July 12, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor can heave a sigh of relief. Despite a terrific weekend that boasted of 23 crores coming in, there were cynics who were waiting for I Hate Luv Storys to fall on weekdays. Bandh on Monday didn’t help the cause as theaters were closed till evening. Despite that the reception continued to range between decent and good. Approximately 10 crores were added in the next four days that resulted in a collection of nearly 32 crores for the film in the very first week. These are good collections by industry standards and instantly put Imran and Sonam in the top bracket.

The benchmark of 50 crores seems a clear possibility for I Hate Luv Storys. It is a hit affair for Dharma Productions and UTV Motion Pictures.With this latest hit they would be willing to forget the debacle of their earlier project Kurbaan. Also, in one stroke the film has ended up doing much better business than Wake Up Sid which was again a Dharma-UTV collaboration. Yes, there are voices around I Hate Luv Storys that label it as clichéd and just a repackaged affair going right due to some aggressive marketing and promotion. However, when instant coffee is the name of the game and movie making strictly stays a business affair, a fast inflow of cash is the demand of the situation. In that context, I Hate Luv Storys has done truly well.

The film is expected to have some positive impact on the future projects of Imran and Sonam which are Break Ke Baad and Aisha respectively. Of course, it’s the product that ultimately matters, something which many actors would agree (Salman Khan’s Main Aurr Mrs Khanna came after Wanted, Ranbir’s Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year came after Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani). However, it’s the general positive energy in the air that counts and for both Imran and Sonam this is something that would indeed matter most.

–Joginder Tuteja/ Sampurn Wire