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While some big budgeted films failed to sail through the box office tanker this year, with Sajid Khan’s maha-dud Himmatwala unable to even manage a steady response, given the hype that it surrounded, there were a number of small budgeted films that remarkably worked wonders at the box office arena.
Powerful script, stellar performances, hard hitting storyline and a plethora of euphoric circumstantial boundaries made way for the relatively less budgeted films do a surprisingly delightful business this year. With Kahaani and Vicky Donor being the ultimate pioneers that triggered such a movement last year, let’s take a look at the Surprise Hits of the running year (2013)!
The Indianised version of Hollywood’s ‘Step Up’, ABCD: Anybody Can Dance set the balls rolling with some brilliant and exciting edge of the seat dance sequences, dancing its way to glory, as the film, made at a stark budget of 12 crores opened up to a mammoth response, incurring 5.50 crores on the opening day, having a steady 18 crore weekend and ultimately netting in 45.50 crores, snatching away the Super-hit tag!
Not to forget the heavy competition from an otherwise star-struck big budgeted Special 26 could have little effect on ABCD’s fate! And a positive thumbs up from both the critics and the masses set the cash registrars ablaze.
A Valentine affair of sorts, love might have got murdered in a brutal manner but what came as a surprise was the film, despite having lesser known stars scoring big at the box office front. While its only competitor Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story fell totally flat, Murder 3 collected over 20 crores and its satellite rights helped the film take a huge turn towards the ‘Hit’ brigade!
But the movie did relatively well at single screens, earning some rave reviews, courtesy some carefully strategized promotional campaign.
Call it the flavour of the season, bromance got revolutionized with Kai Po che! setting standards for its other contemporaries to match upto, thereby lifting the tag from its precursor Dil Chahta Hai. A story of three friends woven into a magical masterpiece of sorts, Kai Po Che! stood out as a critic’s darling, and people’s love showered upon the team with the producers raking in a steady 50 crore run at the box office. Stealing away the thunder from Zila Ghaziabad that released alongside, Kai Po Che! had a successful run for weeks until a certain Jolly LLB occurred!
The biggest surprise of the year would definitely have been this Arshad Warsi starrer, which in spite of a poor marketing plan earned accolades for its effective treatment to the sensitive issue of justice in India and the corruption involved alongside. Jolly LLB had a dream run for weeks, clubbing in a 19.50 crore opening week, following up with a lifetime of almost 32 crores. The thunderous response was worth it! Made on a stringent budget of a meager 10 crores, Jolly LLB raced past Mere Dad Ki Maruti, which boasted of a powerful Yash Raj Y-films banner!
When comedy king David Dhawan decided to recreate the magic of the 1981 original of the same name, stakes were sky rocketing. But this utterly delicious and lovably loud take on the original charmed the audience, helping the director have his first hit film after ages. With an opening week as big as 30 whooping crores, the film made a smooth 40 crore lifetime, while the producers were left grinning at their profits. No wonder coz this was supposedly made within a moderate 17 crores!
There was the buzz, there was the hysteria regarding this sequel and there were some oh-so-hummable soulful melodious numbers. Voila! What resulted was a super successful stint of a film that neither boasted of some powerful faces nor had an awe struck plot of sorts. But the entire hoolaboo and probably the emotional connect to the content helped the film sail through more than just smoothly collecting in a mammoth 54.50 crores and still continuing its successful run at the box office. Aashiqui 2 made an opening week business of about 38.50 crores and setting in a perfect example for all other small budgeted films.
With mega heavyweights and star studded films failing to deliver, will the films made at stringent budgets be the new Flavour of the Season? Given the current scenario, one would wonder why not? Move over the gibberish item numbers, the illogical stunt sequences and the starry names, lets witness some beautiful films this year, even if they aren’t as hyped and publicized as any other Khan or a Kapoor starrer!
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