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| Youngsters in a queue outside Eylex for Om Shanti Om on Saturday. Picture by Manik Bose |
Ranchi, Nov. 10: November 9 saw Bollywood’s two biggest releases of the year. The hype generated by both Saawariya and Om Shanti Om kept the whole country waiting eagerly for the big day.
Ranchi was certainly no exception. Despite reports of Saawariya not doing so well in most parts of the country, the state capital, however, witnessed huge turnouts on the first day of its screening at the newly constructed Miniplex. The hall ran nine shows of the Sanja Leela Bhansali on the first day.
Although Miniplex was inaugurated with Bhansali’s creation, the older Sujata also ran its regular shows with spectators trickling in from all walks of life. The crowd mostly consisted of young professionals and college goers.
On the other hand Shah Rukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om also opened to almost packed houses at Eylex. The morning and the matinee shows did well, but the night show was a flop.
Sujata cinema and Miniplex proprietor Dushyant Jaiswal said: “The movie is doing well. Bhansali has been able to deliver a hit for yet another time and I hope business will be good at the box office.”
All the 107 seats at Miniplex were booked in advance
“The ambience and the overall effect of watching the movie with superior sound quality are quite a thrilling experience,” Jaiswal said.
Since Wednesday, the booking for Om Shanti Om simply shot up. “Around 70 per cent of the booking was done by youngsters,” said Narayan Jalan, the owner of Eylex, which has 162 seats.
Jalan said they were also planning to book seats for Monday and Tuesday.
“This cinema is going to be a great hit this festive season. Initially the opening was so good that I had to turn down maximum number of advance bookings for Saturday and Sunday. For today only four seats are left, but by the evening it is going to be filled,” Jalan said.