<i>Kisna</i>’s debacle : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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Kisna’s debacle
30th Jan 2005 14.00 IST
By Agencies

If the box office verdict is to go by, Subhash Ghai's much-anticipated magnum opus Kisna appears to have flopped.

The disappointed exhibitors of the Rs.300 million saga have dismissed all possible expectations they had from the film. Some exhibitors have even replaced it with the more happening Rs.25 million "Page 3", say some reports.

Subhash Ghai has lost it again after Yaadein , but this time the loss is both monetary (Ghai released the film himself in major territories) and critical.

So what went wrong with "Kisna"? A website reports the views of leading exhibitors.

Manoj Desai, executive director of G-7 multiplex, said: "I think 'Kisna' failed on several fronts. The film itself is a letdown on several counts, one of them being Vivek Oberoi 's get-up. The promos had projected him as a warrior and a poet but his get-up hardly looks the part.

"Subhash Ghai's script left a lot to be desired with the second half stretching indefinitely. Honestly, I think it is pack-up time for Ghai's creativity."

Sanjay Mehta, a veteran Delhi-Uttar Pradesh distributor and exhibitor, is quoted to have said: "We released the film at two theatres and the opening response was below expectations. Audiences who saw the film were totally disappointed. I saw a lot of people walk out mid-way.

"I think the film has taken a beating on every front: script, story, characterization, music and release date.

"The very basis of the film was not a dependable one. Ghai should have known that historical subjects need to be exceptional to be acceptable at the box-office.

"In trying to please everyone, Ghai confused a love story with an action film. The action hardly appealed to the romantic crowd and the romance misfired with the masses.

"The film might have done better had it been made with a newcomer instead of Vivek Oberoi, who hasn't had a very promising track record.

"Also 'Kisna' doesn't have the melodious score so characteristic of Subhash Ghai films like Taal and Pardes .

Sanjay Dalia, general manager of Cineline theatres, said: "Audience response indicates it's been rejected by both the masses and the classes.

"Vivek's journey from Haridwar to Delhi, his high-flown speech on the ethics of love to an English girl ( Antonia Bernath ) were things audience couldn't digest. His longhaired look didn't appeal either. 'Kisna' is unlikely to have a long run. In fact, I have replaced some of the shows with 'Page 3'."