Taapsee Pannu’s latest film Thappad remains average at the box office.
The other eight releases of the week — Doordarshan, Guns Of Banaras, O Pushpa I Hate Tears, Kehta Hai Yeh Dil, Haunted Hills, Rizwan, Teen Muhurat and Cookie — fail to get footfalls in theatres.
Vinod Mirani gives us the weekly box office verdict.
Thappad
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Tanvi Azmi, Pavail Gulati.
Director: Anubhav Sinha.
What works: Riveting, meaningful cinema, impressive performances.
What doesn’t: Has a slow pace.
Number of weeks: New.
Box Office verdict: Average.
Doordarshan
Cast: Mahie Gill, Manu Rishi Chadda, Shardul Rana, Archita Sharma, Dolly Ahluwalia.
Director: Gagan Puri.
What works: Tough!
What doesn’t: Preachy, flat humour, evokes no nostalgia.
Number of weeks: New.
Box Office verdict: Poor.
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Maanvi Gagroo.
Director: Hitesh Kewalya.
What works: Delightful cast, the director uses humour to drive home his point.
What doesn’t: There’s a tedious need to make *every* dialogue funny.
Number of weeks: 1.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akash Dhar, Meher Vij, Ashutosh Rana.
Director: Bhanu Pratap Singh.
What works: Jump starts are worth it, short run time.
What doesn’t: Clichéd plot, lame twist.
Number of weeks: 1.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Love Aaj Kal
Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan and Randeep Hooda.
Director: Imtiaz Ali.
What works: Good soundtrack.
What doesn’t: Too long, too dramatic and overdone.
Number of weeks: 2.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Malang
Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Anil Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu.
Director: Mohit Suri.
What works: Anil Kapoor, slick photography, good music.
What doesn’t: A witless thriller.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Shikara
Cast: Adil Khan and Sadia.
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
What works: The first such portrayal of Kashmiri Pandits’ story on the big screen.
What doesn’t: The nuances of the issue are somewhat overshadowed by individual stories of the characters.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Hacked
Cast: Hina Khan, Rohan Shah, Mohit Malhotra and Sid Makkar.
Director: Vikram Bhatt.
What works: Hina Khan looks gorgeous, and will be a treat for her fans.
What doesn’t: Meandering scenes, too long, poor execution.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Jawaani Jaaneman
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Alaya F, Kubra Sait, Chunky Panday, Kumud Mishra, Farida Jalal, Kiku Sharda.
Director: Nitin Kakkar.
What works: Good performances, refreshing humour.
What doesn’t: Its last-minute turnaround is disappointing.
Number of weeks: 4.
Box Office verdict: Below Average.
Happy Hardy and Heer
Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Sonia Mann.
Director: Raka.
What works: Music.
What doesn’t: Everything else.
Number of weeks: 4.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
