TRADE REPORT: Hello opens to full house!

It is said that the devil is in the details. However, in the case of Hello, the devil was in the critics who rushed to bring down a film that they perceived was bad, while the cinema-going audience thought otherwise.

Not only has the film seen advance bookings of 90–95 per cent across India, it has also been appreciated by the classes as well as the masses. How else can one explain the theatres going full in the plush PVR Juhu as well as the aam janta theatre Chandan? Having 30 shows within a one kilometre radius, and all going full is no mean feat and it speaks for itself.

Atul Agnihotri, director of the film, says, "People perceive Hello as a Khan family film. I was expecting the critics to go ballistic because unlike some other supposed superstars, Salman doesn't give a damn about critics and that bothers these poor guys, who wait to write off anything connected to Salmanbhai."

Agnihotri, who was supposed to be an underdog director, has shown the industry what the anatomy of a real hit is. And by constantly ignoring the full houses and the advance bookings all across, our critics are showing their vicious side – of not letting a genuine man get his due.

"I am having the last laugh, really! My film made Rs 2 crore in the very first day in India. Dubai saw a 1,20,000 dirhams collection on Thursday and this figure has moved up to 1,80,000 dirhams on Friday. So, critics may pan my film as much as they like, the fact is that Hello is already a hit; and with each passing day it only gets bigger!" adds Agnihotri emphatically.

REVIEW: Hello is not bad!

Next Page: Advance booking figures on Day 1