[quote]
Originally posted by MEHAK:
there have been talk going on that hritik is better then shahrukh
what do u guys think about that just wana take some opinion....
thanx
[/quote]
posted July 19, 2000 12:21 AM
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KING KHAN SHORT ON JOSH
BY AVIJIT NANDI MAJUMDAR AND SOUMYADIPTA BANERJEE
Calcutta, June 13
The Badshah vs The Challenger vs The Rising Son. With Hrithik Roshan
threatening to dethrone Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan waiting in
the wings, the battlelines are well and truly drawn in Bollywood. And
Calcutta’s no silent spectator to the final countdown.
That the fans of Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan have donned the
warpaint was evident from the trouble that broke out in front of Menoka
cinema last Friday, as Mansoor Khan’s Josh hit town.
According to Sunil Ghosh of Menoka cinema, around 50 members of a Shah
Rukh fans’ club clashed with rivals from a Hrithik fan club.
The immediate provocation: the decision of the hall management to refuse
Shah Rukh supporters the permission to hang a huge portrait of the star
inside the hall.
The angry fans surrounded the hall and shouted slogans against the
management. “You are pro-Hrithik. He is a one-film star. East or west,
Shah Rukh is the best,’’ they shouted.
Hrithik supporters soon gathered on the spot. “There was a heated
argument between the two groups, which led to a free-for-all, with the
fans throwing soda bottles at each other,’’ Ghosh said.
The streetfight — reminiscent of scenes from the latest Shah Rukh
starrer — stopped only after policemen from Charu Market and Tollygunge
police stations intervened.
The sideshow notwithstanding, Josh opened to packed houses. But by the
fifth day, ticket sales in various halls across the city are starting to
drop.
According to trade sources, Josh on Friday opened in 20 halls in and
around the city.
Mahendra Sooni of Sri Venkatesh Films said the release cost in the city
added up to Rs 40 lakh, minus print and publicity.
“Hrithik Roshan’s Kaho Na... Pyar Hai also went for the same amount. But
the difference could be felt after five days. Ticket sales of Josh have
dipped on Tuesday, while for Kaho Na.... it picked up with every passing
day. Josh cannot possibly match up to Kaho Na ... Pyar Hai,” said Arijit
Dutta of Priya cinema hall.
“We recorded sales of Rs 11,000 for the first two shows on Tuesday,
instead of Rs 14,000 for a full house,’’ said Sunil Sen of Jagat cinema,
where Josh is being screened.
Trade sources said 20,000 people at each of the theatres watched Josh
till Monday. But on Tuesday, the figure came down dramatically to
12,000. Kaho Na... had run to full houses in all cinemas for the first
seven weeks, and is still a top draw in two city theatres.
There has been a visible exodus from the Shah Rukh to the Hrithik camp
in recent months. Rakhi Mukherjee, 17, a diehard Shah Rukh fan, has
switched loyalties. “Shah Rukh was good, but Hrithik is the best,’’ she
says. “I can fantasise about Hrithik because he fits into the macho
college hunk image, but I can’t imagine Shah Rukh as a college
student,’’ added Nilanjana Banerjee of St Xaviers’ College.
“A movie depends a lot on it’s music and songs. Here, Josh definitely
lags behind Kaho Na ...,’’ explained Arijit Dutta.
According to Debasis Sur of Symphony, in Esplanade, 175 cassettes of
Kaho Na... were being sold daily five days after the film’s release,
while only 60 cassettes of Josh were picked up on Tuesday.
Even while fans grapple with the Josh vs Kaho Na... fever, the third
force is waiting to hit town. Baby AB’s maiden film, Refugee, is set for
release on June 30. “It has the potential to pip both Josh and Kaho
Na... Abhishek can be the next star of the millennium,’’ said Pritam
Jalan, the film’s distributor.
And two days before Kali Puja, the city can expect some real fireworks,
as Shah Rukh and Hrithik clash head-on with Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein
and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission Kashmir ,releasing on October 24.
ullu
Senior Member
Posts: 223 posted July 19,