'Prince' succeeds over 'Jaane Kahan...' at box office

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Vivek Oberoi starrer "Prince" has proved to be a shot in the arm for the actor as the film has got above average response at the box office. The film has also elbowed out Ritesh Deshmukh-starrer "Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai" that fell flat courtesy its weak content.

"'Prince' has met our expectations with close to 35 percent occupancy across different properties over the weekend. While 'Jaane Kahan...' has proven to be a below average kind of movie with just around 12 percent occupancy," Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (business and operations) Fun Cinemas, told IANS.

"People are appreciating the content of 'Prince'. 'The Japanese Wife' on the other hand has done lukewarm business," he added.

Piyush Raizada, director, Delite Cinema, an upgraded two-screener in the capital, also shared similar sentiments.

"'Prince' has done very good business and the occupancy has been more than 50 percent. However 'Jaane Kahan...' has been very very poor with less than 20 percent occupancy," said Raizada.

Made at a budget of over Rs.40 crore (Rs.400 million) by producer Kumar Taurani, the two-hour-six-minute venture boasts of action sequences exceeding an hour. It released with over 1,000 prints worldwide.

Directed by debutant Kooki V. Gulati, "Prince" also stars Nandana Sen, Aruna Shields and Neeru Singh in the female lead.

Meanwhile, "Jaane Kahan..." is the directorial debut of Milap Zaveri. Made on a budget of about Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million), the fantasy romantic comedy released worldwide with around 600 prints.

Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures India, it has been co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani. It teamed up Riteish with Jacqueline Fernandez again after "Aladdin".

"The Japanese Wife", on the other hand, released with only 32 prints in India. Directed by Aparna Sen, it stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, Moushumi Chatterjee and Japanese actress Chingusa Takaku.

Munish Sharma, general manager (marketing), Satyam Cineplex, had positive reports for "Prince" and "Jaane Kahan Se...".

"Both 'Prince' and 'Jaane Kahan...' did fairly well with close to 30-40 percent occupancy. Both are average movies but because there is a dearth of content these days, people are hungry for movies. 'The Japanese Wife', on the other hand, was a little lukewarm because of a niche audience value," said Sharma.

PVR cinemas, however, was disappointed with the commercial potboilers.

"Both the movies have been disappointing. The content of 'Prince' has no value and fetched no footfall. It had close to just 20 percent occupancy while 'Jaane Kahan...' didn't do any magic on the big screen with below 10 percent occupancy," said a source from PVR.

"However, 'The Japanese Wife' that released with limited prints and limited shows has got good reports with almost 40 percent occupancy," the source added.

According to a statement released by Saregama Films Monday, the producers of "The Japanese Wife", the movie has got "a very promising start off at 88 percent initial collection".

Vivek Oberoi thrilled at good opening of 'Prince..'

Mumbai, April 10 (IANS) Actor Vivek Oberoi visited a cineplex here Friday night to do a reality check on the audience reaction to his "Prince: It's Showtime" and says he was thrilled by the grand opening of the film despite an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match on at the time.

"To be honest, I didn't expect such a public response. I thought it's a nice film and people will enjoy it. I even thought that IPL is on so it would be a bit difficult, and especially there was a match of Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. When distributors and exhibitors called me and said that the halls are houseful, I thought I should personally visit and check it," he told reporters.

Vivek said he sneaked into a hall of the Gaitey Galaxy in Bandra 10 minutes to the film's intermission.

People watching the film were unaware of his presence until media camerapersons came inside the hall and distracted the audience. His fans started howling and whistling and took him on their shoulders, cheering his performance in the film.

"I didn't expect it to be this crazy and I am really sorry for the media people who kind of got pushed around. But I really enjoyed it. Especially, when people started whistling...," he told reporters.

Vivek went inside the hall unguarded, without any bouncer or police protection. But before the situation could go beyond control, he escaped from the hall through an emergency exit.

The actor also said he was inundated by messages on social networking site Twitter.

"I am in Twitter and you get instant feedback there. Some of them are so cute -- while watching the film they kept on twitting me... right now you did this... now you did that... it's mind blowing. It really feels nice when you get so much love," he said.

Vivek, who has done mostly multi-starrer films, said it was producer Kumar Taurani's confidence that helped him do the film as a solo lead.

"Honestly speaking I wasn't very sure that I would be able to carry this film. No other known names... till now I have done mostly multi-starrer films so that the films get safe opening. But it was him (Taurani) who saw his prince in me and asked me to give my 100 percent. This is the biggest opening of my career by far," he said.

"Prince..." narrates the story of a thief who wakes up one morning to realise that he has lost his memory and his life is at stake. The film also features Nandana Sen, Aruna Shields and Neeru Singh.

Vivek, who runs a school in Vrindavan for underprivileged girls who have been abandoned by their families, said he was planning to make a special screening of "Prince..." for them.

"I want to do a special screening for the children in Project Devi in Vrindavan. There are 1,200 children there but in Vrindavan there is no 1,200 seat theatre, so I will have to divide them into two shows. My 1,200 small angels are very excited to see the film with me," he said.

Asked if he believes that the blessings of these children have brought him success, he said: "Most definitely. If you do some good work, being true to your heart, the blessings you get for it are incomparable. More important than anything else, that takes you to another level, at least spiritually you are very happy by that."