The crowd outside Regent to see Salman Khan’s latest release Ready. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, June 3: Character Dheela Hai is now a style statement, courtesy Salman Khan. The Dabangg man is most Wanted by cinegoers in Patna.

The craze for the Bollywood superstar can be imagined from the fact that both Mona and Regent theatres ran houseful first day-first show of his latest release Ready today. If that’s not an indication enough, tickets for all four shows for next two days have been sold out in advance and still there is a mad rush of enthusiasts at the theatres on the look out for someone ready to part with the precious ticket for a larger sum.

The board of houseful has been shining outside the box office of both the theatres after a long time.

Dhinka Chikka Dhinka Chikka, absurd though may sound, has become the song of the season. “Why not, it rhymes with the rain,” claimed a young enthusiast who just stepped out of the theatre, one of the lucky ones to get a ticket of the first show. “The film is a total paisa vasool though it is not better than Salman’s previous hits like Dabangg and Wanted,” said another enthusiast.

Ready’s release was awaited by cinegoers who were deprived of big star films for a long time because of the cricket World Cup and IPL matches. No wonder, the crowd at the theatres was overjoyed by the fact that Salman Khan had come to their rescue.

At Regent theatre, Divya Kant, a Class XI student of St Michael’s school, said, “Salman Khan is looking like a cool dude. I really liked his funny dance on the song Dhinka Chikka Dhinka Chikka. He had performed a similar dance on the Dabangg song and Hamka Peeni Hai number from the same movie. Of the three songs, I liked Dhinka Chikka Dhinka Chikka the most because it is more interesting and something unusual, which is not expected in a typical Bollywood film.”

Another viewer Kshiti Sinha, a resident of Kankerbagh, said: “The film is awesome and a complete family-watch. That’s why I have come with my parents to watch this film. I liked the performance of Asin, who has played the role of Sanjana opposite Salman Khan. The two look cute on the screen. Had she not been in film, I don’t think it would have been such an entertainer.”

Most viewers said the film is simple and easy to understand. Aman Bhaskar, a BBA student said: “It’s a very simple and predictable script. Sanjana Singh (Asin) runs away from her uncle’s place because he wants to take her property by marrying her against her wish. She meets Prem (Salman Khan) and eventually they fall in love. Sanjana’s uncle finds her and take her away. Prem uses his brain and plots a bluff game and this how the rest of the story goes. It is film full of comedy, drama and a little bit of action too.”

At Mona theater, the only single screen in Patna, the viewers were so excited to watch the film that they were ready to shell out Rs 300 to buy tickets in black. A ticket at the theatre on ordinary days is available for Rs 160. Most of them said they were keen to pay double money just to watch Salman Khan. Abhishek Ranjan, a resident of Boring Road, said: “I paid Rs 300 for one ticket. I can’t wait to watch Salman Khan on big screen. Had I waited for two more days, my friends would have narrated the story dialogue by dialogue and I was not ready to take that risk. I had to buy the ticket in black, I didn’t have any other option.”

Not everyone was happy with the film though. Some claimed too many characters spoiled the fun. A few viewers said director Anees Bazmee made a mistake by repeating the experiment he made in his previous film Welcome. “I don’t think so many actors were necessary in the film. The role of Paresh Rawal and Mahesh Manjrekar was good but the other actors like Akhilendra Mishra, child comedian Mohit Baghel, another comedian Sudesh Lahiri, Arya Babbar and Chunky Pandey were annoying most of the time. The saving grace were Salman and Asin,” said Ranjan Kumar, a resident of Rajendra Nagar.