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Hum Saath Saath Hain To Get Widest Exposure

Aseem Chhabra in New York

After the disappointing performance by films such as Baadshah, Hello Brother and Dil Kya Kare, the Bollywood film market in North America is about to receive a major boost.

Next month, in time for Diwali (the biggest movie-going season in India), Eros Entertainment is releasing one of the most awaited films of the year -- Rajshri Production's Hum Saath Saath Hain. The film is directed by Sooraj R Barjatya, whose last two films, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Maine Pyar Kiya were the top-ranking blockbuster hits of the last 10 years.

"We are treating it [ Hum Saath...] like one the biggest films of the millennium," said Behram Shahparast of Eros, indicating the high expectation the distribution company has of the new film. He added that Hum Saath... would be released on at least 50 screens in North America. Except for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal, which opened on more than 40 screens, most Indian films get a 20-plus theater release.

This weekend, Eros, the leading Indian film distribution and video company is releasing two new movies, Mast and Vaastav, both of which have received a good word of mouth in India.

Meanwhile, Deepa Mehta's Earth continues to do steady business in the US, having grossed approximately $ 300,000. This weekend the film opens in two major cities -- Boston and Chicago -- while continuing to show in small art theaters in New York City, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Kona, Hawaii.

Mast is directed by Ram Gopal Varma, whose previous films have included critical and box-offices successes, Satya and Rangeela.

Mast stars Varma's regular female lead -- Urmila Matondkar with a young newcomer male actor, Aftab. The film is being released on 26 screens in North America.

Vaastav, starring Sanjay Dutt and Namrata Shirodkar and directed by new film-maker, Mahesh Manjrekar, is showing on 16 screens.

Shahparast said that the two films were being released on fewer screens as compared this summer's blockbuster Taal (which opened on 42 screens in its first weekend), due to the limited number of theaters showing Bollywood films in North America. In total, Mast and Vaastav will show on 42 screens.

Subhash Ghai's Taal continues to perform strong in North America and England, to the surprise of most industry observers, especially since the film did moderate business in India. Shahparast said Taal's gross receipts could quite easily reach $&nsbp;2.25 million in North America; it has already grossed $ 2.1 million. Taal is nearing the $ one million mark in England.

Dil Kya Kare is wrapping its run in America with a disappointing $ 300,000. Its gross plummeted by 71 per cent in the second week, followed by a 60 per cent erosion in the third week. In England, it has fared better, going for a projected $ 500,000 gross.

Mehta's Earth opened six weeks ago on September 10. Since then the film has been doing slow and steady business.

"The film definitely has legs," Emily Russo, co-president of Zeitgeist Films said. "It has been doing very consistent business."

In New York, the film has been showing for the six weeks at the two art houses -- Lincoln Plaza and Quad Cinemas. According to Hollywood trade publication Daily Variety last weekend the film's box office gross receipts dropped by less than 10 per cent at the two theaters.

Russo, conceded that Earth had not performed well in Los Angeles, where currently it is only running in matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays, though Los Angeles was considered a strong market for art house and foreign films.

The film, which has generally been received well in the mainstream media, did not receive a strong positive review from the film critic of Los Angeles Times.

Over the next few months Zeitgeist will release Earth on 20 other screens in 11 states across US. Russo projected that the film's final receipts in the US should be over $ 500,000.

An indication of the popularity of Mehta's film among the south Asian community in the metro New York City area: Last weekend Zeitgeist released one print of the Indian version of the film, titled 1947: Earth at the Strand theater in Plainfield, NJ.

On Friday, October 8, Rahul Khanna, one of the film's stars, appeared at the Strand Theater to introduce the film. Earlier, last month, Khanna and writer Bapsi Sidhwa were present at the opening of the film at The Greenway Theater in Houston.

"We had been getting calls from Indian theaters for the Indian version of the film. There was demand for it in the Indian circuits," Russo said. So we made arrangements to get the prints from India."

Russo said the Indian print carries additional music and complete songs. The other major difference, she added is that the Indian print is not subtitled.

This week the Indian version is showing at the Village VII theater in Hempstead.

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