

It's a film made on a modest budget of Rs 60 lakh. And two weeks since its release, the gross collections of this 94-minute laugh riot stand at Rs 5.5 crore.

This is the post-release story of Bheja Fry, a film directed by Sagar Ballary (he assisted Rajat Kapoor in Raghu Romeo and Mixed Doubles) and produced by Sunil Doshi of Handmade Films, a boutique production company that aims to give financial assistance to promising debut directors.

Bheja Fry revolves around Bharat Bhushan, a government servant in the IT department whose wife has left him for another man, and who is obsessed with singing. He's the "perfect idiot" who becomes the target of Ranjeet Thadani, a rich and arrogant music company executive, who in turn wants to take Bhushan to his weekly dinner evenings where he and his friends can make fun of him.

"I didn't expect it to be such a big hit," says Doshi, producer of Bheja Fry. "What's even more surprising is that it is on its way to becoming a blockbuster of 2007," he adds.

Doshi is right. While a majority of films (including big budget ones) have flopped in 2007, Bheja Fry (which released with just 60 prints) is the surprise hit of the year. Since its release in April, 60 more prints have been added and now the film is catering to B- and C-class towns and cities of India too.

There are also plans to showcase the film in international film festivals. With a total of 120 prints so far, Bheja Fry will now be seen in Orissa, Rajasthan (including cities like Ajmer and Jodhpur), Jammu, Kanpur and Chennai, to name just a few.

"The film that started by catering to multiplex audiences (it was released in Mumbai, Delhi and UP, besides Hyderabad and Mysore) is now reaching places like Sehore in Madhya Pradesh, Devangiri in Karnataka and Halol in Gujarat, and that's very encouraging," says Doshi.

In Mumbai, interestingly, after multiplexes even single-screen theatres like Liberty, Regal and Roxy are screening the film.

Completed in 20 days flat, in mid-2006, Bheja Fry (inspired by French film Dinner Game) was conceptualised and planned for television and to be shot on 16mm. Later, it was decided that the film would be made on 35 mm for a theatrical release.

"The success of Bheja Fry lies in the fact that it cuts across age, sex and socio-economic barriers. In fact, Rohan Sippy called me to say that his driver asked for a day off so that he could take his family to see this film. In that sense, Bheja Fry seems to have worked with everyone," says Doshi.

For now, Bheja Fry is all set for a happy ending.