Guarding the screen treasury

ENTERTAINMENT: The industry isn't clear whether biggie Eklavya is a hit or not.

When Eklavya hit the screens last Friday, box office reports were divided. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Eklavya (made on a budget of Rs 40 crore) and released with 800 prints (of which Shringar Cinemas has distributed a total of 267 prints including 131 prints and 136 digital), opened to a poor response (50 per cent), but increased to 80-90 per cent in the course of the day.

Experts say the multistarrer, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan has benefitted because of its short running time (100 minutes), unlike the previous biggie Salaam-e-Ishq that flopped because of a weak script and a four-hour-long screenplay.

Its short running time, in fact, has ensured Eklavya getting more shows in multiplexes. Gautam Dutta, chief marketing officer, PVR Cinemas, says Eklavya's weekend collections have been positive following the initial weak response on Friday. While in the south collections were 97 per cent, north India collections stood at 77 per cent on the film's first weekend. The rest of the country has collected 60 per cent in the first three days. However, an official source admits that Eklavya might find it difficult to sustain in the coming weeks. "While the reviews have been favourable, audiences have been disappointed," says this source.

Tushar Dhingra, CEO, Adlabs, disagrees: "Eklavya's weekend was very strong and we held 379 shows in three days. On an average, we have been holding 127 shows in one day. " Trade analysts and distributors think it is too early to strike off Eklavya. "The elite have given their mandate," says Adarsh, adding, "it's the masses that haven't taken to the film." In his view, "Guru opened to a similar response but proved to be a success eventually."

According to Sunil Lulla of Eros, the media and entertainment company that has globally distributed Eklavya, the response to Eklavya has been positive with collections rising to almost 90 per cent by Friday evening.

Maybe it's a hit after all.