Ranchi boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni is undeniably India’s most-loved cricket captain and advance bookings of his …Untold Story opening with a bang is nothing unexpected. The biopic by director Neeraj Pandey releases on Friday across 3,500 screens in the country — more than 30 in Jharkhand — and a Rs 20 crore-plus nationwide opening day figure is guaranteed, believe film hawks. The Telegraph maps the Mahi mania across Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad
CRAZE IN CAPITAL
Shows
• Fun Cinemas: 13 • Carnival: 12 • SRS Cinema: 11
• Popkorn: 8 • Eylex: 6 • Plaza Cinema: 4
Booking basics
“We have three screens and 757 seats. Students of JVM-Shyamali (Dhoni’s alma mater) have grabbed all seats for 9am, 10.30am and 11.30am shows. The rest have been booked by people in general. We have sold 6,000 tickets in advance for Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said Vimal Kumar, general manager (operations) of Fun Cinemas at Hinoo
“We have three audis — one big, two small — with a total seating capacity of 741. We have made 90 per cent advance bookings since Monday,” beamed Dhruv Kushwaha, manager of Carnival Cinemas at JD Hi Street Mall on Main Road
Fan voice
“We booked 15 advance tickets on Tuesday for the 2.15 show at Carnival. All of us are friends, homemakers and crazy about Mahi,” said Beena, a resident of Morabadi
“Never waited so eagerly for our girlfriends perhaps. We have booked 20 tickets for the 7.30pm show at Fun Cinemas,” said Prashant Kumar, a student of BIT-Mesra
STEEL CITY STEPS IT UP
Shows
• Eylex: 12 • Payal Cinema: 4
Booking basics
“We have three screens and 833 seats. Tickets are selling like hot cakes. We have sold more than 200 at the counters. The shows will be houseful. Many are booking online too,” said Amrita Singh, assistant manager of Eylex
“Of our 1,060 seats, more than 40 per cent were booked today (Thursday). Advance bookings are still going on as I speak,” said C.L. Sharma, manager of Payal Cinema
Fan voice
“MSD is an unorthodox player who has changed several age-old notions about cricket. Above all, he is a small town boy who has won laurels for the country. He is an icon for our generation and beyond,” said K.B. Aslam, a PR professional who plans to watch the movie this weekend
COAL TOWN THRILLED
Shows
• Inox: 13 • Swastik Plaza: 4 • Deshbandhu Cinema: 4 • Ray Talkies: 4
Booking basics
“We have four screens and 996 seats. There has been 80 per cent advance booking for the first day,” said a staffer at Inox
“We are a standalone cinema with 600 seats and don’t have online partners. Though we haven’t received advance bookings, we are expecting a good response on Friday,” said Gopal Agarwal, owner of Deshbandhu Cinema in Jharia
Fan voice
“I am an ardent Dhoni fan. I never miss his matches on TV. How can I miss his movie. I have booked a seat in the 5.30pm show at Inox on the first day,” said Vikas Kumar Singh, an advocate in Dhanbad court
