Mallika Sherawat at a promotion for Double Dhamaal in Mumbai. (AFP)

Patna, June 24: Raziya could not save Anees Bamzee’s Thank You from crashing at the box office. Now, Mallika Sherawat in her Jalebi Bai avatar is promising to help Sanjay Dutt and gang recover double profit with their latest release Double Dhamaal.

Forget the script (for it is missing in the film), and focus on the item number where Mallika Sherawat is busy carving jalebis in the air. A strict warning for diabetics, the song will leave you drooling for the delicacy.

The first-day-first-show of Indra Kumar’s latest film Double Dhamaal, as expected, ran in packed houses, courtesy the steaming item number by Mallika Sherawat. Mallika did create her magic with Raziya Gundon Mein Phas Gayi in Thank You but the film failed to live up to the craze for the song. Now, she has grooved again to the steaming jalebi number, and her fans at Mona and Regent theatre couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of their favourite actress on the big screen.

Both the theatres displayed houseful boards despite running four shows each. The cinema enthusiasts had started booking tickets one week in advance. Most spectators The Telegraph spoke to were more excited about the item number than the film and its cast.

Commenting on the song, Anurag Thakur, a resident of Bakarganj, said: “Mallika Sherawat sizzles in the Jalebi Bai song. I really like her dance. I saw Mallika promoting the film on television by making jalebis from her own hands. Though the jalebis were disfigured and discoloured, I would still love to have them all.”

Double Dhamaal is the sequel of 2007 comedy Dhamaal and the film has Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi, Aashish Chaudhary, Mallika Sherawat and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles.

Cinegoers leave Regent after a show of Double Dhamaal in Patna on Friday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Another cinegoer, Rohit Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh, said, “The film is not better than the previous one. The only reason for watching this film is the item number by Mallika Sherawat. I think it’s a new Bollywood trend of having at least one sizzling item number in every film. In a way it’s good because if the film is bad, at least there is something in it to cheer the audience. In my case, if the Jalebi Bai song was not there in the film, I would not have made much effort to watch it on the first day.”

The song has been shot at Mumbai’s Mehboob studio in Bandra, a suburb in Mumbai, on a lavishly mounted casino set. It is choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and composed by Anand Raaj Anand.

Mohit Singh, a fan of Mallika, said, “It is said that during the shooting of the song, the mood at the set was festive and the director used to order 25kg of the sweets everyday for the entire unit. In fact, I recently heard that when Jalebi Bai was asked who would she like to give her handmade jalebis to, the first name Mallika took was of Barack Obama. I wish I was also there on the list.”

Speaking on the story line of the film, Neha Kumari, a student of Arvind Mahila College, said, “The film is good but there is too much confusion and chaos on the screen. Everyone is running here and there to get the money by hook or crook. Riteish and Warsi are really funny but Sanjay Dutt is not as good as in the previous one. But I must add that Jalebi Bai is much better than Sheila (Katrina Kaif) and Munni (Malaika Arora Khan).”

Many college students were seen copying the steps of the jalebi song while coming out of the theatre.

As young boys cheered and danced outside the theatre, a few spectators who had come with their families to watch the film could not help but make their dislike apparent for the behaviour of the youths.

However, least bothered about their anger, the boys carried on with the dance and whistling on the item number.

Many enthusiasts had to return home due to unavailability of tickets.

“I have come here to watch the film but it seems all tickets have has been sold out. I have booked the ticket for the last show on Sunday as all shows before that are already houseful,” said Pranay Kumar.

Jalebi is sure to sizzle till Sunday, but how long will the aroma last remains to be seen.