Thaindian News

August 12, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): It is this time of the year when big films shy away from making a public show and smaller films in a heap are seeing the light of the day. With Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Aisha being out of the way, We Are Famil followed by Dabangg is in the queue of big releases in rhe month of September. A dozen odd films are slated for release in the remaining days of August. The ones that are being eagerly awaited are Peepli Live, Help and And Once Again.

Reality, supernatural and spirituality, the highpoints of these three movies respectively are going on air together on the same day. While Peepli Live is a satirical take on farmer suicides, Help scratches below the surface when it comes to spirits, possession and horror. And Once Again (made in Hindi by Amol Palekar) is expectedly an art house drama which is set in Sikkim and features the likes of Rajat Kapoor, Rituparna Sengupta and Antra Mali.

From the opening perspective, it is hard to imagine even the combined collections of each of the three films touching 100% mark. For all the marketing efforts that have gone into Peepli Live, it is still not the kind that would attract footfalls in hundreds on the very first day. It is expected to grow only by means of the word-of-mouth marketing ploy after opening in 40%-50% range. Moreover, one still can’t stick the neck out and claim that Peepli Live would indeed be a wholesome family entertainer in the offing.

Help needs definite help because the makers have just gone ahead and given a hurried release to the film. The songs have just not been promoted, Bobby Deol is nowhere to be seen and Mugdha Godse is hidden behind prosthetics. There is absolutely no idea given to audience around what the film is all about, due to which Help appears to be a non-starter. Same is the case with And Once Again which is going to see a restricted release and would struggle to complete a weekend at the box office.

–Joginder Tuteja/Sampurn Wire