‘M.P.K.K.’ tops yet again!
Box-Office Top 5
By Taran Adarsh, August 13, 2005 - 09:00 IST

1 Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya

2 7 ½ Phere

3 Viruddh

4 …Yahaan

5 Sehar

MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA IS UK BLOCKBUSTER!
Salman Khan comedy approaching half-a-million in UK…

David Dhawan’s latest comedy Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya is a blockbuster in the UK. The big-budget Bollywood film, which stars Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif, has remained in the Top 15 British Box Office Charts for a month now.
Its total collections are currently £483,462, which makes it one of Bollywood’s biggest hits of the year amongst the British Asian audience.

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?'
Box Office Analysis
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Monday, August 08, 2005]

One thought that 'Viruddh' may just about manage to go the 'Baghban' way but that doesn't seem to be the case. Mahesh Manjrekar got critical acclaim but a big commercial success would have to wait. The movie stands below average for now and at maximum may reach the average mark, if people choose 'Viruddh' over the three releases of last week. Lack of post-release promotion and buzz is also not helping the movie's cause. In the nutshell, the movie is struggling to reach the Rs. 10 crore mark.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya continues to earn moolah for the third successive week and the absence of any major competition since its release has only helped its cause. Its success has brightened the prospects of Boney Kapoor's 'No Entry' as the producer is desperately looking for a hit. MPKK is on a comfortable march to a 25 crore run in India alone and has been a profitable venture for everyone involved. Salman Khan delivers yet another HIT !

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya' :-
The movie remained quite steady even in its second week even in the flood torn states . Chances are 'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya' may turn out to be Salman's highest solo earner of recent times as it has already overtaken 'Lucky-No Time For Love' and 'Tere Naam' will also be passed in a week or so . The movie also collects an excellent $ 738,000 from UK while the US collections are not available .

IInd week collections :-

Bombay - 91,38,843 from 29 cinemas , total for 2 weeks 2,92,59,335

Thane district - 11,46,348 from 4 cinemas (7 on F.H.)

Ahmedabad - 18,87,171 from 10 cinemas

Rajkot - 1,04,124 (1 unrecd.)

Bhavnagar(30 shows)- 3,24,450

Solapur - 1,74,786

Nasik (35 shows) - 2,72,977

Delhi - 81,68,029 from 17 cinemas (3 on F.H.)

Noida (35 shows) - 7,63,272

Ghaziabad - 16,32,342 from 7 cinemas

Kanpur - 7,66,201 from 3 cinemas

Lucknow - 12,63,196 from 3 cinemas

Agra - 4,36,375

Meerut - 2,40,906

Moradabad - 1,55,996

Mathura - 68,856

Bulandhshaher - 42,000

Aligarh - 3,82,216

Dehradaun (Uttaranchal) - 2,31,213

Faridabad (East Punjab)- 5,00,576 from 2 cinemas

Gurgaon(East Punjab) - 10,92,700 from 3 cinemas

Nagpur - 5,76,267 from 2 cinemas

Jabalpur - 1,64,375 , total 2,82,780

Amravati - 1,93,598

Akola - 1,41,210 , total 3,88,005

Raipur - 2,23,131

Chandrapur - 1,06,005 , total 3,36,015

Sehore (4 days) - 47,320

Ujjain - 1,15,686

Jaipur - 3,28,530 ( 1 on F.H.)

Ajmer - 4,63,970

Bikaner - 1,70,071

Bangalore (56 shows) - 10,06,110

Calcutta - 13,99,775 from 4 cinemas

Madras - 9,35,480 from 4 cinemas

Second week collections :3,47,69,396 from 112 cinemas (reported)

Total for two weeks(calculated):All India 18.25 cr -18.40 cr

Verdict :- Given the classification system we follow , based on distributors cost ( including print and publicity) 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' is an above average in India and good in UK .

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?'
Boxoffice report (indiatarget)

Salman Khan starrer 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' might have tackled the political enmity and anger, but could not survive to rain.
However the film has ranked number ten in the national British box office charts. And with the rain-rocked city becoming normal, the David Dhawan directed film began doing well at the local box office also. And director David Dhawan once again showed, why he is titled Comedy King.

Movie: Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Cast: Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sohail Khan, Katrina Kaif, Arshad Warsi Positives: Brilliant performances, great comic timing, excellent music and hilarious dialogues. Negetives: Storyline sometime seems not so convincing. No. of Weeks: 3 Box Office Verdict: No doubt, it's a hit!

Cinema halls pass their screen test
NANDINI RAGHAVENDRA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, AUGUST 05, 2005 12:23:03 AM]

MUMBAI: Nothing will deter Mumbaikars from being entertained. Not even the unprecedented week-long deluge. For cinema halls which had power and staff, it was box-office bonanza time. And we are not talking about South Mumbai only. Dadar, reportedly waist-deep in water in some areas, had more visitors watching AB’s baby swing to Dus tunes, at Plaza’s 852 seats,

while Salman Khan’s fans kept Premiere’s 600 seats full watching him romance Katrina Kaif in Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?'
Box Offince Analysis
IndiaGlitz [Monday, August 01, 2005]

Controversies and Salman Khan's fortunes at the box office are inversely proportional to each other! This has been proved once again with the success of 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' that is set for a HIT status all over India. The comic fare by David Dhawan held its position even in the second week and didn't take a sharp dip southward (as is the trend with majority of biggies). The movie has been appreciated by both masses and classes while Sushmita Sen has turned out to be yet another 'saree-clad' icon after Sridevi. The movie is running with decent turnout of audience and a generally positive response and has done a Rs. 15 crore plus business in its two weeks. From hereon, the movie should only aim for an even better BO status with first the ticket sales and then the DVD/VCD sales adding on to the movie's profits.

Salman Khan strikes gold in UK again

Salman Khan continues to be popular in UK with his new movie “Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya” featuring in the UK top ten movies. His film started off at number seven in its opening week and then was still around at number 10 after the second week. Salman’s movies have always been popular in UK, with this movie in the close heels of the success in UK of his earlier film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi as well as the good showing of his Lucky – No Time For Love and Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha . Despite protests and controversies in India affecting the revenue of Salman’s latest film, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya has performed better than avergae even in India.

Both the Salman starrers ‘Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya’ and ‘Lucky-No Time for Love’ have fetched one of the best collections in UK this year for a Bollywood film in the opening weekend. While ‘Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya’ earned 148,298 British pounds (nearly Rs 1.2 crore) in its opening weekend from just 35 screens, ‘Lucky’ earned 122,913 Pounds in its opening weekend from just 29 screens with a per screen average of 4,238 Pounds

Salman rocks UK box office!
28th July 2005 09.15 IST
By Agencies

He may have the penchant to be in constant limelight due to his 'erratic' off screen behaviour but when it comes to his films, Salman Khan continues to draw in the crowds in India as well as abroad.

The protests from several quarters to its screening notwithstanding, Salman's latest film Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya has stormed the UK box office, reiterating his 'huge draw' among the overseas audience following as it does in the close heels of the success in UK of his earlier film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi as well as the good showing of his Lucky – No Time For Love and Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha .


'Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya', which has already fetched 'above average' returns in India despite protests over its screenings in several parts of the country, has figured in the UK top ten releases in two consecutive weekends, following its release on July 15, trade sources said.

The film opened at number seven in the UK top ten, ahead of the Hollywood blockbuster 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith', earning 148,298 British pounds (nearly Rs 1.2 crore) in its opening weekend from just 35 screens with a per screen average of 4,237 Pounds (Nearly Rs 3.5 Lakh).

In its second weekend, the film figured at number ten in the top ten, earning 83,177 UK Pounds (nearly Rs 60 lakh) from just34 screens, taking its total earnings to 320,800 UK Pounds (nearly Rs 2.5 Crore) in just first ten days of its release.

Trade analysts say that the fact that 'Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya' is Salman's fourth film in recent months to figure in the UK top ten after David Dhawan 's 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi', Atul Agnihotri 's 'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha' and Sohail Khan 's 'Lucky-No Time for Love' proves that his presence in a film is a big draw at the box office.

Infact, both the Salman starrers 'Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya' and 'Lucky-No Time for Love' have fetched one of the best collections in UK this year for a Bollywood film in the opening weekend. While 'Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya' earned 148,298 British pounds (nearly Rs 1.2 crore) in its opening weekend from just 35 screens, 'Lucky' earned 122,913 Pounds in its opening weekend from just 29 screens with a per screen average of 4,238 Pounds, which was better than the performance by films like Vipul Shah 's Waqt – A Race Against Time , Karan Johar 's Kaal , Yash Chopra ‘s Bunty Aur Babli , Vidhu Vinod Chopra 's Parineeta , Shah Rukh Khan 's Paheli and the Sanjay Dutt - Shilpa Shetty starrer Dus .

Infact, 'Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya' is the tenth Bollywood film this year to earn more that 1,00,000 Pounds in its opening weekend.

The last three months have seen a series of Indian films, including 'Lucky', the Big B-starrer 'Waqt', the Abhishek Bachchan - Rani Mukherjee starrer 'Bunty Aur Babli', the Saif Ali Khan starrer 'Parineeta' and the SRK - Rani starrer 'Paheli' strike gold at the British box office.

ANOTHER SALMAN KHAN SUCCESS IN THE UK!
Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya performing well at box office…

David Dhawan’s latest comedy ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?’ is proving successful overseas. The big-budget film (which stars Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif) is currently number ten in the national British box office charts after managing to collect an impressive £83,177 during its second weekend of release in the UK. Its total collections are now £320,800. Looks like David Dhawan has another reason to smile!

WRITTEN BY ROBEEL HAQ

Salman rocks UK box office
Wednesday, 27 July , 2005, 17:19

New Delhi: He may have the penchant to be in constant limelight due to his 'erratic' off screen behaviour but when it comes to his films, Salman Khan continues to draw the crowds in India as well as abroad.

The protests from several quarters to its screening not withstanding, Salman's latest film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya has stormed the UK box office, reiterating his 'huge draw' among the overseas audience following as it does in the close heels of the success in UK of his earlier film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi as well as the good showing of his Lucky-No time For Love and Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha.

Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya, which has already fetched 'above average' returns in India despite protests over its screenings in several parts of the country, has figured in the UK top ten releases in two consecutive weekends, following its release on July 15, trade sources said.

The film opened at number seven in the UK top ten, ahead of the Hollywood blockbuster Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, earning 148,298 British pounds (nearly Rs 1.2 crore) in its opening weekend from just 35 screens with a per screen average of 4,237 Pounds (nearly Rs 3.5 Lakh).

In its second weekend, the film figured at number ten in the top ten, earning 83,177 UK Pounds (nearly Rs 60 lakh) from just 34 screens, taking its total earnings to 320,800 UK Pounds (nearly Rs 2.5 Crore) in just first ten days of its release.

Sohail: In defence, of bro and his film
By: Upala KBR
July 20, 2005

Sohail Khan and Ashtavinayak’s Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya (starring Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sohail Khan and Katrina Kaif) began with a great initial, but was trashed by trade people for not being a winner all the way. Even as reports of MPKK not faring well at the box-office filtered in, Sohail Khan brushed them off as baseless. Read on… What has been the response for the film? It opened to 100 per cent collections on the first day almost everywhere, but we can’t judge the first two days because of the controversy that erupted and the fact that screenings were halted at some theatres. Right now, my distributors are doing a bhangra in Rajasthan, Mumbai and Delhi. Even overseas, in UAE, UK and USA, the film is flying. Today being the fifth day, my distributors tell me MPKK is sustaining itself everywhere, and I have no cause for worry. That’s reassuring, because normally, films take a drop from Monday as the weekend ends. The hype and curiosity helps, and audiences are liking the fact that it’s a clean, good film. The public reaction is good.

Was the film affected by the tapes controversy?
The initial two days, yes. But as my distributors told me, if it was a bad film, it wouldn’t have run. Itni controversy ke baad bhi achhi hai, the film is going strong.

Did you do anything to ensure that screenings went on uninterrupted across the country?
We make pictures, not politics. We take films to the public, which ensures that the film runs. On the second day, the public said that that they want to see the film and fought our battle for taking it to the theatres. We didn’t have to do anything. They decided that the film had nothing to do with the controversy.

Do you feel vested interests were trying to sabotage the film?
Of course, isn’t it obvious? And they had to stoop to doing such things because Salman is such an important person and all his films have had great openings. His popularity bothers so many people. The film has taken the biggest opening of the year.

We don’t know who has done it and why — maybe for commercial interests or to gain popularity. The fact is, among all releases this year, MPKK has had the best opening. But they don’t realise that even with all this controversy, Salman still stands tall; the man is adored by his fans.

Who is behind the tapes?
I can’t think who they can be. It was done with a certain motive — to sabotage our film, but they couldn’t succeed. We can’t stoop to that level.

To create so much damage and create negativity speaks of an evil mind. We don’t think like that.

upala@mid-day.com

‘(Mus)Salman’ Khan takes on the Box-office
By Subhash K Jha
Monday, 25 July , 2005, 12:07

A very strange thing happened at the screening of Salman Khan’s latest release Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya in Patna.
When representatives of a saffron-coloured party stormed a theatre screening the film, young boys (aged between 13 and 23) from the nearby Muslim locality suddenly showed up at the theatre shouting ‘Salman Bhai Zindabad’.

Suman Sinha, owner of Regent theatre in Patna is still reeling under the experience. “It was bizarre. I don’t know where the boys showed up from. Within minutes they cordoned off the lobby of the theatre shouting pro-Salman slogans. One of them came forward and challenged the agitators, ‘Salmanbhai ke picture ko koi choo ke to dekhe. Khoon ki nadiyan behengi agar kissi ne haath lagaaya.’ It was a strange and bizarre phenomenon . In my 25 years of experience in this business I had never seen this happening before.”

Hindi cinema has always prided itself for spreading secular values. It mattered little if Naushad (a Muslim) composed and Mohd Rafi sang the Bhajan `Man tarpat hari darshan` in Baiju Bawra or that Shah Rukh Khan played Asoka. Or inversely it makes no difference if Hrithik Roshan (a Hindu) is all set to play Prince Akbar, just like Prithviraj Kapoor had done in Mughal-e-Azam.

If we had to look for secular values we had to look no further than the film industry.

Has the Salman scandal polarized the movie-going audience? Alarmingly enough, this seems to be the case. Even on the tv news channels while the Muslim audience sends SMS in support of Salman , others are unsparing of what they label as anything from truancy to anti-national behaviour.

In the meanwhile, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya has become a raging hit in several parts of the country. Distributors in Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh confirm the film’s certifiable success.

Says the jubilant director David Dhawan, “Family audiences did get scared of the initial protests against Salman. But once the Maharashtra government made it clear to the public that protest against Salman shouldn’t be used as a pretext to hamper the screening of the film, everything went back to normal. Distributors from all over the country are calling to give me news of mindblowing collections.”

Patna exhibitor Suman Sinha confirms, “To the audience it made no difference if Salman had said nasty things to Aishwarya four years ago. In fact I feel the controversy and scandal finally added to the film’s boxoffice collections.”

Salman: Die hard fans

Whenever Salman gets involved in, there's always been some support for him. However, this time, the support came from an unexpected quarter. Recently at a screening of Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya in Regent theatre, Patna, a group of people entered the hall to stop the show after the media published news of Salman's contacts with the underworld. However, things got worse when another group turned up shouting slogans of 'Salmanbhai Zindabad!' leaving the owner of the theatre, Suman Sinha perplexed. One of Salman's supporter came ahead and challenged anybody to even touch Salman's picture. "In my whole life, I have never seen something like this", said Sinha. Now, that is an example of how passionate people are about Bollywood and stars.

BUSINESS TALK
By Taran Adarsh (IndiaFM)
Thursday, 21 July , 2005, 11:06

Controversies & Business

Let's get into a flashback mode!

A few weeks before Rajshri's Hum Aapke Hain Koun was scheduled to hit the screens, Salman Khan's personal and professional lives were making the rounds of newspapers/tabloids/magazines.

Salman's personal life was in a mess. He had split from his girl-friend of many years, there was someone new in his life and a number of not-too-complimentary articles, which could prove damaging to him personally and professionally, were being churned out with amazing regularity.

Salman's professional life was in the dumps as well, with his new releases [Jaagruti, Suryavanshi, Ek Ladka Ek Ladki, Nishchaiy, Chandramukhi, Dil Tera Aashiq] failing to recreate the magic of Maine Pyar Kiya, Saajan, Sanam Bewafa and Baaghi.

Troubled waters!

People in the industry were sure that Salman's career was as good as over. The damaging write-ups in the media, day after day, only confirmed this talk. Around that time, the Barjatyas of Rajshri organised a special screening of the soon-to-be-released Hum Aapke Hain Koun at Mumbai's Liberty cinema for select distributors/exhibitors of Naaz Building and the pre-release reports were terrible.

When this writer gave a glowing preview of Hum Aapke Hain Koun, exactly a week before its release, people chose to turn a blind eye to it. Nothing could save Salman, not Sooraj R. Barjatya either, everyone felt!

But the moviegoer thinks differently! When the lights are switched off in a movieplex and as the reels unfold, what really matters to a moviegoer is how interesting the story is. Every thing else takes a backseat. Hum Aapke Hain Koun worked and how. The damaging articles, the controversies plaguing his personal life, nothing could stop the film from being a success!

Now to the present!

Salman is facing a bigger storm this time around. A few days before Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya was supposed to hit the screens, the conversations between Salman and Ash were made public by newspapers/tabloids/television channels. There were oppositions/obstacles when the movie released, but that didn't deter the moviegoer from thronging the cinema halls screening this comic caper.

Talking from the box-office point of view, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya had an excellent start all over, reaffirming Salman's star power at the box-office. Earlier this year, Lucky - No Time For Love had also embarked on a terrific initial. The first weekend of Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya was strong everywhere [90% +] and the collections on Monday were rock-steady [75% +] at most places.

But Tuesday onwards, the collections have been on a decline. At places, the drop in its business has been marginal, at some theatres it's drastic. Nevertheless, thanks to the excellent first four days, the first week numbers/shares are expected to be impressive.

The business of the film has been affected at places due to the cancellation of shows and partly due to the damage the media did over the days. Also, a section of moviegoers stayed away from movieplexes fearing unpleasant experiences.

MPKK is a hit, says David Dhawan
Syed Firdaus Ashraf | July 20, 2005 15:06 IST


If you thought the controversial Salman Khan tapes were enough to cause problems for his latest release, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, you were wrong.

After the BJP led strong demonstrations against the film in various parts of India, forcing some theatres screening the film to cancel shows, Mumbai-based tabloid Mid-day claimed the film was a flop four days after it released.

Soon after the story was published, director David Dhawan, along with the film's distributors, held an urgent press conference and claimed the story was baseless.

According to Dhawan, MPKK was holding steady all over India and had earned Rs 2,13,23,471 in the first four days of its release from Mumbai and its suburbs only.

No stopping Salman at box office

He said, "It is performing very well in other centres in India too. I think Mid-Day should have waited for seven days before writing off my film at the box office."

He added that, while page six of the newspaper said the film was a flop, the next page carried an article saying MPKK had started with a sonic bang and the film industry was on a roll.

"They are contradicting their own article in the paper. It is a highly responsible paper. They should have not done this to my film," said an upset Dhawan.

The article had quoted Niranjan Prakash, group leader (sales and marketing), Fun Cinemas at Fun Republic, saying the film was a dud and was performing below expectation.

But Prakash, who was also present at the press conference, refuted the story. "The statement and the story was doctored. I never said those words to the reporter," he clarified. "In fact, we are planning to send a legal notice to Mid-Day because they misquoted me. MPKK is scheduled to be a comfortable hit. It will have a very encouraging collection with an average 80 percent occupancy in our theatres."

Why single out Salman?

Trade analyst Komal Nahta confirmed, "The film had excellent opening and it held on till Monday. It is too early to judge whether it will be a hit, but I can definitely say it this will earn for everybody."

Vinod Mirani, also a trade analyst, added, "The film had a good opening and was holding well. Besides Mumbai, it is doing well in Delhi too."

MPKK first ran into trouble soon after was released. The BJP took umbrage because the film starred Salman, who allegedly told his then girlfriend Aishwarya Rai over the phone in 2001 that he had underworld connections and threatened her to do a stage show for underworld don Abu Salem. A transcript of the conversation surfaced in a Mumbai daily last week.

Salman has denied the taped voice belonged to him.

David Dhawan and MPKK's heroine Sushmita Sen met BJP leader Gopinath Munde and requested him to tell his supporters not stop the film's screenings.

Munde gave his assurance, as there were nearly 3,000 families depended on the film's success.

"The film did well inspite of all the protests and this itself is quite an achievement," Dhawan said. "Nearly 30 shows were stopped all over India but that did not deter people from coming to theatres in large numbers."

Salman 'Khan' and still charms audiences...
A STAFF REPORTER | Wednesday, July 20, 2005 12:49:29 IST

Cinemas report good reviews, sales of Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya

The August 2001 underworld tapes be damned, Salman Khan is back in business! At Eros, Maratha Mandir and Inox, where his new movie, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, is running to capacity crowds, the mood is most certainly pro-Salman.

Yes, it is true, audience support for the Friday release dwindled over the weekend generally all over the city, but that is because the BJP-enforced ban kept cinema-goers away. Once Bollywood had appealed to BJP strongman Gopinath Munde to spare city theatres from their wrath against Salman, the movie picked up like magic. Posters of Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya that had been stripped and set afire, came up again, and queues formed outside the cinemas to see if Salman Khan could rework the decade-old Hum Aapke Hai Kaun charisma all over again. A snap poll conducted among audiences in South Mumbai's cinemas showing the new film proved that he still can... in oodles! An Eros manager said the movie was running quite well, thank you, all the weekend shows too had been sold out. "There was no reason for us to cancel the movie," he said. Outside the cinema, Sidhi Dholakia, an HR College student who ha caught the 3.30 show yesterday, said: " I don't believe anything that is being said about Salman Khan. The phone conversations don't prove anything. I came here to watch the movie only for him... but the movie itself is quite good." Sohel Topiwala, another HR student, agreed, saying, "Salman and Aishwarya were in love when this conversation took place. He was just bragging to his girlfriend. But Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya is well made and funny." Meaning, nothing like the dark and murky side of the actor's real life love affairs as is being portrayed in the media.

"He was drunk during the conversation. But no matter what Salman's character is, the theatres screening his movie should not be affected. I came to watch the movie only for Katrina Kaif. Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya may not be a hit but it will get a good response from the audience," said Prakalp Shah, a software engineer. Inox at Nariman Point was also rocking with the same response for this movie. "The movie is running very successfully. There has been no trouble either, as the BJP has issued a statement to its supporters not to disturb the cinema hall," said an official at the ticket counter. Salman is believed to be innocent by many of the charges levelled against him in the underworld tapes case. Said Prince Loomba, who is studying MBA in SP Jain College, "Salman is targeted only because he is a celebrity. In fact, only yesterday it had come in the papers that the police had tapped his phone without taking the necessary permission. That is clearly an invasion of privacy. How's the movie? It is okay. Leave your brains out when going to see it!"

Maratha Mandir at Mumbai Central was houseful over the weekend and the movie continue to run well. Loitering outside the ticket counter were two friends, Sunita Desai and Meenaxshi Dhamkar, who when asked if they would watch Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya after the controversy, said, "We are watching the movie only for Salman and irrespective of what anybody says, Salman is innocent. We have been trying unsuccessfully to get tickets since the past three days. In fact, we are waiting for the ticket counter to open." Suncity at Vile Parle east has not cancelled a single show of the movie either. "The tickets of all the four shows of the movie were sold out over the weekend. The movie will be successful," said a ticket clerk.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya
OVERSEAS BOX-OFFICE
By Taran Adarsh, July 20th, 2005 - 0930 hrs IST

Good Response!

Bollywood continues its victorious march in U.K. For the third consecutive week, as many as four films have featured in this week's 'Top 15' charts. The new release, MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA, has opened to a heartening response, but when compared to DD-Salman's last hit, MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI, the opening is quite lower. But at par with Salman's last release, LUCKY - NO TIME FOR LOVE.

In the U.S., Asif Kapadia's Irrfan Khan starrer THE WARRIOR has embarked on a decent start on limited prints. The other releases, PAHELI and PARINEETA, are holding well here.

Weekend: July 15 - 17, 2005.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE

MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA has debuted at No. 7 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 148,298 [approx. Rs. 1.12 crores] on 35 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 4,237.

Salman Khan and a clash in a Patna theatre
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service
Mumbai, July 20 (IANS)

A fracas at a Patna theatre screening Salman Khan's latest "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya" between two groups, one storming the movie hall and the other valiantly defending 'Salman bhai', has left the owner stunned.

Suman Sinha, owner of the Regent theatre in Patna, is still reeling from shock after representatives of a saffron-coloured party stormed the hall screening the film, released a day after a newspaper published alleged conversations between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. It got worse when youths from a nearby Muslim locality suddenly showed up shouting "Salman bhai Zindabad".

Describing it as a bizarre experience, Sinha said: "I don't know where the boys showed up from. Within minutes they cordoned off the lobby of the theatre, shouting pro-Salman slogans. One of them came forward and challenged the agitators, 'Salmanbhai ke picture ko koi choo ke to dekhe. Khoon ki nadiyan behengi agar kissi ne haath lagaaya. (Let anyone try and touch Salmanbhai's picture. Rivers of blood will flow if someone touches the film).'

"It was a strange and bizarre phenomenon. In my 25 years of experience in this business I have never seen this happening before."

Hindi cinema has always prided itself for spreading secular values.

It mattered little if Naushad composed and Mohammed Rafi sang the religious hymn "Man tarpat hari darshan" in "Baiju Bawra", or that Shah Rukh Khan played Asoka. Inversely it makes no difference if Hrithik Roshan is all set to play Prince Akbar, just like Prithviraj Kapoor had done in "Mughal-e-Azam".

If we had to look for secular values we had to look no further than the film industry.

Has the scandal over Salman Khan's alleged abusive phone conversations with Aishwarya Rai that also revealed underworld links, polarised the movie-going audience? Alarmingly enough, this could be the case.

In the meanwhile, "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya" has become a raging hit in several parts of the country. Distributors in Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh confirm the film's certifiable success.

Says the jubilant director, David Dhawan: "Family audiences did get scared of the initial protests against Salman. But once the Maharashtra government made it clear to the public that protests against Salman shouldn't be used as a pretext to hamper the screening of the film, everything went back to normal. Distributors from all over the country are calling to give me news of mind blowing collections."

Patna exhibitor Suman Sinha confirms: "To the audience it made no difference if Salman had said nasty things to Aishwarya four years ago. In fact, I feel the controversy and scandal finally added to the film's box office collections."

Indo-Asian News Service

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Public response clip
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Dus initial is 2 crore plus
By: Dinesh Raheja
July 19, 2005
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The film industry is on a roll. It has witnessed successes galore in the last few months. And in continuation of that happy trend, recent films like Dus and this week’s Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, have both begun with a sonic bang.

The year may have started with a modestly-budgeted Page 3 spelling hope for medium-star films. But at the moment, it’s the bigger fish who are cornering all the booty.

The medium-budgeted Fareb, riding on the bare shoulders of the Shetty sisters, Shilpa and Shamita, has been left out in the cold. It debuts at No. 5 in the first week while multi-starrers like Dus, Sarkar and Parineeta nab the top three spots.

This week, Bunty Aur Babli (cumulative collections in Mumbai: Rs 569.5 lakh) overtakes Black (cumulative collections in Mumbai Rs 559.8 lakh) to become the new box-office leader of 2005.

But very soon, if Sarkar continues to fire on all cylinders like it is doing now, B & B will have to cede the top spot to Sarkar. In its two-week run so far in Mumbai, Sarkar has amassed an eye-widening Rs 471.3 lakh. This number is more than the monies amassed by Bunty Aur Babli — Rs 469.4 lakh — in its initial three weeks’ run.

Sarkar couldn’t have come at a better time for Ram Gopal Verma whose last film Naach was a box-office turkey.

Interestingly, both the contenders for the No. 1 slot in the January-July 2005 phase, star the Bachchan jodi of Amitabh and Abhishek. Bachchan Jr in fact has had a hat trick of money spinners: Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar and now Dus (though the latter is not in as big a league as the former two) and there is no doubt that he has now successfully infiltrated the public consciousness.

Dus has crossed the coveted two crore mark in the first week itself but the ticket sales declined as the days progressed.

The new David Dhawan-directed comedy, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, is as substantial as helium. What else can you expect in this comedy after a raving mama crazily drives up the stairs of a courthouse in a three-wheeler? The Khan brothers are totally at home in this anything-for-a-laff desi Cactus Flower.

Sohail Khan reveals a flair for physical comedy while Salman saunters through his role with the ease of a seasoned comic.

Katrina Kaif is icily elegant and Sushmita Sen is the picture of chutzpah. As for the slap-happy mama, the climax has two brats wheeling her at an airport in a luggage trolley. For once airport authorities wouldn’t have been blamed if the luggage had been lost.

The film may be a one-line gag blown out of proportion but is unlikely to go bust. After a shaky start in the matinee shows due to the Salman Khan tape controversy, the film settled down well. The late night show audience I saw the film with broke into titters regularly and kept me awake.

Lights, camera Sush
MEENA IYER

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, JULY 18, 2005 09:20:56 PM ]

I confess that I have the makings of a film-maker. But now I'm content being an actor, says Sushmita Sen

Twenty-nine, a single mother (daughter Renee turns six on the fourth of September), an ex-Miss Universe, actor of substance... these are just some aspects to Sushmita Sen. Very soon, one is likely to see her in the role of a filmmaker. And though she whispers that it is premature to talk of the Indo-Chinese co-production, which she will set up, one must grant her marks for being extremely business savvy.

"Bollywood is always talking of taking their movies to Hollywood. Most people are working on that. However, I personally feel there are other global markets warming up to us. And we must certainly look in other directions as well,” says Sushmita.

However, for the time being, Ms Sen refuses to divulge any more details.

So, instead, we move on to her film career. "Comedy is a genre I'm extremely comfortable with,” she laughs. "David Dhawan and I have made two movies in the past. One was Biwi No 1 and the other was Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahin Bolta. One was a super-hit, the other was not. However, the important thing here is that David and I have a comfort level which helps in making a great film. And Salman and I are extremely comfortable with each other. Also, I have come full circle in my roles with David. In Biwi No 1, I was the other woman. In my latest film, I play the wife. What I like best about David is not whether he makes situational or slapstick comedies. It's his 'don't-bore-me-attitude' which is so great. Many times his films are nonsensical. But I love him for it because David is so unapologetic about the whole thing.”

She recalls being barely 13 when Sooraj Barjatya's Main Pyar Kiya released. And she had these huge cut-outs of Salman Khan on her bedroom wall. Pointing it out to her mum, Sushmita apparently said, 'Ma, you watch, one of these days someone like him will come and whisk me away.' Of course, the elder Sen was not amused by her daughter's daydreams. Years later, the prophecy did come true. "Here I am opposite him,” husks Sush.

Incidentally, Sushmita is also very tech-savvy. And when she's not on a set performing, the actor is busy editing footage of the video-clips that she shoots everyday on her own sets. And then she pieces them together. "My camera travels to places where you guys can't go,” she laughs gleefully. "So, I have footage which is very private. I like going home and editing what I have shot. Of course, it is only for my private viewing.”

And will she someday wield the megaphone? "Looks like it,” she says. "I do confess I have the makings of a filmmaker. But, for now I'm content wearing the greasepaint and going through the motions of being an actor. Ciao.”
timesgroup.com

Khans: Colour co-ordinated
Page 3 party
By: Shaheen Parkar
July 18, 2005

It was too much in co-ordination to be a coincidence. But everyone in Salman’s family (present and future) turned up in the colour green for the premier of Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. Malaika Khan Arora, Seema Khan and Katrina Kaif. We wonder if it was to signify the colour of money. After all, the film took a fanastic initial. Would’ve been interesting to see what Sallu bhai would’ve worn — but he didn’t make it to his own premiere! Mid day

Film Fraternity unites for MPKK
By IndiaFM News Bureau, July 18th 2005 - 1430 hrs IST

Various film personalities met the BJP leader to protest against the attempts of disrupts caused by the political party in the screening of Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya in theatres in several parts of the country.

A delegation of fifty film personalities, including Pahlaj Nihalani, David Dhawan, Boney Kapoor, Sushmita Sen, etc., asked the party to stop the protests as the allegations against the actor have not been proved. The film's disruption is affecting the whole industry, said the delegation.

The leader assured the delegation that the protests will continue, albeit peacefully and the attempts to hamper the screening will be stopped.

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?'
By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

This orthopedist loves female company. And he makes no bones about it.

Off-screen image be damned. Salman Khan rocks and rolls in his new David Dhawan comedy. As an orthopedist caught in a series of amorous crises Salman reveals a ferocious flair for the funnies. He is no stranger to playing the bewildered and frazzled rake. In the irrepressible David Dhawan's BIWI NO. 1 Salman was trapped between the luscious Sushmita Sen and Karisma Kapoor.

Here it's the still-luscious Sen and the new Lolita in town Katrina Kaif. The threesome makes terrific eye-candy for the soul.

Not that Dhawan ever aims for any other part of you except the funny bone. Throughout, he sustains a feverish comic pitch, thanks to the almost-flawless comic timing of the actors and Sanjay Chel's witty wham-liners which are blessedly free of vulgarity except when Rajpal Yadav walks in (if 'walks in' is appropriate considering he plays a crippled soldier) with his raunchy references to legs that cannot stand and all (yipes!).

The minor aberrations apart, Dhawan's remake of Gene Saks' 1960s comedy CACTUS FLOWER leaves you with a big smile. It's sassy and savvy, quick on the uptake and always trotting on the fast track. Sure, a bland patch occurs in after intermission when the rollicking ramble slackens a bit. But then again, Dhawan catches his breath for a final sprint across a climactic canvas that leaves the audiences gasping for breath.

Portions of the film are appropriated from various sources including of course CACTUS FLOWER. The sequence in the aircraft at the end where Arbaaz Khan (making a fleeting brotherly appearance) persuades all the passengers to disembark is ripped off from an episode of the American television serial Friends.

And then there's Sohail Khan… the surprise packet in this slick-and-span comedy of mix 'n' matched couples. His prankish puckish parodic presence replicates Akshay Kumar's drop-'dread' antics in Dhawan's previous comic outing MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI.

The quality of laughter is seldom diluted. Portions of the film are almost theatrical in their thundering display of exaggerated emotions. The opening sequence where the fey Sonia (Katrina Kaif) switches on the gas burner after a lovers tiff with her supposedly married lover Samir (Salman) and is rescued by her new bratty neighbour - Pyare (Sohail), could be straight out of a off-Broadway play… or an episode of Friends.


In some loopy but likeable way, David Dhawan pays a backhanded tribute to Abe Burrows' smash hit play on which Cactus Flower was based, and also to the spirit of the American sitcom where the characters' urban quirks are transmuted into emblems of cinematic celerity.

Sanjay Gadhvi and Nikhil Advani tried to capture the same spirit in MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI and KAL HO NA HO.

Dhawan does it with a panache that parodies the American parodies on television. Cool and kookie, smooth and sassy and yet as desi as the ghee in which grandma makes her paratha, MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA is actually a very smart satire on characters who insist on behaving dumbly due to circumstances.

Who would believe that the cerebrally sensuous Sushmita would actually get into the role of a nurse who gets into her boss' wife's role to appease the man's girlfriend and then his steamroller of a mother (Bina Kak) who, incidentally rolls in the laughs just when the narrative shows signs of sagging.

Once again, Sushmita Sen steals the thunder and lightening. Watch her swift-and-svelte moves in the rain song 'Lagaa Lagaa Re' (composer Himesh Reshammiya, getting the film's mood into his melodies bang-on). Then watch her do the frazzled nurse who turns into the coy wife and then the harridan pretending to be like the evil filmy 'bahu' with a relish that makes the parody appear enormously frothy and delicious.

Sen goes through the gamut and comes up with a performance that very few mainstream commercial actors can equal. Katrina Kaif, pretty as a picture and fortunately not deadpan, is like a kid learning the ropes of play-acting from Sen. She suits the role.

Salman is no stranger to the philandering guy's role. Here he shows unexpectedly inventive qualities (for example the way he uses his eyes to convey deception, confusion and childlike anguish) and comes up with his best performance in recent times.

But it's his brother Sohail who surprises you. Bristling with a neurotic brattiness he comes up with the kind of performance that has no reference-points in Hindi films.

You wish there was more of the super-gifted Arshad Warsi who as Sushmita's not-so-secret admirer leers and sighs at the lady with a gourmet's relish. Surprisingly the songs dances and other emblems of courtship don't get in the way of the narrative. The art direction and cinematography capture the film's bright bubbly spirit without tripping over in giddy excitement.

The over-the-top mood, the exaggerated bonhomie and the broad bravura of characters caught in a cute and corny 5-sided romantic musical chairs involving 5 characters who breathe fire and vice, is infectious.

You may think of MPKK as a no-brainer with laughs borrowed from extraneous sources. But that's a mistake. A lot of brains go into making intelligent actors look spaced-out on the screen.

 Welcome to the world of whacked-out wizardry.

The man of great mirth worth on his 'chic' new film

The pasha of entertainment, David Dhawan, tells an interesting story on how he 'discovered' Katrina Kaif for his new entertainer "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya".

"Salman and I were sitting together when Katrina walked in. I exclaimed, 'What a lovely child!' She's by far the best-looking heroine to have entered the film industry in recent times."

Isn't David unhappy that Ram Gopal Varma has stolen the thunder of reintroducing Katrina?  "No, no!" he protests. "Why should I be unhappy about Katrina being in 'Sarkar'? She had a small role. But everyone liked her performance and looks. She's here to stay."

As for Sushmita who plays the nurse's role in David's own version of "Cactus Flower", the director was sure he wanted none but Sush for the part. "She was my first and last choice for the nurse's role."

The mention of Salman lights up David's demeanour. "He's such a great friend. All my films with him, from 'Biwi No 1' to 'Judwaa' to 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' have been hits. Hopefully 'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya' will also join the gang. It's a very young chic film... younger than 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'. Very chilled out. 

"I banked on youth for success in 'Mujhse Shaadi...' And now this film as well. Although the hero is the same, the girls, the film's look and plot are completely different. So those who are saying 'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya' is an extension of my earlier film are barking up the wrong tree. I'd say I've gone steps ahead. If 'Mujhse Shaadi...' marked the reinvention of David Dhawan, then 'Maine Pyar...' marks my growth in my new phase."

As usual David sounds totally in control. "I'm very charged, very upbeat about the kind of films I'm making now."

Were the female lead and the film's title Salman's idea? "Not at all! I wanted them both in my film. The title seems so apt for the film's plot. It gives a sense of immediate and easy identification with the hero. Salman's 'Maine Pyar Kiya' may have come 15 years ago. But no one has forgotten it. Both Salman and I have come a long way. I can't believe 'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya' is my 37th film! And I've just completed my 38th film 'Shaadi No. 1'.  In fact, I just saw it last night. It's looking really young."

As David grows older, his cinema seems to be getting younger. "I feel I've rediscovered my youth. I think I've come a long way in terms of technique. But finding story writers is becoming a problem," says the man of great mirth worth.

Suddenly David gets nostalgic about his favorite hero. "I've missed working with Govinda lately. We're definitely doing a film together very soon. Govinda may be going through a lean patch. Even I've gone through that. But talent like his cannot be kept down."

'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?'
Box Office Analysis

First weekend performance of latest release

Just like the weekend of 8th July, the weekend of 15th of July also saw three movie hitting the marquee - 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya', 'Mashooka' and 'Mazaa Mazaa'.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya: As expected, the movie took an excellent opening all over India. There were some stray instances of crowd disturbance at certain centers [due to Salman-Aish tape scandal], hence resulting in a few shows been canceled. But huge enthusiasm for this Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sohail Khan, Katrina Kaif starrer coupled with tremendous word of mouth appreciating David Dhawan's direction would ensure that as soon as things get back to normal from Monday on, the collections should show an upward trend. As of now, the movie looks quite safe for its distributors due to an open week ahead. With next week's sole release 'Viruddh' belonging to a different genre, MPKK - a clean family entertainer with good music by Himesh Reshammiya - should continue to tickle the audience's funny bone.

No Salman at MPKK premiere

A Still from 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' For obvious reasons, Salman Khan could not attend the premiere of 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' held last week. The rest of the family (Sohail and wife Seema, Malaika and Amrita Arora) were all there putting up a brave front, as if nothing had happened.

While the opening of the film overseas was reasonably good, the opening in India was affected by the controversy.

No stopping Salman at the box office

Despite the raging controversy surrounding Salman Khan, his new film Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya has had a great opening. Screenings were disrupted and many shows cancelled in Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Kanpur and other places. But the David Dhawan comedy managed to open well, thanks to advance bookings. Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Cast: Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Sohail Khan. Director: David Dhawan. Good slapstick comedy, good music. Lacks a well-told story. Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Great opening.

Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya
Devesh Sharma
Posted online: Friday, July 15, 2005 at 0000 hours IST

What was it like working with Salman? Words fail me, I can’t describe the feeling. All I can say is that it was both an honour and a privilige to work alongside him. You must have been apprehensive about sharing the screen space with him? Certainly, there were butterflies fluttering in my stomach initially but as bhai and me share a great rapport, they settled down gradually. Is he your favourite actor? He is one of my favourite Indian actors, the others being Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. I like bhai’s irresistible sex appeal and baba’s (Dutt) rock solid personality. As for Hrithik Roshan, he can do anything — action, romance, period drama, even a comedy. Luck hasn’t been on his side but given good films, Hrithik has the power to surpass everybody. What is your personal equation with Salman? For him, I will always be a little kid and for me, he would be big brother with the heart of gold. I will always look up to him. And I know he will always be there for me.