‘Salesman Of The Year’ Breaks Record Of Many Years! - Komal Nahata

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There was divided opinion in the industry, prior to the release of Yash Chopra’s Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year, about the opening it would take on Friday.

While some felt, Ranbir Kapoor would bring the crowds into the cinemas on the first day, others were sceptical about the opening because of the low-key promotion and lack of popularity of the film’s music. But even the most pessimistic person in the trade must not have expected Rocket Singh to start on as poor a note as it actually did yesterday (11th Decem­ber)! Collections were shockingly weak in almost every circuit, every centre, every cinema.

At Shiela cinema in Roh­tak (East Punjab), Rocket Singh could collect just Rs. 3,000 in the first show on Friday against a capacity of – hold your breath! – Rs. 65,000! At the same cinema, Ranbir’s earlier film, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, had collected Rs. 60,000 in the opening show, five weeks back. While the first day of Ajab Prem… had closed at Rs. 2,06,000 at the cinema, the first day’s total of Rocket Singh was a measly Rs. 36,000.

The first show’s collection at the cinema is, perhaps, the lowest in years. The previous record for dismal collections was held by Venus’ Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam which recorded Rs. 6,000 in the first show of the first day. Rocket Singh has collected 50% of the lowest ever collection. In Dehradun, it was released in just one cinema – Natraj – where it collected Rs. 6,000 in the first show. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, on the other hand, had opened in two cinemas. In spite of that, its first show at New Empire, Dehradun was of Rs. 35,000.

In a city like Pune, while the week’s other major release, The Twilight Saga: New Moon (English) recorded full houses in three auditoria of E-Square multiplex in the first show, Rocket Singh couldn’t even draw enough crowds to fill one auditorium. Ghaziabad, Lucknow (Rs. 4,400 in the first show at Pratibha against a capacity of Rs. 25,000), Bom­bay, Delhi… the opening was pathetic almost everywhere.