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Dark clouds over desi box-office

Arthur J Pais

With Badal earning a paltry $ 64,000 last weekend, the box-office gloom for desi movies continues across North America. The movie was 60th on Variety's box-office chart. Given the usual pattern of 45 to 50 per cent decline for desi movies in the second week, it could exit with just about $ 150,000 in three weeks.

Pukar, which had a mild opening last weekend with $ 198,000 on 36 screens, plummeted by 55 per cent and grossed about $ 82,000, bringing its total to $ 314,000 in 10 days. It is unlikely to break the $ 500,000 mark if it declines by the same margin next week. In the United Kingdom, it has grossed $ 100,000.

Except for Sarfarosh, movies with patriotic themes have rarely done well in North America. Given its subject, Pukar did not attract Pakistani and Bangladeshis.

Meanwhile, the well-reviewed Bhutan film, The Cup, grossed $ 77,000 in a handful of movie houses last week taking the total to $ 175,000 in a month. Though the movie missed the Oscar nomination for the best foreign film category, it is a steady earner and is on its way to earn $ 1 million.

The next movie with a desi subject that could make a big impact would be the Om Puri-starrer East Is East which is being distributed by Miramax which has held a number of media screenings to generate a good buzz. The movie has grossed about $ 17 million in the United Kingdom and has remained among the top 15 films for several weeks, after having been among the top five for over a month.

Though My Son the Fanatic, another Miramax film starring Om Puri, was a big disappointment at the box-office, there is a general consensus in the trade that East Is East is going to be a winner, and could earn about $ 500,000.

"If the reviews are really strong, and the film is embraced by the desis, it could fly beyond $1 million," says film-writer and documentary film-maker Suprotim Bose.

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