Connect with us
Sunday,19-October-2025
Breaking News

Entertainment

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

Published

on

Bell-Bottom-Chehre-business

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.”

Bollywood

Ayushmann, Sara, Wamiqa and Rakul’s ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’ to release on March 4, 2026

Published

on

Mumbai, Oct 18: Bollywood stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi and Rakul Preet Singh’s upcoming film ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’ directed by Mudassar Aziz is locked for a Holi release and will hit the big screens on March 4, 2026.

Production banner T-Series Films took to Instagram, where they made the announcement of the cast and the release date.

“Har pati ki hoti hai, apni ek aflatoon duniya…Jo unko bhale hi satati ho, magar hum sabki badha hasati hai.!Introducing the world of #PrajapatiPandey starring AyushmannKhurrana in #PatiPatniAurWohDo With #SaraAliKhan, #WamiqaGabbi aur #RakulPreetSingh joining the ride, this #MudassarAziz directorial, produced by Bhushan Kumar, Renu Ravi Chopra, and creatively produced by Juno Chopra, brings laughter, love, and chaos this Holi 4th March 2026.”

Aziz had previously directed “Pati Patni Aur Woh,” which was released in 2019. The film, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, featured Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar, and Ananya Panday.

It followed the story of Chintu Tyagi, who is married to Vedika. Things take an unexpected turn when finds himself infatuated with Tapasya, a young fashion designer.

The original film “Pati Patni Aur Woh”, which was released in 1978 was directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha, Ranjeeta Kaur, with cameos from Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Tina Munim and Parveen Babi.

The film is jointly produced by BhushanKumar, Renu Ravi Chopra, and creatively produced by Juno Chopra. The film is directed by Mudassar Aziz.

Ayushmann is currently awaiting the release of “Thamma”. The horror comedy film also stars Rashmika Mandanna.

“Thamma” stars Ayushmann as Alok, along with Rashmika as Tadaka, Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Yakshasan, and Paresh Rawal as Ram Bajaj Goyal, along with others. “Thamma” is expected to get a theatrical release on October 21, during Diwali.

Set in a fictional world, “Thamma” tells the tale of a determined historian who immerses himself in ancient manuscripts, uncovering dark secrets about local vampire myths as supernatural forces begin to stir.

The film is directed by ‘Munjya’ fame maker Aditya Sarpotdar.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Arjun Bijlani opens up about maintaining mental balance on ‘Rise And Fall’

Published

on

Mumbai, Oct 17: Television actor Arjun Bijlani opened up about how he maintained his mental balance while participating in the intense reality show “Rise And Fall.”

In an exclusive interview with IANS, the ‘Naagin’ actor shared insights into the strategies he uses to stay calm and focused amidst the high-pressure challenges. When asked how he maintained his mental balance, Arjun shared, “I had a photo of Neha and Ayaan with me, and I used to draw strength from that. I also have deep faith in Lord Ganesha. Every morning, I would wake up early and take His name, reminding myself not to do anything I might regret later. And today, I can proudly say that I came out of that tower as the winner with no regrets at all.”

When asked if he ever felt stressed during the game, the ‘Ishq Mein Marjawan’ mentioned, “Yes, around ten days into the show, I started missing my family a lot. That was quite stressful for me. I often wondered what my child was doing, what was happening at home, if everything was fine. During captive reality shows, people tend to have strange dreams — and I wasn’t the only one. Everyone experienced it. So yes, there were tough moments, but there were also great ones that made the journey special.”

“I played the game with a lot of heart. I only used strategy during the challenges, but otherwise, I stayed true to myself. I never said one thing and did another. I believe that was my biggest strength — being consistent and honest throughout,” added Arjun.

Arjun Bijlani has clinched the title of winner on Ashneer Grover’s show “Rise and Fall.”

Speaking about his win, he said in a statement, “Rise and Fall proved that every fall is just a step toward rising stronger. This journey was anything but easy — each day brought a new challenge, a new lesson, and a new reason to keep going. The twists, the tension, the friendships, and the rivalries tested me in ways I never imagined. Winning feels surreal. I want to thank each player who’s been a part of Rise and Fall. Thank you, thank you so much, and a special thanks to Aarush and Arbaz, who both took my name to be the winner. I think without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Shilpa Shetty Withdraws Court Application To Travel Abroad Amid ₹60 Crore Cheating Case

Published

on

Mumbai: Actor Shilpa Shetty told the Bombay High Court on Thursday she was withdrawing her application seeking permission to travel abroad as the plans had not materialized. Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra are facing a Rs60 crore cheating case lodged by a businessman. 

Shetty’s advocate, Niranjan Mundargi, told a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad that the actor wished to withdraw her application seeking permission to travel to Los Angeles as the plans have not materialised. “The travel plan is not materialising. She was the only Indian actor to be invited to the event, but it is not happening,” Mundargi said. 

He added that they would approach the court in later when they have to travel. “As and when she and her husband desire to travel in future, they will file a fresh application seeking permission from the court. She (Shetty) is not pressing the present application,” he added.

A complaint was lodged against the couple by one Deepak Kothari alleging that from 2015 to 2023 they had induced him to invest Rs 60 crore in their company – Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd but the amount was used for their own personal benefits.

The couple had last month filed a petition in HC seeking suspension of the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against them at the behest of the city police’s Economic Offences Wing, which is probing the case.

Pending hearing in the petition, they filed an application seeking permission to travel abroad for their professional commitments and one leisure trip between October and January 2026. Subsequently, Kundra dropped plans to travel and Shetty had sought permission to travel to LA with her son, whereas Kundra, their daughter and her mother would stay back in India. 

On Thursday, the court accepted the actor’s withdrawal and posted the couple’s plea seeking suspension of the LOC for hearing on November 17. “Counsel for the applicant number 2 (Shetty) submitted that as and wh en applicants desire to travel, they shall file a fresh application with particulars of details of travel,” the court noted while allowing withdrawal of the  application. 

During the earlier hearings, the court had said that it cannot allow leisure trips when the duo is accused in a cheating and fraud case and had said it would consider their plea only if they are willing to deposit the Rs 60 crore.

Shetty had sought to travel to the United States as she had been invited to attend an event there in October last week. The bench had then asked her to submit the agreement or invitation received by her. Mundargi had then said that no agreement could be signed until the actor obtained travel permission from the court.

He had earlier submitted that both Shetty and Kundra had cooperated with the probe in the case and had also appeared for questioning. 

Continue Reading

Trending