'Only two percent Indians saw 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' in theatres'

November 18, 2015

Kochi, Nov 18: Superstar Salman Khan's blockbuster "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", which raked in over Rs.300 crore at the Indian box office, has been watched by a mere two percent of approximately 130 crore Indian population in theatres, says a cinema chain official.

baijaanAccording to reports, a staggering 74.5 million people, across India, tuned into the TV premiere of the film last month. But in a session on increasing footfalls in theatres at the ongoing Indywood Film market, it was revealed that only three crore and 21 lakh people have so far watched Bollywood blockbuster "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" in cinemas.

"It's startling to know only two percent of India's population has watched the film, which has collected over Rs.300 crore from Indian theatres. Even if we can increase the footfalls to five percent, it will hugely benefit the overall revenue of Indian cinema," said P.V. Sunil, director and CEO of Carnival Cinemas.

The reason, as Sunil points out, is that 50 percent of Indian population still has no access to cinemas.

"Seven screens cater to one million people in India vis-a-vis over 100 screens in US. As of today, only 15 percent of total screens in India constitute multiplexes while the rest are still single screen cinemas. Despite being the largest producer of films in the world, India still struggles to generate revenue because most people still have no access to screens," he said.

According to Devang Sampat, business head - strategy, Cinepolis India, one of the best ways to increase footfalls is to target tier-2, tier-3 and even tier-4 cities.

"We were the first to open a four-screen multiplex in Patna. The response has been extremely good and its average ticket price is same as that of Mumbai's. This means there are people with high spending capacity even in smaller cities," he said.

Sampat also pointed out that most multiplexes rely on malls, which is not a healthy trend.

"In places like Madhya Pradesh, people literally travel 50 km to watch movies. Why not we take the screens to them? Why not build multiplexes in these places? Indians don't watch cinema for entertainment; it's a culture for us," he added.

Technology too is a key driver in increasing footfalls, believes Sohan Roy, founder chairman and CEO of Aries Group of Companies.

Roy is also the chief promoter of AriesPlex SL Cinemas, which is south India's first double 4K projection facility here.

"Take the case of 'Baahubali', which ran houseful for 15 weeks in our cinemas. It was screened in 4K projection and the audience loved the experience. They watched it more than once. Technology plays a pivotal in drawing audiences for the overall experience in a cinema hall," Roy said.

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January 9,2020

Mumbai, Jan 9: Actor Juhi Chawla on Wednesday said instead of constantly criticising the government, one should reflect on own conduct and talk about uniting rather than dividing.

The actor attended an event which aimed to counter "Free Kashmir (narrative), anti-India slogans, false propaganda and clear the misconception."

Juhi said as artistes, it's unfair to be questioned about incidents "just for a reaction" when they should be given time to truly understand the situation.

"We are going to work, thinking how to execute our task, then some incident happens somewhere and suddenly the media asks, 'what do you think about this?' We haven't understood the matter, people haven't understood the matter but you need a reaction.

"Let people understand, whether it's NRC or CAA, and what's is it about, why is this being talked about," Juhi told reporters.

The actor said it is sad that people talk about division more than unity.

"Everyone is quick to talk about dividing. Why don't we talk about uniting? Why does everyone say 'what is the government doing, why is it doing this?' but I say if you point one finger there then three fingers are at you.

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May 12,2020

Mumbai, May 12: Superstar Salman Khan on Tuesday released his latest romantic single "Tere Bina" featuring Jacqueline Fernandez while in quarantine at his Panvel farm house.

The actor, along with close family and friends from the industry, including Iulia Vantur, Waluscha De Sousa, is living in the farm house. This is the second song Salman has released amid the coronavirus pandemic, after "Pyaar Karona."

"About seven weeks ago, when we came to the farm, we didn't know we will be here under a lockdown. So we wanted to do things to keep ourselves busy. That's when we decided to do these songs. We launched 'Pyaar Karona' and now, we are launching 'Tere Bina'," Salman said in a statement.

The song, sung and directed by Salman, is composed by his friend Ajay Bhatia and written by Shab bir Ahmed.

The actor said he had the song "Tere Bina" with him for quite a while but because it wasn't fitting into any of his film, he decided to release it now.

Jacqueline said she didn't think they would be able to shoot the song, which they finished in four days of evening shoots, with such limitations.

"We are used to shooting songs on a large stage with grand production costs. There are costumes, hair, make up. All of a sudden, we find ourselves with a team of three people. For the first time, I was checking lighting and moving props around. It was a great experience and it taught us how to make the most of what we have," she said.

Salman recently sent out food packets and ration from his farm house to those affected by the lockdown.

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June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Actor Anushka Sharma on Tuesday exhorted people to maintain hygiene and advised to stop open defecation in a bid to avoid coronavirus spread.

As the country is grappling with the coronavirus crisis, the 'PK' actor has joined the initiative with the Swachh Bharat Mission, which aims to tell the people that the contagion can be curbed through strict sanitation process.

"When women all over the country had decided that they would educate everyone on the lesson of close the door, shun the disease, no one had thought that their initiative would turn into such a huge wave!," the actor was seen saying in a video posted in the official Twitter handle of Swachh Bharat I #IndiaFightsCorona.

"Today, in the time of coronavirus pandemic, we all have to again remember and remind others about the lesson of cleanliness," she added.

"If we take care of cleanliness around us, by not defecating in the open, we will keep ourselves healthy and India clean. We will become strong to fight against any kind of disease," the 32-year-old star said.

The 'Sultan' actor noted that by stopping defecating in open and closing the toilet door at all times can be a solid measure to drive the disease out of the country.

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