Ram-Leela Yet To Enter Rs 100 Crore Club; What Happened After A Great Start?

After the superb action from superhero flick Krrish 3, came this sizzler – Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela – a love story with a good dose of spunky cynicism. But the romance-drama from director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali has stirred up quite a few controversies and failed to catch up with Krrish 3 or Chennai Express who reportedly grossed Rs 100 crore just after 4 days. In contrast, Ram-Leela’s total BO collection stood at a little less than Rs 60 crore after Day IV, according to industry estimates.

Film critic and analyst Taran Adarsh is, however, constantly tweeting about how the Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone starrer is doing a great job overseas. Its total screen count in the international arena stands at 550 and the movie had a superb start in the UAE-GCC, the US, Canada and Australia.

According to Adarsh, the movie has taken the global markets by storm and the overseas business during the opening weekend (Nov 15-17) has been bigger than both Krrish 3 and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. The opening day was proof enough for that.

#RamLeela USA-Canada Fri $450,000. Excellent!... tweeted Adarsh. #RamLeela Fri numbers in USA-Canada are bigger than #YJHD ($430,000], #Krrish3 ($ 311,000), #ZNMD (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, $ 240,000) and #Dabangg2 ($ 320,000).

Overall, the film has landed around $4 million or Rs 25 crore overseas in its first weekend, he wrote on a movie site. If it is released in 51 screens across Germany next week, things will definitely look brighter for the SLB flick.

But what about the domestic market where Ram-Leela has opened in nearly 3,500 screens? Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s last match could have thrown a spanner in the works during the first weekend, but it did not happen as anticipated. In fact, the movie saw around 70-80% occupancy in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh circuits. That certainly spurred business and it made over Rs 30 crore in just 2 days, with the first day cash haul estimated at Rs 16 crore.

As expected, the film has come with all the usual SLB trappings. Deepika ‘hot-bod’ Padukone and the equally hot Ram have whipped up a sizzling chemistry rarely found on-screen. Well, well, she has been doing it for some time now – right from Race 2 to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. Shot in the backdrop of Gujarat (Kutch, to be precise), the film also has Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadda and Gulshan Devaiah in some key roles. And the story, loosely based on William Shakespeare’s epic romance Romeo and Juliet, has an overdose of everything – vibrant set-up, ethnic costumes, mind-blowing music, great dance numbers and a subtle, satirical touch.

Still, the fact remains that it has not romped its way to the Rs 100 crore club the way Deepika’s earlier two movies did (incidentally, Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish 3 is now the highest Bollywood grosser with Rs 231 crore till Nov 16 and still counting). Also, a Bareilly court has directed today to lodge a case against the director and the star cast of Ram-Leela, following a petition that it glorified violence and obscenity. And that could spell further trouble for the movie.

Earlier too, a PIL had been filed on the ground that the movie has humiliated the women of the Darbar community and hurt religious sentiments. Several organisations have demanded a ban on the film and the opening day had been marred with protests and demonstrations. Would all be well with Ram-Leela in the coming weeks?

Image: Indiatimes.com