Brothers Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt can easily be considered the Masters of Bollywood trade. Placing their finger on the right vein, they have their trade structure in right place. Their films are concretized such that it adheres to mainstream box office formula. With making distinct sequel films for their popular franchise like Aashiqui, Raaz, Jism and Murder, the films despite a slim plot and melodramatic screenplay work at the Box Office quite easily.

Taking a closer look at every Bhatt film, Koimoi lists out the most popular money spinning franchises of this production, their high profit margins on low investment and mostly delivering the most consistent hits for Bollywood!

The Aashiqui Franchise

Aashiqi And Aashiqi 2 Movie Poster

A bitter sweet romantic saga, the prior was directed by the maverick Mahesh Bhatt. The film remains as one the most striking classics of the 90s with the most melodious album of the decade. The recent stint from the same franchise is a mellowed version of the same. With a disappointing climax, the earlier Aashiqui always scores. However what matters here is that both films went on to become humungous hits. The budget for Aashiqui 2 was less than 10 crores, yet the film with all its fresh faces, and a brilliant frame album has collected 54.50 crores at the domestic box office so far, bearing bravely the brunt of stauncher competitors like Shootout At Wadala.

The Raaz Franchise

Raaz, Raaz 2 And Raaz 3 Movie Poster

One of the most popular horror films that has come out of India, the Raaz franchise has successfully managed to spook people with every edition of its. First released in 2001 starring Bipasha Basu in the lead role, the succeeding films too cashed in on the vast concepts of paranormal and supernatural, with its latest film strictly traversing the ideas of black magic. Each of its films were immensely successful and did a great business at the single screens. Raaz 3 that starred Bipasha Basu and Emraan Hashmi in lead roles did an insanely raging business of 70 crores, despite spending a very limited budget on the film.

The Jism Franchise

Jism And Jism 2 Movie Poster

Introducing to Bollywood, the inerrant chemistry of John Abraham and Bipasha Basu, the story of Jism was about sexual gratification harboring on feelings of passion, lust and deceit. Jism 2, which starred Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh in lead roles, was the debut vehicle of popular adult star Sunny Leone in Bollywood. Though, keeping the success of Jism in mind, Jism 2 was an average film that somehow managed to recover its investment.

The Murder Franchise

Murder, Murder 2 and Murder 3 Movie Poster

A psychological mystery bundled in an erotic thriller, the premise of this series is extremely risky and mostly controversial. When the first edition of the film was released, actress Mallika Sherawat and director Anurag Basu ran into a verbal spat with righteous prudes over the film’s material. The film opened to great box office collections and ran for many weeks successfully. Even the critics gave the film thumbs up. Years later, in 2011 when Murder 2 released, it kept up the good performance of the earlier stint. Opening up to a good occupancy, the film did excellent business at the box office. Earlier this year, when Murder 3 released, it was declared a hit with its total collections hitting the 21 crore mark. Made on a small budget, the film despite the lack of a loaded script did well, for its ability to deliver foolproof entertainment.

The Jannat Franchise

Jannat AndJannt 2 Movie Poster

Jannat, a crime thriller, was typical of Bhatt’s trademark style of making thriller. However, the movie made on a small budget of approximately 15 crores, became a hit by earning large profits. Its sequel Jannat 2 that released four years later in 2012, was less of a success than its earlier film. The film collected a total amount of 42 crores and was declared a quasi hit by most.

Bhatt’s recipe of hit or super hit films is based on the basic formula of entertainment. Packing together a script with good concept, popular stars and catching music, their brand of cinema is mass appealing. Though the films are often flakily executed, it is the Bhatt’s overall structure of films that is a hit idea with the audiences making each of their films a distinct money spinner repetitively.

Now let us review the credits. While Vikram Bhatt did direct it, Mahesh Bhatt and Girish Dhamija took credits for script writing and dialogue writing. But for avid cine goers it was hard to not find humongous similarities between Raaz and the 2000 release What Lies Beneath. This Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer starrer was directed by Robert Zemeckis. The writing credits go to Clark Gregg and Sarah Kernochan. There are remarkable similarities in the two films especially after intermission. The eerie screams and specter only add to the feeling.

Raaz 2, Raaz 3, Raaz and What Lies Beneath Movie Poster

Gone are the days when Pran or Amrish Puri along with Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Ranjeet were considered to be the only antagonists of any Hindi film. Today, mainstream actors and the so-called positive character playing heroes and heroines opt to play grey shades. Experimentation is the call of the season as numerous B-town stars are queuing up for a challenging but villainous role in their films. With 2012 drawing to a closure, we celebrate the actors and actresses who bedazzled us with their negativity and strength this year.

Nominations at a glance!

Sanjay Dutt for Agneepath

Sanjay Dutt in a still from Agneepath

No one could have actually anticipated the return of Bollywood’s Khalnayak to form with the menacing Kancha Cheena, but Sanjay Dutt hammered the statement and how! With a more than brilliant portrayal of the much famous villain reprising the original with immense equanimity, the man who breathed life into Vaastav, Khalnayak and Khauff playing the baddie before ranks high on our list. No two ways!

Rishi Kapoor for Agneepath

Rishi Kapoor in a still from Agneepath

A classy performer of sorts, it came as a huge surprise for all Agneepath fans as news of Rishi Kapoor adorning Rauf Lala hit headlines. A film where raging antagonists overpowered protagonist-ic elements in the movie itself, Rishi Kapoor as the staunch ugly pimp Rauf Lala was bewildering. Hence a well deserved nomination.

Neil Nitin Mukesh for Players

Neil Nitin Mukesh in a still from Players

An industry starlet who took the negative route to stardom playing a grey character right in his maiden venture, Neil Nitin Mukesh scored high on our wolverine list as he packed in Spider with assumed punch! In an innately lack luster plotline he kind of rejuvenated the role of a baddie with refreshing panache. What a Player he is! We ought to agree to that though.

Gulshan Devaiah for Hate Story

Paoli Dam and Gulshan Devaiah in a still from Hate Story

Slightly tilted and inclined towards the unconventional territory of Bollywood, this young gun from tinsel town has taken measured steps into establishing his name in filmdom. With beautiful performances in films like Shaitan and That girl in Yellow Boots credited to him, Gulshan took the big leap playing the villain in Vikram Bhatt’s erotic thriller Hate Story. The film tanked at the box office but his portrayal of a vengeance filled entrepreneur rose high on vindication.

Bipasha Basu for Raaz 3

Bipasha Basu in a still from Raaz 3

Bipasha Basu who set a benchmark for other actresses after taking the grey route with her bold Jism playing a vicious Ajnabee with oomph, this dusky Bong babe has set the money spinning for her producers when she slipped into the red and black gowns of blood and black magic in Raaz 3. Her Shanaya Shekhar stands as an epitome of revenge, vengefulness and retribution, parceling in oodles of glamour in a narrow slit robe. For more than that, her eyes did all the speaking.

Neha Dhupia for Rush

Neha Dhupia in a still from Rush

A sultry B town diva who sizzled on screen in every frame she appears suddenly took an eventful U-turn as she culled for a challenging exercise of playing a media tycoon with grey shades. The film sank without a trace but Neha Dhupia was critically applauded for her pursuance. Brownie points to her for trying something completely different, shying away from the limited genre of bold films that she has been a part of.

Mithun Chakraborty for OMG Oh My God!

Mithun Chakraborty in a still from OMG Oh My God!

One of the most versatile and the finest talents that India has ever witnessed, this extremely humble superstar essayed the role of a humbug Swami with consumed acme and arête. Leading the battalion of swamis was Mithun Chakraborty, who charmed the audience with his funny histrionics and conspired mastermind. In a film that was aesthetically meant to reform the social warts that plague the Indian society, Mithunda’s Leeladhar Swami was definitely the cherry on the cake, complimenting Paresh Rawal’s Kanjibhai with transcendence.

Prakash Raj for Dabangg 2

Prakash Raj in a still from Dabangg 2 Movie

The menacing villain who proved his mettle with a meticulously scripted negative act in Rohit Shetty’s Singham geared up to don the negative yet again in superstar Salman Khan’s magnum opus Dabangg 2. Playing the shrewd and corrupt politician Bachcha
Lal with innate fervour and quality, Prakash Raj delivered a boisterously bewitching performance and surprised all of us yet another time. The grueling action sequences and the witty dialogues added to the charm!

Now with a lot more star studded entrances into the supporting crew list this year, we revisit the Top 5 Supporting actresses of 2012 who not only wowed the masses with a brilliant performance but also were at par with the lead actors, if not better!

Kareena Kapoor – Talaash

Kareena Kapoor in a still from Talaash Movie

While one was wondering who the lead star of Aamir Khan’s Talaash is, the director clearly called the shots bringing Rani to the fore as the leading lady! Even though Rani was the leading lady of this suspense drama, it was Kareena Kapoor who stole the show with an uber chic act of a prostitute with consummate ease as she essayed Rosy. While critics critically attacked the film for its mystery revelation, they called Kareena’s role as the consort battleship that could never even show a sign of sinking! Supporting and making Aamir’s Talaash is successful, Kareena as the friendly ghost drew a lot of cheers from all and sundry.

Diana Penty – Cocktail

Diana Penty in a still from Cocktail Movie

Some say Models don’t act but this leggy supermodel really made the statement a myth as she scorched screens alongside Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan in Cocktail! Touted as a blend of friendship, fashion and love, Diana Penty’s portrayal of the three central themes were aptly perfect. Diana easily metamorphosed from a typical introvert girl to a mature romantic lovelorn lady in the film, thereby hammering upon her acting prowess and what she has in store for all. With such a critically acclaimed supporting act up her sleeve, it would be nice to see how she fares in future.

Anushka Sharma – Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Anushka Sharma in a still from Jab Tak Hai Jaan Movie

The complete jackpot of the classic yet contemporary romantic filler by Yash Chopra, Anushka Sharma’s Akira was gritty, strong-willed, determined, spunky and deliciously effervescent. With not much of a contrast to Anushka in real life, she played Akira Rai to eased perfection and helped the chemistry between the lead Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan come out even stronger. Much a time you empathized with this wonder girl of sorts, but then you are shuddered with realizations of this vivacious doll eating away all the cake from the lead actress, somewhat on the acting front. She completely lived it, ‘Jiya Re’ style and how!

Ileana D’Cruz – Barfi!

Ileana D’Cruz in a still from Barfi! Movie

With a career defining debut in an enthralling film like Barfi!, South superstar Ileana D’Cruz infused life into Shruti when she stepped into her shoes from frame one. Playing the docile yet urbane Shruti with elegance, poise and grandeur, this actress packed in the best support of its kind to lead actors Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. A piece of marvel, Ileana played her part to cinematic brilliance as she not only looked stunning, but performed with all her heart and passion. Barfi and Jhilmil could never have been the same, had Shruti not existed!

Richa Chadda – Gangs of Wasseypur

Richa Chadda in a still from Gangs of Wasseypur Movie

Fiery, feisty and a firecracker, Nagma Khan, the character from Gangs Of Wasseypur was all so enviable because of this one wonder woman. Transforming from a teenager to an old lady in the film, our Miss Fire set the stage on fire with such a scintillating performance backing the pivotal characters in the film, ushering in all the glory and fame. While one credits Manoj Bajpai and Nawazuddin Siddiqui  for their effective portrayal of sorts, one cannot even dare to miss our darling Richa Chadda from the film’s USP list!

Let’s take a sneak peek into this year’s nomination for Koimoi’s ‘Best Poster 2012’ crown.

Agneepath:

Hrithik Roshan In Agneepath Movie Poster

The year started on the Big Bang note with a power packed poster from the Karan duo, as they took the pictorial romancing road catching Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan sharing an up close and personal intimate moment with each other through the camera lens. The other one was a bigger hit with the face off between Hrithik’s Vijay Dinanath Chauhan and Sanjay Dutt’s menacing Kancha Cheena act. And another with the angry young ‘Vijay’s’ solo poster. What added to the gravitas? The fiery and feisty inclusion of the burning Fire in the backdrop!

Vicky Donor

Ayushmann Khurrana In Vicky Donor Movie Poster

A film that crossed the traditional barriers, bringing in a sensational but deliberately hidden issue to the forefront, Vicky Donor scored huge on its first look. Ayushmann Khurrana who calls himself ‘Lakhon mein ek’ for valid reasons openly confessed: ‘I Am a Sperm donor’ with his various ‘roops’ all behind him and guess what, The ‘O’s of Donor had a lot to tell! Ahem.

Kahaani

Vidya Balan In Kahaani Movie Poster

A pregnant Vidya Balan, a wife entangled in her earnest voyage on a relentless search for her lost husband standing against the busy city life and streets of Kolkata as the backdrop, Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani was a mesmerizing watch from the first frame, the first look! Vidya emblemized and epitomized Ma Durga, the Goddess of Strength with a beautiful graphic design transforming the usually sweet, docile Lolita to a consort of a battleship. We loves!

Housefull 2

Boman Irani, Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee, Ritesh Deshmukh, Asin Thottumkal, Akshay Kumar, Zarine Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Jacqueline Fernandez And John Abraham In Housefull 2 Movie Poster

Sajid Khan is a man of words, we must admit; when he promised for fun worth a dozen in his mad cap comic caper, he delivered just what he sought for. The film was a laugh riot and the poster, boisterous! With everyone from the veterans like Mithunda and Chintu Kapoor to the actresses like Asin and Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan and our loved Khiladi Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, John Abraham under one shade, the poster was magnanimously a peek-a-boo into the madness that awaited!

Rowdy Rathore

Akshay Kumar In Rowdy Rathore Movie Poster

Akshay Kumar, the “Faulad ki Aulad” attempted his hand at another masala action comedy, another South Indian remake in his rebellious avatar with a poster as rambunctious as Rowdy Rathore. Moreover the poster punch came with a hand painted look and seemed to be for the masses, by the masses, from the people who belonged to the masses.

Ishaqzaade

Arjun Kapoor And Parineeti Chopra In Ishaqzaade Movie Poster

Another youthful film that made a huge impact was Ishaqzaade. With such a gripping plot and the effervescent chemistry and tiff between the two lead characters aptly portrayed with the poster where a feisty Parineeti Chopra poses in Arjun Kapoor‘s arms, with a fearless look.

Jism 2

Sunny Leone And Randeep Hooda In Jism 2 Movie Poster

Bold, sexy and completely vivacious, Jism 2 set new standards in the territory of posters by taking the whole nation on a stormy roller-poster ride! Raunchiness got a new definition and Seduction got a new dimension when the makers released the first look poster of the film showing a completely nude anonymous model showing her assets, covered in a stretch of white satin cloth. The poster went viral, crowd went beserk as the film makers stamped onto what to expect out of the first Sunny Leone starrer Hindi film. Results were stunning as the film, although with a poorly written script, garnered the necessary moolah, courtesy the tantalizing much-expected skin show. Here’s another steamy poster of Miss Leone getting intimate with Randeep Hooda.

Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan And Katrina Kaif In Ek Tha Tiger Movie Poster

The story of an Indian intelligent agent, Tiger aka Salman Khan falling prey to the lovely and gorgeous Katrina Kaif was always in the news from its announcement, but once the digital poster released, there was an habitual mass hysteria, after all its a Salman Khan film! Set against the backdrop of a city under threat and helicopters flying all around, Tiger shuns the world with his silhouetted appearance along with a gun in one hand and Kat staring fearlessly behind him. The poster reminded many of the numerous PC games we play: from Max Payne to Assasin’s Creed, ETT had it all.

Raaz 3

Emraan Hashmi And Bipasha Basu In Raaz 3 Movie Poster

With the dusky damsel, the evil Bipasha ‘Shanaya’ Basu enveloped by spooky hands served the best poster for a film belonging to this genre. While Bipasha’s oomph and the skimpy outfit made the crowd go ‘Oo-la-la’, Emraan’s blood red eyes did all the talking.

Barfi!

Ileana D’Cruz, Ranbir Kapoor And Priyanka Chopra In Barfi! Movie Poster

The most light hearted yet the most touching film of the year, Barfi! opened to rave reviews after its first look was revealed. The poster that captured the Kapoor rockstar in his different avatars served for a fun outline of the character Murphy- the man of troubles, from the film. Being chalu, loved, charming, happy, and crazy and most importantly Being Barfi became the new flavour of the season. And how we adored him! Later, the makers also unveiled a poster featuring Ranbir sitting on  a bench between ‘Jhilmil’ Priyanka Chopra and the sweet lady Ileana D’Cruz.

OMG Oh My God!

Akshay Kumar And Paresh Rawal In OMG Oh My God! Movie Poster

The Kanjibhai versus God battle was taken to new heights with a stunning poster of sorts, in the form of OMG: Oh my God’s first poster. While Akshay played the Kishan Kanhaiya in disguise, the modern day treatment was effectively visible in the way Akki, the God was handed over a cosmopolitan bike as his ‘vahan’, Paresh Rawal’s Kanjibhai mocked the unnecessary and gibberish superstitious social beliefs at large.

Student of The Year

Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt And Varun Dhawan In Student Of The Year Movie Poster

Two hot dashing dudes, one smocking hot diva, and an interwoven story of Love, Friendship, Life and Competition was the base for Student of The Year’s posters. The poster was brilliantly chic and was efficacious in bringing out KJo’s larger than life depiction of college verve, harking back to the Kuch Kuch era! Oh-so-Hot, we almost melted!

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif And Anushka Sharma In Jab Tak Hai Jaan Movie Poster

Torn apart from pages of Major Samar Anand’s life, this Yash Chopra classic romantic saga, unfortunately his last had a masterpiece in the making. Yes, we are talking about the poster that created a huge frenzy on the day of its release. Featuring the lead stars of the film, the poster effectively captured the two sides of Shah Rukh’s character: the cute loverboy as well as the strong army officer laced with oodles of attitude. With another sensational poster featuring the strong and fierce army officer with stubble on a bike with a backpack, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a mesmerizing imagery with stunning visuals, one that remains a Yash Chopra trademark.

Son Of Sardaar

Ajay Devgn In Son Of Sardaar Movie Poster

The first poster featured Ajay Devgn entering through a majestic doorway in a Patiala Sikh makeover. A thorough mark of genius graphic designing could be apparent in another poster as almost half a dozen tried to get hold of Ajay Devgn, the Sardar who tries to run away with our desi-femme-fatale-turned-Punjabi-kudi Sonakshi’s picture and what leads to is an entailment for Life! Aptly delineated for a mad comic cracker like this, the Poster definitely made Vengeance look extremely funny! You bet.

Talaash

Kareena Kapoor, Aamir Khan And Rani Mukerji In Talaash Movie Poster

With the top cop protagonist standing against the backdrop and the backlash of an entire city, troubled with some serial accident cases, the Talaash posters grabbed quite a few eyeballs. Alongside, a pensive Rani Mukherjee and a suspicious Kareena by the side added to the dash of suspense in this Aamir Khan thriller. Having an uncanny resemblance to Balan’s Kahaani posters, debates on its originality came as eruptions within moments. And guess what, the answer did lie within!

Khiladi 786

Akshay Kumar from Khiladi 786 Movie

The poster in itself was a comeback of sorts as India’s biggest action superstar was back to where he belonged, playing Khiladi! Decorated with colours of all sorts, from the lighter ones to the shocking neons and the too-much-of-green, Khiladi 786 posters stamped upon the masala that the film promised on. With the red lined aviators and the kada in hand, Akshay’s hand packed in the perfect punch.

Dabangg 2

Salman Khan In Dabangg 2 Movie Poster

All it said was ‘Here comes Chulbul Pandey’ and the four words were enough to create a sensation in the industry. Salman Khan, who is a phenomenon himself today, struck a Chulbul pose in his mustached archetype, adorning his famous goggles and the thaanedar uniform. And the bullet fire drove millions crazy and the attitude robbed several hundreds of their hearts. The Dabangg 2 poster did make a statement: Pandeyji is here to stay and how! We agree, without a hitch!

Now that almost all the movies are out, and all posters are available on the Internet, take a glimpse of all the nominated posters and choose the best of the best for the coveted crown.

As we say it, let the best poster walk away with the cake! Rain votes for your favourites.

OMG Oh My God! and Cocktail are at No 9 and 10 positions respectively. However, with major releases like Talaash, Khiladi 786 and Dabangg 2 coming its way, the positions of  the above listed movies will surely budge. To be more precise, OMG Oh My God! and Cocktail might lose their position in this list after the release of these biggies.

Son Of Sardaar and Raaz 3 Movie Posters

Son Of Sardaar and Jab Tak Hai Jaan will both enter the 100 Crore Club soon. With Bol Bachchan and Son Of Sardaar, Ajay Devgn has undoubtedly established himself as a strong and safe bet is the single screens as it was the single screens which helped Bol Bachchan to the 100 crores club.

This weekends collections will change the fate of many movies in this list. Sanjay Dutt has a lot of reason to rejoice as two of his films with important roles namely Agneepath and Son Of Sardaar are in the Top 10 list currently.

MKS tweets at @mksmukulsharma

Said Mukesh Bhatt, “Son Of Sardaar has got more shows than Jab Tak Hai Jaan as far as multiplex are concerned. And in single screens, they say that Jab Tak Hai Jaan has more screens. That can be because of the choice of the exhibitors. Who are you and I to decide? Dukaan meri hai, main chahunga mujhe ye product rakhna hai, toh main wohi rakhunga. That is my call. We cannot interfere into people’s individual choice. And that’s a commercial deal between an exhibitor, a distributor or a producer. So, that’s a personal call. One can fancy ‘A’ product, other may fancy ‘B’ product.”

Check out the video right here:

Mukesh Bhatt At Raaz 3 DVD Launch Event

The actor, very well known as the ‘serial kisser’ of Bollywood, while interacting with the media said that he is still kissing in his films and will continue doing the same in his future ventures.

Quipped Emraan, “I am still kissing in my films and will keep doing that. But I am lucky to have earned the HIT tag as I have always opted to work on unique films.”

When questioned if he is planning to play a romantic character in any mainstream romantic films, the actor answered very honestly, “I don’t know about my sensibility, I don’t know about the way I look and if I fit in with my looks into a love story, whatever. But I think I am pretty twisted in my head to do a traditional romantic film. My idea of romance is also extremely quirky and twisted. I don’t think the world is ready for it yet.”

Check out the video right here:

Emraan Hashmi at the DVD Launch of Raaz 3 Movie

OMG Oh My God! and Raaz 3 Movie Posters

From taking a rather disappointing opening at the box office to beating ‘Masala’ flicks like Raaz 3, Akshay Kumar’s OMG has really come a long way.

The Koimoi.com Top 10 India Box Office 2012 Chart now has 3 three Akshay Kumar starrer movies, Rowdy Rathore, Housefull 2 and OMG.

Akshay is sitting pretty good with Two 100 crores movies and One 70+ crores with a mix bag of Action , Comedy and Thematic drama. Though Paresh Rawal had a great contribution in OMG, Akshay has complimented well with his role. These can make you forget the forgettable Joker. Also with Khiladi 786, Akshay is expected to deliver one more mass action/comedy superhit movie. This is what we call a SUPERSTAR.

MKS tweets at @mksmukulsharma

Bipasha Basu in a Still from Raaz 3 Movie

After making a 1.80 Crores in its 3rd weekend at the domestic box office, Raaz 3 went on to make another 0.75 Crores between its 3rd Monday and Thursday. The movie made 2.55 Crores in its 3rd week at the domestic box office. Raaz 3 now stands at a domestic box office collection of 72.90 Crores.

There has been no improvement in its overseas box office collections and the movie has made just 4.60 Crores overseas. The Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta starrer horror flick has made 77.50 Crores worldwide as of now.

Raaz 3 is out of most of the cinemas  now and is not expected to do more business at the domestic or for that matter overseas box office. However, Emraan Hashmi sure has a hit in his bag yet again. The collections are in no way more than the ordinary.

Even though the movie faced stiff competition from Barfi! and Heroine it went on to live its box office journey to the fullest. Let’s see what business Emraan’s next venture Rush does at the box office.

In this period the star power has risen yet again with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgan booking the top 5 slots with their respective films grossing over the 100 Crore benchmark in this period. But surprise surprise as Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani has made a fair entry in the list of the rockers of the first half. It goes without doubt that the delightful Barfi! is supposed to make a home run given the brilliant reception and has taken a great lead in our list which sadly evaded Kareena Kapoor starrer Heroine’s fate.

Although Akshay Kumar’s OMG Oh My God!, releases this September end but we still go ahead with our list as it takes merely 3 days of the month. With an assortment of comedy, action, drama and thriller we present the list of flicks grabbing the top slot and rounding up the first nine months of the industry.

The 9 month report card offers a mix of drama, action, comedy, dirty comedy and speaking loud and clear that star power and content both do work independent of each other.

Ek Tha Tiger

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Ek Tha Tiger Movie Poster

The imminent winner with no hiccups on the way is Sallu Bhai’s Ek Tha Tiger which saw an Independence Day opening with a fabulous 32.92 crores on its opening day itself. The Yash Raj’s experiment with high dosage of stunts and reworking of the hit pairing of Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan did box office wonders for the multi Crore venture. The film has said to have earned about a staggering 198 crores and no wonder rules our list as the top grosser till now.

Rowdy Rathore

Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer Rowdy Rathore Movie Poster

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s gaudy adventure into the comic genre has surely proved lucky. The Prabhu Deva directed action masala with Akshay Kumar and the recent Bollywood lucky charm, Sonakshi Sinha gave the box office a severe jolt to make way for an astounding 131 Crores. The film’s return to the flashy attires and smarty one liners with quirky dance moves has aptly secured the film the second slot in our list.

Agneepath

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Agneepth Movie Poster

The third position has been retained by the action drama Agneepath, a remake of Yash Johar’s 1990 film with the same name. The film produced by Karan Johar boasted of a heavy star cast containing Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra. With high hopes pinned the film broke the opening day record of Bodyguard with 2 3.00 crores, later to be overrun by Ek Tha Tiger. Gradually a box office blockbuster the film has grossed about 123 Crores.

Housefull 2

Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Shreyas Talpade, Ritesh Deshmukh, Asin, Zarine Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Shazahn Padamsee starrer Housefull 2 Movie Poster

When you have a mad house with unpredictable characters what do we hint at….obviously Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull 2. The film did manage to steal the limelight with earnings of about a staggering 114 Crores. A long line of stars lead by Akshay Kumar and the charm of yesteryear actors like Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor made the success of the movie seem inevitable.

Bol Bachchan

Ajay Devgan, Asin, Abhishek Bachchan and Prachi Desai starrer Bol Bachchan Movie Poster

Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgan’s super hit pairing struck the bull’s eye yet again and this time with Abhishek Bachchan in the trio’s laughter riot Bol Bachchan. Claiming to be the official remake of Gol Maal (1979) the film ran to packed theatres garnering an impressive 102 crores ranking in the top five positions. The female leads were played by Asin Thottumkal and Prachi Desai.

Barfi!

Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz starrer Barfi! Movie Poster

Anurag Basu’s warm and vivacious romantic comedy Barfi! has created ripples enough to place it in our list of highest earners. Since its release in 14^th September the film has already collected about 101.50 Crores plus and has been chosen as India’s Official Entry to 85^thAcademy Awards. With rave reviews on Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra’s brilliant performance, the heart rendering  romantic comedy is Rabir’s ticket to the 100 Crore Club.

Cocktail

Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Peny starrer Cocktail Movie Poster

A notable gross of 76 Crores puts Cocktail at the seventh spot as per our rankings. The casual story revolving around friendship, love, trust involving three friends received mixed reviews and made for a great business confirming the film’s success rate. Deepika Padukone as the wild and brash Veronica made for the film’s USP added to which was Saif Ali Khan’s jovial presence along with pretty thing Diana Penty.

Raaz 3

Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta starrer Raaz 3 Movie Poster

Vishesh Film’s horror sequel Raaz 3 released in the first week of this month has managed to pull the audience drawing about 70 Crores up till now. The Vikram Bhatt direction has Bipasha Basu return to the Raaz series since its first installment, with Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta in the lead. Well going by the collections it seems the chill must have gone down with the audience pretty well.

Kahaani

Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani Movie Poster

No high end budget no reputed actors yet the lone pregnant Vidya Balan stole the show slowly and steadily for Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani which has earned about 59 Crores. The Kolkata centric film shot with women oriented subject in the crore became one of the most talked about films of the year and received great critical reviews.

Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum

Ritesh Deshmukh, Tusshar Kapoor, Sarah Jane Dias, and Neha Sharma starrer Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum Movie Poster

Ekta Kapoor produced sexual comedy Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum has made a great statement earning 45 Crores in total and 33 Crores in its opening weekend. The film with Ritesh Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor is a sequel to the 2005 hit, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum.

The list stands rock solid till September and is to experience a major shift with prominent releases lined up in the coming months. An interesting wait would be for Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hain Jaan, Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s Talaash, Akshay Kumar’s Khiladi 786, Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha’s Son of Sardaar and the majorly anticipated Salman Khan’s Dabaang 2.

With these power packed grand releases a huge dislodgement is anticipated in the Top 5 positions of the list. An exciting battle is brewing for the year end as one expects the crucial competition for the top slot between Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Akshay. So will it be Shah Rukh’s evergreen romance again, Khilladi’s return to action or Salman again knocking off his own record like always or might it be Aamir taking forward what he started with 3 Idiots.

It will be a wait and watch exciting situation, but you can guess, comment, vote and hope that the best wins the race.

Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta in a Still from Raaz 3 Movie

Raaz 3 made an approx 1.80 Crores in it’s 3rd weekend at the box office. Though the movie had a good opening it seems its run at the box office is on the verge of an end.

The movie has so far garnered 70.35 Crores at the domestic box office. Another 4.50 Crores at the overseas box office brings up its worldwide box office collections to  74.85 Crores.

Barfi! had effected the box office journey of Raaz 3 in the 2nd week itself. However, after the release of Heroine, Raaz 3 was hardly left with any screens and thus the collections came down to a steady drop.

From the looks of it now, Raaz 3 will make a maximum of 73 Crores at the domestic box office, which is very good for the movie. Emraan Hashmi has indeed made it large with Raaz 3. Let’s wait for his next and see what magic Rush creates!

Raaz 3 Movie Poster

Raaz 3 made a small 0.60 Crores on it’s 2nd Thursday at the box office. The movie made about 13.55 Crores in it’s 2nd week at the box office. Raaz 3 now stands at a domestic box office collection of 68.55 Crores.

Adding another 4.50 Crores from the overseas box office takes the movie to a worldwide box office collection of 73.05 Crores. The film could not make money from one of the main overseas market, i.e. UAE coz of an imposed ban.

Raaz 3 would have collected more on Thursday had it not been for the all India strike (Bandh). Seems the growth it enjoyed on Wednesday on the occassion of Ganesh Chaturthi was nullified thanks to the Strike.

After the release of Heroine today, Raaz 3 will lose most of it’s screens to the Kareena Kapoor starrer. From the looks of it film will do a max business of 73 Crores in India.

Esha Gupta in a Still from Jannat 2 and Raaz 3 Movie

This year’s earliest draw was the Bhatt clan’s leading lady for the sequel Jannat 2, Esha Gupta. Originally a model from Delhi, the 26 year old has won the Miss India Pageant in 2007 and modeled for the Kingfisher Calendar (2010). Even though Esha Gupta got mixed reviews on her debut, she went to be labeled with glamour quotient. She was the talk of industry with her sexy sari and diva like look. The pretty lady attracted ample attention and grabbed the successful horror series follow up Raaz 3 which released just recently. One lucky girl we have to say! She worked with Emraan Hashmi then Bipasha Basu and now she is playing a tough IPS officer in the Prakash Jha political thriller, Chakravyuh opposite the likes of Abhay Deol and Arjun Rampal. Vishesh Films has her signed for another of its upcoming production. In the words of the former model itself the public demand is of “beautiful girl on screen…That’s how it works…”

Diana Penty in a Still from Cocktail Movie

The coy and sweet Meera, archetypal of Indian girl and that is Diana Penty in her super hit movie Cocktail. The tall lissome lady caught the attention with ease in the movie’s first trailer itself. She was approached for Rockstar by Imtiaz Ali but was later replaced. Diana has modeled and endorsed reputed brands like Garnier, Maybelline and Virgin Mobile.  She had replaced Deepika Padukone as the brand ambassador for Maybelline and has graced several magazine covers over the time. Diana Penty began walking the ramp in 2005 for Italian designers and has worked with Wendell Rodricks, Rina Dhaka and Rohit Bal. Diana wishes to pursue acting seriously and we surely anticipate her next appearances.

Ileana D'Cruz in a Still from Barfi! Movie

Anurag Basu’s delightful treat Barfi! has become even sweeter with Ileana D’Cruz’s charming and poignant presence. Ileana D’Cruz is not new to stardom, an established actress she has Telugu movies like Pokri (2006), Kick (2009), Devadasu (2006), Jalsa (2009) and Juliya in 2012 to her credit. She began her career hesitantly modelling in Fair & Lovely, Electrolux and Emami Talc’s advertisements. Ileana D’Cruz has been the focus of gossip and a source of hype for the movie. Her role has been much talked about after being turned down by Katrina. But the charming actress has held true to her ground and delivered a memorable act in spite of the presence of Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra which could jolly well fetch her meatier roles. She has been signed for next Hindi film opposite Shahid Kapoor, Phata Poster Nikla Hero due for release next year. Currently Ileana is on house hunting spree wishing to shift base in Mumbai.

Alia Bhatt in a Still from Student Of The Year Movie

And in this rain of new faces of Bollywood we cannot but look forward to Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, Alia Bhatt who is making her grand launch in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year.

Bipasha Basu in a Still from Raaz 3 Movie

Raaz 3 saw a good rise, thanks to the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday on Wednesday. The movie grossed about 1.45 Crores on it’s 2nd Wednesday at the box office. Raaz 3 had made 1.30 Crores on Tuesday hence Wednesday was a small yet considerable growth. Raaz 3 now stands at a domestic box office collections of 67.95 Crores.

Thanks to an overseas box office collection of 4.50 Crores, the Emraan Hashmi starrer is standing at a worldwide box office total of 72.45 Crores. The movie has fallen to a considerable extent at the box office thanks to Barfi!. However, it is not bad for an Emraan Hashmi and Bipasha Basu starrer.

After the release of Heroine this week, Raaz 3 will lose almost all the screens and then will be the real challenge for the latter to make money. The film however is sure to make a 75 Crores plus lifetime collections.

Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu in Raaz 3 And Sunny Leone, Randeep Hooda in Jism 2 Movie Posters

Who creates the contours of decency and morality? And why do we hide behind the garb of our rich culture? Does Indian culture breed hypocrisy? Aren’t we the country which is often referred to as the ‘Land of Kamasutra’ in the West? Bollywood today more directly faces such questions. After “The Dirty Picture” a very angry Ekta Kapoor had exclaimed that if sex scenes or any sexual content is there in the film, it is to enhance the storyline and for the other needs of the audiences, there is Porn.

Bhatts and Vishesh films are the first to recognize the growing need for sexual empowerment in films. Mahesh Bhatt, known for popularizing art films created a masterpiece with “Arth” which championed feminist cause. Much later, the Bhatts became synonymous with making movies with bold scenes. And they are very openly not ashamed of it. Pooja Bhatt, former actress and director, takes it as a challenge to direct films which are erotic thrillers. It takes a great deal of aesthetic sensibility and a newer perspective to develop such themes in the patriarchal set up of the Indian cinema. Jism-2 which starred Sunny Leone tells the tale of a porn star and the movie despite a poor performance at the box office, is not distasteful in anyway.

Arth Movie Poster

Most women portrayed in films these days are real life women who exist among us contrary to stories before which popularized the idea of an ideal Indian woman. The characters were simply unrealistic and created a societal pressure to breed more and more such stereotypical women. Apparently Indian cinema, which is just a mere reflection of the Indian society, is quite reluctant to the idea of an empowered woman, both professionally and sexually.

In crass, raw words, cinema is about selling bodies too. Most films are directed to be a part of the 100 crore club more than telling a good story. Hot women are more appreciated and skin show is natural. So why have double standards and be moralistic about films which have bold scenes. Cinema and Beauty both are high forms of art. And someone who appreciates art shouldn’t judge a film on the skin show. Without moral biases look at a film, in context of its bold scenes as well as the story and entertain themselves without any moral connotations. And well, if they can’t, one mustn’t waste time going to a multiplex. Just download some porn.

Bipasha Basu in Raaz 3 Movie

Raaz 3 made an approx 1.30 Crore on its 2nd Tuesday at the domestic box office. The movie had made 1.50 Crores on it’s 2nd Monday which was a huge drop as compared to its 2nd Friday box office.

The domestic box office total of this horror flick now stands at 66.5 Crores. Raaz 3 has also made a 4.50 Crores collections at the overseas box office which brings up its worldwide collections to 71 Crores.

The release of Barfi! last week had a pretty disastrous effect on Raaz 3. The Ranbir Kapoor starrer had a rocking start at the domestic box office and captured a major chunk of the multiplex crowd which resulted in Raaz 3 losing out a lot of money. However, Raaz 3 is sustaining somewhat well at the single screens.

Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta’s Raaz 3 is looking to close the 2nd week at 13-14 Crores. We still maintain that the movie will make a lifetime collection of about 73 Crores.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine, releasing this week might cut out huge holes in the profits of both Raaz 3 and Barfi! 

Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta in Raaz 3 Movie

Raaz 3 showed a huge drop on Monday making a mere 1.25 Crore as per early estimates. This was an over 60% drop as compared to its 2nd Friday. The Emraan Hashmi starrer now stands at a domestic box office total of 64.70 Crores.

Raaz 3 had made 8.45 Crores on its 2nd weekend which was a bit under expectations. The kick start the horror flick had was not sustainable and the movie started losing out the moment Barfi! hit the screens. Even though the film continues to do somewhat well in the single screens, it has really dropped low at the multiplexes.

Raaz 3 will not make more than 12-13 Crores in it’s 2nd week. The lifetime collections are expected to be in the range of 72 Crores.

Talking of Ranbir Kapoor we have discussed earlier about his Box office journey on koimoi. It has not been a blockbuster or Superhit journey but has been a performance oriented graph.

Emraan Hashmi In Raaz 3 Movie Stills and Ranbir Kapoor In Barfi! Movie Stills

In case of Emraan Hashmi, he may have churned more hits than Ranbir Kapoor in his bollywood career. He has created his fan following and also entered the hearts of Multiplex from being a only Single Screen hero. He also has 3 hits out of his last releases in Raaz 3, Jannat 2 and Murder 2. Not to mention, Shanghai was also an average fare.

Ranbir Kapoor on the other hand is currently a mutilplex hero as seen from his last 2 releases Rockstar and Barfi!. Rockstar also had a good start but couldn’t earn a commercial success tag.

The star power is also proven by the strength of the star to command an initial for his movie. Though the likes of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan are a phenomenon these 2 have also done well in their league. Talking about the two stars let’s compare the opening weekend of their recently released movies Raaz 3 and Barfi!.

The above figures say both Ranbir and Emraan are at par in the opening weekend of their last outing. Barfi! has more Multiplex support and Raaz 3 did well of initial multiplex and later single screen support.

Raaz 3 has already achieved 64 crores in India box office and may end at 70 crore lifetime collection. The coming week will tell about Barfi’s stand at the box office.

Emraan made his debut in 2003 with Foothpath and Ranbir debuted in 2007 with Saawaryia. There is no doubt that Emraan and Ranbir are here to stay for a long run coming years. Who do you think is the “Lambi Race Ka Godha”?