'Dabangg' is likely to outstrip '3 Idiots'

Manoj Desai is dealing with conflicting emotions right now. Desai, who runs the G7 multiplex in Bandra and Maratha Mandir theatre at Mumbai Central, is overjoyed at the opening Dabangg has taken at the box office.

"I don't remember the last time a film registered houseful collections all the way till Tuesday," says Desai, adding that the film’s phenomenal opening has made life difficult for him.

"Ganesh Chaturthi and Eid now fall on the same day (Saturday) and we are expecting crazy crowds over the weekend. Handling the horde and the security concern will be major nightmares," says Desai.

Dabangg, the latest Salman Khan-starrer directed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s brother, Abhinav, has taken one of the best openings of Hindi cinema.

The biggest opener so far has been 3 Idiots, which released during the Christmas weekend last year. And if early reports are anything to go by, Dabangg is all set to overtake the film as far as the opening weekend collections go.

"3 Idiots earned a total net of Rs41 crore over its opening weekend. Dabangg, as things stand right now, is set to earn upwards of Rs37 crore. The figure could easily be a lot more by the time the final numbers come in," informs Komal Nahta, editor of Film Information.

Taran Adarsh, editor of Trade Guide, says the film should do a business of around Rs45 crore on the first weekend, easily overtaking 3 Idiots’ collections. "It’s definitely the biggest hit this year (overtaking Raajneeti), but the more interesting thing is that it now seems to be a major competitor to 3 Idiots. And with both multiplexes and single screens recording excellent collections, it’s a win-win situation for the makers.”

The film busts the myth that Salman Khan, the film’s lead actor, has a better market as a single screen hero, with the multiplex audience not favouring him as much. "People had been unnecessarily branding Dabangg a ‘single screen film.’ Instead, it’s striking a chord with a pan-Indian audience, big and small centres included," says Nahta.

Devang Sampat, spokesperson for the Cinemax chain of multiplexes, says the film will see cent percent occupancy over the weekend, with all theatres belonging to the chain set to do good business.

“This includes the whole of Gujarat, Nashik, Kanpur, Nagpur and many other centres. Even with Muslims staying away from the film initially (Friday being the last day of Ramzan), the film has recorded fantastic collections. Post-Eid (Saturday), things will only get better,” says Sampat, adding that the film’s music and Salman’s performance is striking a chord with the youth.

With the film having a short running time – a little over two hours – Dabangg will benefit from a greater number of shows in a day at a multiplex as compared to 3 Idiots, says Sampat.

The initial steam notwithstanding, what remains to be seen is if the film will manage to sustain its impact at the box office, which insiders believe it will. “The film has tremendous repeat value and should continue its good run for a while,” says Nahta. With there being no major release next Friday, Dabangg should get another crack at the box office.

3 Idiots, which ended its run with a net business of Rs202 crore, is the highest grossing Hindi film of all time, followed by Ghajini with Rs115 crore, informs Adarsh. "As things stand now, Dabangg’s only competition – from the point of view of final gross – seems to be 3 Idiots," he says.