Sardar Harpal Singh has got the beginner’s luck. When nobody in the East Punjab trade was willing to buy Yamla Pagla Deewana at the fancy price it was being offered, this agriculturist went and struck the deal for Rs. 3 crore MG royalty plus Rs. 25 lakh advance. The entire Punjab trade felt, it was a suicidal price to pay but Harpal Singh’s very first film hit the bull’s eye. His first week’s share itself was over Rs. 3 crore! The film has touched the magic figure of Rs. 5 crore!
Again, just six days before Tanu Weds Manu was released, Harpal Singh acquired its distribution rights for Punjab for – hold your breath! – Rs. 1.05 crore. In fact, the film had been sold to Jaspal Dhingra for the territory but the latter agreed to let the all-India distributors (Sunil Bohra and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures) sell it to Harpal who made it clear that, like YPD, he would release it through Jaspal Dhingra only. Again, Harpal’s first week’s share in the case of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ is around Rs. 1.25 crore – much more than his sky-high MG royalty price.
If the distribution rights of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ for East Punjab were sold just six days prior to its release, the deal for Delhi-U.P. was finalised merely two days before. Ginni Arts was the last distributor of the film. It acquired the film for Delhi-U.P. on Wednesday, 23rd February, barely 48 hours before it hit the screens. It paid an MG royalty amount of Rs. 2 crore and, in addition, an advance of Rs. 70 lakh. Believe it or not, its share for the first week itself is over Rs. 2.50 crore.
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