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Lights, camera, little action: ‘Bell Bottom’, ‘Chehre’ yet to pull crowds

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Two back-to-back big releases — Akshay Kumar’s ‘Bell Bottom’ and the Amitabh Bachchan star vehicle, ‘Chehre’, both well-received by critics — may have buoyed the spirits of film exhibitors, but their box-office collections have been far from encouraging.

‘Bell Bottom’, which was released on August 19, according to trade analysts, has grossed Rs 18.55 crore till date. Compare this with the Rs 64.99 crore collected in its opening weekend by ‘Good Newzz’ (with Diljit Dosanjh), Akshay’s last film before the first nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. And that was far less than the extended opening weekend earnings — Rs 97.56 crore — of the other big 2019 film, ‘Mission Mangal’.

A number of factors have contributed to this significant drop in earnings: cinema theatres are still under lockdown in Mumbai and Pune, depriving Bollywood of 25 per cent of its revenues; the requirement in a number of malls for patrons to produce double vaccination certificates before being allowed in, which is affecting attendance in theatres located in malls; and, significantly, the closure of 1,500 single screens across India because of the pandemic-induced economic stress.

On ‘Chehre’, which opened on Friday, the analysts were not very bullish about box-office figures. Karan Taurani of Elara Capital predicted that it would make a “lifetime collection” of Rs 5-6 crore because of its “niche” storyline that only a “discerning audience” would appreciate.

Taurani also pointed out that collections have been low because of “very low occupancy in morning shows and night shows not being allowed”. He also blamed the low occupancies forced by social distancing norms being in force. Also, over the last eight days, barring this past Sunday, which did see a spike in Delhi as a result of Raksha Bandhan festivities, attendance in theatres was at an all-time low across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Exhibitors, however, are cautiously optimistic about their business coming back to life, even if partially, because of ‘Bell Bottom’ and ‘Chehre’.

Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Limited, said in a conversation with IANS: “Post the reopening of cinemas after the second wave, ‘Bell Bottom’ was the first big Bollywood movie to have hit the big screen. And it has done reasonably well within the restrictions in capacity, show limitations and weekend closures.”

He also emphasised the lockdown still in place for cinema theatres in “major markets such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.”

The sentiment was share by Rajender Singh Jyala, Chief Programming Officer, INOX Leisure.

Speaking to IANS, he said: “We have always said that the industry needed a couple of mass entertainers to kick off the recovery process, and we are glad that these have arrive and are doing phenomenally well, despite the restrictions.”

“We positively hope that the momentum built by the fantastic response to ‘Bell Bottom’ in the week gone by, and the hype around ‘Chehre’, would mark the onset of our revival journey.”

For Dutta, more than the initial numbers, it is the momentum that matters. He said to IANS: “We are encouraged by the release of the long-awaited ‘Chehre’ today. Hope this will encourage producers from the Bollywood fraternity to announce their big films for theatrical release and get movie-goers back to cinemas.”

Entertainment

Mom-To-Be Deepika Padukone Admitted To Hospital In Mumbai For Delivery, To Welcome Baby With Ranveer Singh Soon

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Mom-To-Be Deepika Padukone Admitted To Hospital In Mumbai For Delivery, To Welcome Baby With Ranveer Singh Soon

Good news is just around the corner as Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are expecting their baby to arrive soon. On September 7, 2024, the actress was spotted arriving at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai for the delivery.

The Om Shanti Om actress was seen in her car in Mumbai on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi and later, Ranveer’s mother, Anju Bhavnani, and his sister, Ritika Bhavnani, were also seen arriving at the hospital.

However, is still unclear whether Deepika and Ranveer are at the hospital for their baby’s delivery or a routine checkup.

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Entertainment

Smriti Khanna & Gautam Gupta Welcome Baby Girl For Second Time, Share FIRST Glimpse Of Newborn: ‘Family Is Complete’

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Smriti Khanna & Gautam Gupta Welcome Baby Girl For Second Time, Share FIRST Glimpse Of Newborn: 'Family Is Complete'

Telly couple Smriti Khanna and Gautam Gupta have become parents for the second time. The lovely couple announced the news on Friday that they have welcomed a baby girl. Taking to social media, the couple shared a joint post featuring their elder daughter holding the newborn.

They shared an adorable picture on Instagram and wrote, “Anayka’s wish for a little sister, her gudiya, has come true, and our family is now complete.” Even shared the date of birth of their second daughter, which is ‘05.09.24.’

As soon as they shared the post on social media, fans and members of the film industry shared their love and blessings in the comment section.

Shilpa Shetty commented, “Oh my God! Congratulations to you and the family, @smriti_khanna.”

Dia Mirza wrote, “Oh my goodness Congratulations, my sweetheart! So much love to you and the family.”

In April, Smriti announced her second pregnancy. While making the announcement on social media, she wrote, “After a journey filled with more challenges than we ever expected, we are overflowing with emotion as we make this beautiful announcement: Our family is growing. Our darling daughter Anayka is stepping up to the role of big sister, and our dog Lucas is about to become the best big brother. We’ve dreamed of this moment and fought through tough times to get here. Our hearts are full as we share our joy with you. Baby #2 is on the way, and we couldn’t be more excited to meet our newest love. Here’s to new adventures and endless love as a family of four… plus paws! September ’24 it is.”

Smriti and Gautam met each other on the sets of Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi. Their onscreen romance transformed into real-life romance. In 2017, they tied the knot. They embraced parenthood for the first time in 2020. 

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Entertainment

Stree 2 OTT Release Date: When & Where To Watch Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao’s Blockbuster Film Online

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Stree 2 OTT Release Date: When & Where To Watch Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao's Blockbuster Film Online

Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao’s Stree 2 is a sequel to the blockbuster horror comedy Stree which had released in 2018. Stree 2 released in theatres on August 15, 2024, and received an overwhelming response from audience, becoming the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2024. It is set to drop on OTT in September.

When and where to watch Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank?

The series will premiere on OTT on September 27, 2024. Audiences can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.

Plot

The plot revolves around three friends named Vicky, Jana and Bittu, who discover a new threat in the town of Chanderi. When a headless mysterious entity abducts a woman from the village, the trio embarks on a journey to save their town from the devil. The film reveals how they ensure the safety of the villagers with the help of Stree’s daughter.

Cast

The film features Shraddha Kapoor as Stree’s daughter, Rajkummar Rao as Vicky, Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra, Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, Anya Singh as Chitti, Mustaqueem Khan as Durga, Akshay Kumar as as Sarkata’s descendant, Mushtaq Khan as MLA, Sunita Rajwar as Jana’s mother, Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar, and Badriprasad Chavan as Lokesh among others.

All about Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank?

The horror comedy film is written by Niren Bhatt and directed by Amar Kaushik. It is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Dinesh Vijan under Jio Studios and Maddock Films. Jishnu Bhattacharjee has done the cinematography, and Hemanti Sarkar has edited the film. Sachin–Jigar and Justin Varghese has composed the music.

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