Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and his team behind ‘Bell Bottom’ took a leap of faith when they decided to release their hijacking drama in the theatres after a fierce new wave of COVID-19, but their creative gamble seems to have paid off.
The film, which chronicles a real-life hostage situation when a plane carrying Indian passengers got hijacked by extremists, is doing brisk business in the UAE and in India.
According to local distributor Ahmad Golchin from Phars Films, Kumar’s highly-anticipated ‘Bell Bottom’ saw 16,000 admissions since its release on Friday.
“We are incredibly happy at the box office response of ‘Bell Bottom’ because 16,000 admissions for a movie whose first show in the UAE was on Friday, 5pm, is a very good sign. We expect to do more business in the coming days because the word of mouth for this film is strong,” said Golchin in an interview with Gulf News.
In India, ‘Bell Bottom’ released a day earlier than the UAE and has piqued the interests of the moviegoers. According to reports, the film has collected an estimated Rs50 million (Dh2.4 million) over its opening weekend.
According to a report on Boxofficeindia.com, the estimated collections for ‘Bell Bottom’ on August 22 showed a steady rise despite the cap on theatre occupancy.
Directed by Ranjit Tewari and produced by Pooja Entertainment, lead actor Kumar claimed in a separate interview with Gulf News that his team was taking a brave step to revive the theatrical scene in India and beyond.
“Vashu ji’s [‘Bell Bottom’ producer Bhagnani] decision to release in cinemas is a bold and a very important call for the industry. Someone had to step forward first. We have learnt that above all else that our love for cinema remains strong and it has been something we have all missed during those lockdown periods. If ever there was any doubt about the future of the cinema industry, we have learnt that this is not the case, and while things may take some time to get back to what we recall as being ‘normal’, an important point to remember is — the experience cinema creates, the memories it forges, and the emotions it evokes,” said Kumar.
‘Bell Bottom’, also starring Lara Dutta and Vaani Kapoor, is now playing in UAE cinemas.
