Welcome to the 100 Crore Club Duggu

"I still have a long way to go. People will realise the difference between Shah Rukh Khan and a one-movie-wonder like me" said the blue eyed boy when he became a overnight superstar and charmed men and women alike with his dad's Kaho Na Pyar Hai in 2000.


Indeed he saw many ups and downs in the last decade with hits like K3G, Koi Mil Gaya, Krishh, D2, Lakhsya, jodha Akbar & ZNMD and some forgettable bombs like App Mujhe..., Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Guzarish & Kites. But to make matters sweet, his superb performances always made even the mediocre films watchable and his fans go mad even when the cash registers didn't ring.

But as they say, you always get what you deserve, sooner or later. Ageepath did it for him. Hrithik Roshan joined the coveted Rs 100-crore club on the 11th day after the release of this remake. It is the 10th film to touch this mark just days after hitting the silver screen. (Salman Khan's Bodyguard holds the record as its collections crossed Rs 100 crore within seven days of its release)


Trade analysts attribute the big collections to the brand behind the film (KJo & Dharma Productions). Besides being a thorough and unadulterated bollywood entertainer what also clicked for Ageepath was the wide-release pattern. 


Another interesting observation is that most of the films in the Rs 100-crore club (with the exception of Ready) were released on a national holiday, followed by a 4-5 day weekend, whether it was Agneepath on Republic Day, Ra.One on Diwali, Bodyguard on Eid or Don 2 on Christmas. The other films in the Rs 100-crore club are Ghajini, Ready, 3 Idiots, Singham, Golmaal 3 and Dabangg.


Incidentally the Rs 100-crore club started in 2008, with Ghajini and 3 Idiots doing similar business within nine days of release. 2010, however, saw only two films, Dabangg (10 days) and Golmaal 3 (14 days), touch the magic figure. 2011 turned out to be the golden period for all the big ticket films. Ready (15 days), Singham (7 weeks), Bodyguard (7 days), Ra.One (10 days) and Don 2 (15days) all joined the Rs 100-crore club in quick succession.


Trade pundits feel expansion of the market, which includes print counts, number of shows and the capacity of cinemas, along with higher ticket prices, contributes to the booty of the film. Point to note here is that no film can convincingly cross the Rs 100-crore without the support of the vast territories of B-town India. Renovation of single screens and the return of audiences of these cinemas too has helped in some cases.


Where industry watchers are a little worried about the short shelf life of films in theaters, the producers are happily walking to the banks by getting crazy revenues for the non theatrical distribution avenues. Reportedly Zee Cinema bought the TV rights of Agneepath (for 7 years) for a whopping 41 Crores, which covered almost 60% of the movie's production costs! 

Amidst these maddening bollywood money number games, this Bollywood hearthrob is still grounded and has already started working out for his next flick 'Krrish3' and is all set to play his next move. I hope The Khans take notice! 


Welcome to the 100 Crore Club Duggu!