Romance, terror, spook thrillers ruled box office (Flashback

by **Gayathri** 25/12/2009, 2:37 am

Romance, terror, spook thrillers ruled box office (Flashback 2009)

Bollywood might have faced a low with close to Rs.700 crore (Rs.7
billion) losses this year, but it definitely had its high with hits
like 'Wanted', 'Dev D' and 'Kaminey'.

Bollywood might have faced a low with close to Rs.700 crore (Rs.7
billion) losses this year, but it definitely had its high with hits
like 'Wanted', 'Dev D' and 'Kaminey'.

IANS picks 10 top Bollywood movies that saved the industry from doomsday in 2009.

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1. 'Love Aaj Kal':
Director Imtiaz Ali's third outing got a mixed response from both
critics and audiences. Made at Rs.48 crore, it, however, did business
of about Rs.75 crore in its first week itself. Spanning two different
eras, the romantic drama starred Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and
newcomer Giselle Monteiro.

2. 'De Dana Dan':
Helmed by Priyadarshan, the fun film with an ensemble cast, including
Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Katrina Kaif and Sameera
Reddy, kicked off with waiting queues at the ticket counters. Made at a
budget of Rs.37 crore, it managed to rake in around Rs.68 crore at the
domestic box office and is still running.

3. 'Kaminey':
An instant hit, the Rs.35 crore crime thriller took director Vishal
Bhardwaj and actor Shahid Kapoor to a different level. Also starring
Priyanka Chopra, the film's box office earning was close to Rs.63.75
crore in India.

4. 'All The Best': Director Rohit Shetty offered the laugh riot as a
Diwali treat. It opened to a slow start, but picked up gradually,
thanks to word of mouth. Starring Ajay Devgn, Bipasha Basu, Sanjay
Dutt, Fardeen Khan and Mugdha Godse, it grossed Rs.50 crore out of its
about Rs.30 crore investment.

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5. 'New York': The movie broke the dry spell at the ticket counters as
the first hit after the producer-distributor and multiplex strike over
revenue sharing got over. Director Kabir Khan's film dealt with
terrorism that had John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh as
key players and audiences appreciated his endeavour by turning it into
a hit.

6. 'Wake Up Sid': It was neither a run-of-the-mill love story, nor an
expensive film. Also, the film had an unusual lead pair - Ranbir Kapoor
and Konkona Sen Sharma. But it managed to hit bull's eye. Made on a low
budget of Rs.15 crore vis-a-vis its banner that is Dharma Productions,
debutant director Ayan Mukherjee's film collected Rs.42.75 crore in
India.

7. 'Wanted': The Salman Khan starrer adrenaline pumping thriller showed
the power of single-screen theatres in the country as the maximum
collections came from there. Directed by Prabhudheva, the film's total
cost was Rs.35 crore but it recovered the investment by earning Rs.38
crore in its first week itself.

8. 'Raaz - The Mystery Continues': An unexpected success and the first
hit of the year, the movie proved that content rules at the box office.
Made on a shoe-string budget of Rs.9 crore, producers Mahesh and Mukesh
Bhatt managed to earn Rs.33 crore in India. Director Mohit Suri's film
had Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman in the lead roles.

9. 'Dev D': [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Again
a low-budget film with not so big stars like Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill and
Kalki Koechlin, it redefined Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic
'Devdas'. Director Anurag Kashyap presented the doomed love story with
punk and grunge and people loved watching the tragic love story in its
new avatar. While the total money invested in the movie was Rs.6 crore,
it earned Rs.23.25 crore.

10. '13B': Rs.6 crore was spent on the making of director Vikram K.
Kumar's spooky thriller. Starring R. Madhavan and Neetu Chandra, it
released simultaneously in its Hindi and Tamil versions and made
Rs.22.5 crore in both languages combined.

(Robin Bansal can be contacted at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.])

Romance, terror, spook thrillers ruled box office (Flashback

Romance, terror, spook thrillers ruled box office (Flashback

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