The Hindu Business Line : Romantic comedy films rule box office in Bollywood

A FILM portraying the grim realities of communal conflicts is set aside at the box office while a light-hearted hackneyed romantic comedy comes out a surprise winner.

Co-produced by Aditya Birla Group's Applause Entertainment, Dev has not had a satisfactory show at the box office in Mumbai and Delhi, the two key cities for Bollywood films. By the end of the first week, occupancy for Dev stood at 55 per cent in Mumbai and 46 per cent in Delhi.

In contrast is Hum Tum, produced by Yashraj Films, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee. The film, which completed its third week on Friday, continues with a 70 per cent occupancy in Mumbai and a 65 per cent occupancy in Delhi.

Dev, a Rs 12-crore project, is made by well-known film maker, Mr Govind Nihalani.

"Unfortunately, the film is too heavy and serious. In comparison, Hum Tum has done well because it is a feel-good comedy," said Ms Indu Mirani, Editor, Box Office, a trade journal.

Lakshya, one of the most expensive films released this year (Rs 35 crore), had a good opening on Friday, trade sources said. According to an official of UTV, which handles the film's overseas distribution, Lakshya is receiving a good response inoverseas too. According to Ms Mirani, Lakshya's opening was similar to that of Main Hoon Na, which stars Shah Rukh Khan.

Both Dev and Lakshya have Amitabh Bachchan in the lead cast.

Lakshya, which narrates the story of a youth with existential dilemma, with the war as backdrop, has had mixed response from viewers, said Ms Mirani.

Raghu Romeo, a small budget film, which hit the screens with Lakshya, will depend on word of mouth for a good performance at the box office. "These films are low budget ones. They are screened in small theatres and are largely dependent on audience response to catch on,'' she said.

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