This Week’s Topics:

PHOONK IS A SUCCESS!
Last year on this very day (September 4), Ram Gopal Verma must be sad and very upset. It was at this point of time in 2007 that Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag had released (Aug 31, 2007 was the release date) and had got severe criticism from audiences and critics alike. People were shocked as to how can a director like Ram Gopal Verma make such a stupid film. Plus, tabloids carried reports on how 50 to 70% of the viewers present in Aag’s show would leave the theatre during the intermission point! All this surely must have made Ram Gopal Verma terribly upset for sure. But life can take a 360 degree turn in 365 days! Today, September 4, 2008, RGV must be proud! Firstly, his Sarkar Raj managed to get a lot of appreciation and also did a good job at the BO. And secondly and the most important reason, his latest flick, Phoonk has been declared as a success!

I saw the promo of Phoonk for the first time during Sarkar Raj on June 6. The movie looked weird and I expected that this film which is without any major star would be a flop and would definitely face a fate like RGV’s Aag and Go! And like me, almost everyone thought the same! So what worked in favour of Phoonk? Let’s figure out. Firstly, the fantastic promotion by the producer of Phoonk Azam Khan (One More Thought Entertainment) helped a lot in attracting people to theatres! The later promos looked eye-catching. Also, ‘Dare to watch alone’ contest organized by OMT made people very curious about the film. In fact, this promotional move was the main reason behind the success of Phoonk. It also proved that a nice promotion is important for a film to succeed. Many filmmakers release their films without any proper promotion and except their film to become a hit. Phoonk’s success is a big lesson for such producers. And the other reason is that since a long time, a horror flick haven’t released. So viewers were in a mood of some horror experience, further helping the film!

What is most surprising is that Phoonk doesn’t have any major star; it had no songs and no item numbers! It’s only the wise promotion strategy of the producer that helped the film. Made on a budget of Rs. 3 Crore, their 1st week collection nationwide is Rs. 6.68 Crores (according to boxofficeindia.com)! So that amounts to more than double the budget! By the time Phoonk would be out of the theatres, it would surely collect around 10-12 crores! Excellent!

I was interested in Phoonk but didn’t see and opted for Mumbai Meri Jaan. Many who saw the film told me that it was not at all horrifying while some said that it was pathetic. But whether the film is pathetic or superior, it doesn’t matter for Ramu, especially now that his film has been declared a big hit! Ramu would have surely heaved a sigh of relief! In fact, there is a funny SMS being circulated which reads:
Q: Why did Ram Gopal Verma made ‘Phoonk’?
A: ‘Aag’ ko bujhane ke liye!!!

This was the funniest SMS that I have received in recent times!
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AUGUST-THE BEST YEAR OF 2008 SO FAR!

Till June, hardly any film managed to do well at the BO. In fact, till the middle of the year, there were only 3 films which were termed as ‘super-hits’-Jodhaa Akbar, Race and Jannat! But July’s release Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na did a terrific job. But in August month itself, we got 4 hits: Singh Is Kinng, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Phoonk and last week’s ‘Rock On!!’. The first two, Singh Is Kinng and Bachna Ae Haseeno were expected to be big hits even before their release but it was Phoonk and ‘Rock On!!’ which has caught everyone by surprise! Both these films didn’t have a popular star cast but by a terrific promotion (and good songs in the case of ‘Rock On!!’), these films have become a success! 4 hits in 1 month-terrific!

Related posts:

1. “Industry is shocked by the success of ‘Phoonk’” - Ram Gopal Varma
2. Phoonk Opens To An Excellent Response All Over
3. Ramu’s successful PHOONK spins black magic at theaters
4. Fenil’s Bollywood Talk # 11
5. ‘Phoonk’ goes international