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Another <keyword id="829894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-flick">Bollywood flick</keyword> with big names has gone awry. This time, it is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s <keyword id="1604723" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bullett-Raja">Bullett Raja</keyword>, starring <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="62210" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sonakshi-Sinha">Sonakshi Sinha</keyword>. In spite of all the promo and hoopla, the gangster-thriller couldn’t rock the <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> and only grossed Rs 25 crore at the end of the 4th day, according to industry estimates. That’s a paltry sum, going by movies like <keyword id="500441" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Krrish-3">Krrish 3</keyword> (Rs 24.5 crore on the opening day alone and a total of Rs 267.9 crore till December 2) or even the trouble-torn <keyword id="1886157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ram-Leela">Ram-Leela</keyword>. The latter’s <keyword id="1960834" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="BO-collection">BO collection</keyword> was a little less than Rs 60 crore after Day IV, but this flick from <keyword id="6358308" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="sanjay-leela-bhansali">Sanjay Leela Bhansali</keyword> has finally entered the Rs 100 crore club and grossed around Rs 110 crore till date. 
 But let’s come back to the <keyword id="1960832" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saif-Sonakshi-starrer">Saif-Sonakshi starrer</keyword> and try to decode why the stickiness is missing. Based in a small town in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, the movie is mostly about <keyword id="97981" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gangsters">gangsters</keyword> and <keyword id="1960835" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gun-fest">gun fest</keyword> while Sonakshi plays Saif’s love interest. The theme may not sound too original, but it hasn’t drawn too much flak either. In fact, film critic and analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted about it quite enthusiastically: #BullettRaja movie review: Enjoyable, engaging and extremely distinctive. Not to be missed! But that was on November 27 and only a couple of days later, the reality hit hard. According to his column, this ‘Bullett’ has missed the mark! The movie got mixed reaction from other <keyword id="20998" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="critics">critics</keyword> and that seems to be reflecting in the box office. 
 If Saif fans are hoping for a <keyword id="46426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Turnaround">turnaround</keyword> (à la Ram-Leela) in the coming weeks, they could be mightily disappointed. After all, Shahid Kapoor-starrer <keyword id="1960837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="R-Raajkumar">R... Raajkumar</keyword> is coming up this Friday (December 6) and it has a similar theme – that of a small-time goon, caught up in a criminal life. Interestingly, Sonakshi is also the lead lady there and considering the fact that it is directed by <keyword id="21117" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prabhu-Deva">Prabhu Deva</keyword>, Saif’s flick could be in for some tough competition. 
 
Finally, we can’t help asking the inevitable – is Saif losing his touch? Although <keyword id="5819" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="cocktail">Cocktail</keyword> ($920 million) and <keyword id="588009" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Race-2">Race-2</keyword> ($16 million) saw good response at the box office, other movies including <keyword id="146746" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aarakshan">Aarakshan</keyword> (domestic net $6.5 million), <keyword id="79972" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Agent-Vinod">Agent Vinod</keyword> ($8.4 million against an estimated budget of $9.2 million) and <keyword id="812183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Go-Goa-Gone">Go Goa Gone</keyword> ($3.8 million) failed to take off. 
 
End note: <keyword id="9271" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sunny-Deol">Sunny Deol</keyword>’s rustic action flick <keyword id="1481019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Singh-Saab-The-Great">Singh Saab the Great</keyword> has grossed Rs 42.1 crore till December 2 while Imran-Kareena’s <keyword id="1636016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="rom-com">rom-com</keyword> <keyword id="1538595" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gori-Tere-Pyaar-Mein">Gori Tere Pyaar Mein</keyword> has collected only Rs 30.20 crore. It seems both Saif and <keyword id="2857" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bebo">Bebo</keyword> need some good luck and solid <keyword id="120143" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="crowd-support">crowd support</keyword> to sail through the coming weeks. 
 
Image: Mazematlo.com

‘Bullett Raja’ Falls Wide Of The Mark;
Faces Tough Time Ahead

Here is one <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> <keyword id="6363750" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="flick">flick</keyword> that has drawn flak from critics and still managed to make waves at the <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword>. <keyword id="1969491" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shahid-Kapoor-Sonakshi-Sinha-starrer">Shahid Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha starrer</keyword> <keyword id="1918749" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="R-Rajkumar">R… Rajkumar</keyword> is an action-packed masala <keyword id="6356021" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="movie">movie</keyword> with numerous <keyword id="1322471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="dance-numbers">dance numbers</keyword> (well, that’s the least you can expect from <keyword id="303" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Director">director</keyword> <keyword id="21117" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Prabhu-Deva">Prabhu Deva</keyword>) and a spicy mix of <keyword id="6360094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fights">fights</keyword>, <keyword id="20721" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="romance">romance</keyword>, <keyword id="6359193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Comedy">comedy</keyword>, <keyword id="391442" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-issues">social issues</keyword> and political conflicts. If that sounds a bit confusing, here’s the other side of the coin. In spite of the predictable and unsavoury mix of many elements, the movie has raked in some big money after an average-to-good opening on December 6. Day I collections stood at around Rs 9.5 crore, the <keyword id="1969490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Biggest-opening-for-Shahid">biggest opening for Shahid</keyword> till date (Mausam comes second with Rs 7 crore nett on the opening day). R… Rajkumar has grossed around Rs 37.2 crore after the 4th day, keeping the audience happy and the cash register ringing. 
 
But there are loads of side issues to consider in this case. Surprisingly, much of the business came from the single screens while multiplexes saw a lukewarm response during the first weekend. However, R… Rajkumar has certainly romped past <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword>’s <keyword id="1952408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gangster-flick">gangster flick</keyword> Bullett Raja that grossed only Rs 25 crore at the end of Day IV. After the 11th day (it opened on November 29), the <keyword id="1960832" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saif-Sonakshi-starrer">Saif-Sonakshi starrer</keyword> is still languishing with a total collection of Rs 46.60 crore. 
 
Going by the numbers, Shahid’s all-new Dabaang-like <keyword id="44111" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Avatar">avatar</keyword> (a far cry from the sophisticated <keyword id="111697" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="BADMAASH-COMPANY">Badmaash Company</keyword>) has managed to capture the audience after a series of flop shows. But critics have torn it apart and not without reasons, either. The movie veers between mindless violence and inane comedy while watering down some things as serious as corruption and custodial rape. 
 <keyword id="122490" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="film-critic">Film critic</keyword> and analyst Taran Adarsh has tweeted: #RRajkumar movie review: Doesn’t work. It is Prabhu Dheva’s weakest Hindi film to date! Taran, however, acknowledges its box office success, saying: #RRajkumar sails safe! 
 
Film critic Anupama Chopra writes, “R…Rajkumar is ostensibly Prabhu Dheva’s first non-remake Hindi film but you’ve seen it all before… That’s not enough to take you through <keyword id="818790" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="the-rest">the rest</keyword> of this bludgeoning movie. I’m going with one and half stars.” 
 
Others, too, are quite caustic about Shahid’s flick. According to Tushar Joshi of DNA, “Watch it if you are in the mood for a loud no-brainer that relies on formulaic over the top entertainment.” Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) wrote, “It is nothing but blank putrid noise. R… for Rubbish.” Subhash K. Jha of SKJBollywoodnews comments, “R… Rajkumar is Prabhudheva’s rumbustious raga of the Rowdy.” 
 
But all said and done, the latest flick has helped Shahid come out of a three-movie span of either flops or middling performers. His earlier release this year was Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, an action comedy directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The movie earned around Rs 37.1 crore in India in a span of two weeks and was declared a flop. <keyword id="894544" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Teri-Meri-Kahaani">Teri Meri Kahaani</keyword> (2012) and Mausam (2011) suffered similar fate even after good starts and critical acclaim. Mausam, a romantic comedy, collected Rs 44 crore nett in its first week and ended its lifetime collections with Rs 69 crore nett. <keyword id="1101066" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="teri-meri">Teri Meri</keyword>, a rom-com directed by <keyword id="6530774" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="kunal-kohli">Kunal Kohli</keyword>, finished with average overseas business of around $2.3 million. At home, the movie collected around Rs 23 crore. 
 
Does it mean only age-old formula movies can churn out money as far as the Indian audience is concerned? Not really, but the reception of R…Rajkumar seems a bit paradoxical. However, the coming weeks are sure to reveal more about the trend, and we will wait and watch. 
 
Image: Indiatimes

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‘Bullett Raja’ Falls Wide Of The Mark; Faces Tough Time Ahead

Sanghamitra Mandal

Critics Are Sceptical But ‘R… Rajkumar’ Rakes In Big Money

Sanghamitra Mandal

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