Agneepath Rocks

Mumbai, Jan. 27: When Karan Johar decided to remake Agneepath, he declared that his prime objective was to give the cult classic of 1990 the box office “recognition” it deserves.

If first day collection of a film is any indication of public response and approval, Karan Johar has every reason to celebrate his latest release — Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra-starrerAgneepath.

The new version of Agneepath has set a new record of first-day collection in Patna. Compared to Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and Shah Rukh Khan’s Don 2, which were the top grossers of 2011, Agneepath has taken a massive lead of at least Rs 4 lakh on the first day of its release.

While the first-day collection of Bodyguard, Ra.One and Don 2 were Rs 7,87,500, Rs 3,69,340 and Rs 6,87,000 respectively, Agneepath collected Rs 11,87,500 on Republic Day, its release date.

Even across India, the film has earned Rs 25 crore, the biggest single day collection of any film released in the country. The performances of Hrithik Roshan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena and Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala are being appreciated by audience and film critics alike.

Former chairman of Bihar Sangeet Natak Academy and film critic Shankar Prasad said: “The location of the Mandwa village on the seafront is truly fantastic. Sanjay Dutt’s performance as Kancha is brilliant. His get-up and his walking style are similar to his earlier film Vaastav. He looks villainous. His black dress and bald look add to his fearsome character, not to forget his way of reciting the Bhagvad Gita. All these things have made the film much different from Bodyguard and Don 2.”

On the record-breaking collection, he said: “Like other trade pundits, I also had this feeling that Agneepath will surely break some record. It has all the components to become a big hit. Debut director Karan Malhotra and producer Karan Johar have given a tre-mendous film to the viewers.”

Despite the running time being long (3 hours), the film never lost its grip on the audience. Each and every dialogue was lauded by the audience. The whistles, however, were reserved for Chikni Chameli, the item number performed by Katrina Kaif, who sizzled on the screen in her Marathi mulgi avatar. “Katrina is always hot but in this film she adds to the fire of the film. The timing of the song is perfect and her dance movements are better than any other actress in Bollywood,” said Ravi Prakash, a resident of Boring Road, who watched the first show of the film at Regent theatre.

Regent is running five shows of the film while Cinepolis is running 17.

“All the shows till Monday are booked in advance. The film has got a great opening,” said Suman Kumar Sinha, owner of Regent.

He added: “I am sure this film will run for another three weeks. We did not get such a response for any other film, not even Bodyguard.”

Cinepolis manager Abhishek Ranjan is mulling increasing the number of shows. “We were planning to increase the number of shows to 25 but it does not seem possible as the film’s duration is quite long. In terms of collection, Agneepath has surpassedBodyguard and Don 2.”

The audience believes this film has changed the concept of remakes. “We always say there is no comparison between an original and a remake, but this film has changed that concept. The remake of Agneepath has set a new trend,” said Veenit Kumar, a resident of Bud- dha Colony.