Bollywood Hungama

Ramayanas pre-Diwali GAMBLE brings back memories of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: Shah Rukh Khan-starrer opened BELOW Gundaraj, Andolan, Angrakshak and yet REWROTE box office HISTORY

While Diwali falls this year on Sunday, November 8, Ramayana will release three days before the Festival of Lights, on Thursday, November 5. The decision has surprised the trade and industry. After all, the days leading up to Diwali are traditionally considered dull for the movie business. Audiences are busy with last-minute preparations, shopping and festivities, resulting in reduced footfalls. Even on Diwali, collections tend to dip significantly during the evening hours due to Lakshmi Puja. Interestingly, Bollywood Hungama went back in time and discovered that one of Hindi cinema's biggest blockbusters faced a similar situation in 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol romantic drama arrived on Friday, October 20, while Diwali was celebrated on Monday, October 23 (though, as per information on the internet, a section of the population celebrated it on Tuesday, October 25). The film emerged as a blockbuster and continues to run even today at Mumbai's iconic Maratha Mandir. However, what many may not know is that Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was far from an extraordinary opener. In fact, among 15 major releases of 1995, it ranked 15th in both opening-day and opening-weekend collections, earning just Rs. 55 lakhs on day one and Rs. 1.56 crores over its opening weekend. Believe it or not, the opening day and opening weekend collections of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge were lower than those of Karan Arjun, Trimurti, Coolie No 1, Gambler, Rangeela, Barsaat, Andolan, Angrakshak, Haqeeqat, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Ram Jaane, Gundaraj, Hulchul and Veergati! This is particularly remarkable considering that several of these films are barely remembered today, while Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge went on to become one of the most iconic films in Indian cinema. However, the picture began to change once the Diwali holidays kicked in. The film's collections picked up considerably, helping it climb from the 15th position in opening-weekend collections to the seventh position in first-week collections, with Rs. 3.37 crores. Thanks to the strong weekday business during the post-Diwali holidays, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge managed to overtake Angrakshak, Haqeeqat, Sabse Bada Khiladi, Ram Jaane, Gundaraj, Hulchul and Veergati in first-week collections. And that was just the beginning. The film continued its extraordinary run at the ticket windows and ultimately collected a massive Rs. 53 crores in its lifetime, emerging as the highest-grossing film of 1995 by a huge margin. It remains a classic example of how a film's initial performance during the pre-Diwali period can be misleading and how the real picture can emerge only once the festive holidays begin. Another interesting example is Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999). The Salman Khan-starrer arrived on Friday, November 5, while Diwali fell on Sunday, November 7. The Sooraj Barjatya directorial was released on a grand scale. However, the pre-Diwali period affected its initial collections, which were below their full potential, even though it registered the third-biggest opening of 1999. But once the festive period was over, the film witnessed a substantial jump in business. The collections went from strength to strength, and Hum Saath Saath Hain ultimately emerged as the biggest hit of the year. It now remains to be seen how Ramayana fares during its first four days. However, one thing is certain the film will get an opportunity to showcase its full box office potential from Monday, November 9, when the lucrative post-Diwali holiday period begins. After all, as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge proved 31 years ago that a relatively subdued pre-Diwali opening need not come in the way of creating box office history. A list of top 15 grossers of 1995 and their first day, first weekend, first week and lifetime collections Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge First day collections: Rs. 55 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.56 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.37 cr Lifetime: Rs. 53 cr Karan Arjun First day collections: Rs. 80 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 2.24 cr First week collections: Rs. 4.29 cr Lifetime: Rs. 25.29 cr Trimurti First day collections: Rs. 1.06 cr First weekend collections: Rs. 3.07 cr First week collections: Rs. 5.04 cr Lifetime: Rs. 8.58 cr Coolie No 1 First day collections: Rs. 72 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 2.07 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.70 cr Lifetime: Rs. 20.33 cr Gambler First day collections: Rs. 72 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 2.06 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.46 cr Lifetime: Rs. 7.17 cr Rangeela First day collections: Rs. 71 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 2.05 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.73 cr Lifetime: Rs. 20.22 cr Barsaat First day collections: Rs. 68 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.96 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.67 cr Lifetime: Rs. 19.19 cr Andolan First day collections: Rs. 69 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.95 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.20 cr Lifetime: Rs. 6.05 cr Angarakshak First day collections: Rs. 69 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.90 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.10 cr Lifetime: Rs. 5.65 cr Haqeeqat First day collections: Rs. 64 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.83 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.02 cr Lifetime: Rs. 6.25 cr Sabse Bada Khiladi First day collections: Rs. 65 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.82 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.15 cr Lifetime: Rs. 9.40 cr Ram Jaane First day collections: Rs. 62 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.78 cr First week collections: Rs. 3.16 cr Lifetime: Rs. 8.61 cr Gundaraj First day collections: Rs. 61 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.67 cr First week collections: Rs. 2.87 cr Lifetime: Rs. 5.08 cr Hulchul First day collections: Rs. 59 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.65 cr First week collections: Rs. 2.80 cr Lifetime: Rs. 5.75 cr Veergati First day collections: Rs. 57 lakhs First weekend collections: Rs. 1.58 cr First week collections: Rs. 2.62 cr Lifetime: Rs. 4.99 cr