It ain't another Jab We Met.

Quirky trailers, the SRK-Anushka Sharma chemistry and the Imtiaz Ali brand value did make Jab Harry Met Sejal one of this year's most-awaited films but opening day viewer reviews and footfall in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad have been below expectations.

At Ranchi, footfall hovered between 20 per cent and close to 60 per cent. Footfall figures have not come from Dhanbad but turnout is poor, say cinema owners. In Jamshedpur, footfall was some 25 per cent.

"With Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma as leads, we expected a big opening. It's shocking. Let's see what the weekend brings," said manager of a Ranchi plex who didn't want to be named.

Fun Cinemas at Hinoo, running 12 shows on three screens, recorded a turnout of nearly 60 per cent, said manager Vimal Kumar. But, at Carnival Cinemas on Main Road running 12 shows on three screens, turnout was about 30 per cent. "The Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight was a flop but for the first three days turnout was around 75 per cent," said its manager Dhruwa putting things in perspective.

Even diehard fans of Shah Rukh reserved their praise for the film where he plays a Punjabi tour guide Harry who helps a Gujarati girl Sejal played by Anushka find her engagement ring. Searching for her ring across Europe Sejal discovers her love for Harry.

"Imtiaz Ali seems to have no fresh ideas. His characters are travellers who find love on the way. It's the same from his first film Socha Na Tha," said Ranchi engineering student Sumanlal Saroj. Agreed college student Payal, "Same topography, same topics."

"Shah Rukh is now 51 and can't be the same loverboy Raj of DDLJ," added Ranchi viewer Rajan Kumar Nayak.

Additional reporting by Antara Bose & Praduman Choubey