Aamir's film Ghajini sells for a record Rs 90 cr

MUMBAI: Bollywood is on a roll. And the Khans are climbing over each other to make it to the top slot. 2007 clearly belonged to Shah Rukh Khan. Between Chak De India , for which he won accolades and which went on to become a huge box-office hit, and his home production Om Shanti Om that was sold for Rs 73 crore (all inclusive) SRK plundered, emerging the largest-grossing Khan last year.

2008 is barely into its second month. And another Khan, Aamir has just this minute made history. The remake of Ghajini , a thriller that has Aamir, Jiah Khan and Asin in the lead has, according to market sources, been picked up for a record Rs 90 crore (all inclusive).

Says a Bollywood trade analyst, " Ghajini has fetched more than Rs 90 crore in the sale of its distribution rights. Reportedly, Indian Film Company, one of the major film distribution houses, has picked up the domestic theatrical rights for more than Rs 50 crore. The film has garnered an additional Rs 40 crore in the sales of overseas, satellite, home video and music." Bollywood is ecstatic that the sale of the worldwide rights of films has seen a jump of nearly Rs 17 crore in just three months. Om Shanti Om was released on November 9, 2007. And Ghajini is likely to come after Diwali of 2008.

Confirming the news about the biggest-ever Bollywood film deal, producer Allu Arvind says, "We had been getting offers from various distribution houses for the film. Yes, the cumulative figure of the rights’ sale is above anything that a film has received so far. But we have selected our distribution partners not just for the price they have offered, but also for the value they bring as distributors and marketers."

And Sandeep Bhargava of Indian Film Company adds, "We have acquired the domestic distribution rights of the remake of Ghajini."

Bhargava refuses to talk money but he says, "Its one of the biggest films of the year and we are proud to be associated with it. The acquisitions of Welcome and Jab We Met have paid up for us and this year we have the Ghajini remake along with Singh is King . The revenue structure in the business is undergoing a change and the ability to maximise the returns is proving to be vital. We hope to add to our revenues through these anticipated films."

Even as film corporations make movie acquisitions at unheard of prices, there is a conservative section of Bollywood producers who warn the exorbitant price structures may just upset the apple cart.

"It has become impossible for an independent producer to make movies," says the source.

"Post Welcome , someone like Nana Patekar is demanding Rs 7 crore and Sanjay Dutt has signed a couple of deals for Rs 18 crore per film. If a star charges these prices, naturally world wide rights of cinema will soon cross the Rs 100 crore mark

Aamir's films always command a premium but don't always meet expectations - remember Mangal Pandey? I saw the Telugu version of ghajini and didn't like it. It was extremely violent. highly unlikely I will watch the hindi version.

hi mythraeyi ji

welll....compared to the tamil version, the telugu version is much more better. and i mean the ending.let's see anyway how will version turnout. i dont we should judge it by its title should we?
this is my .

cheers
-maya-

I don't know about the telugu version but I liked the Tamil version with my favourite 'Surya' in the lead role. I just drool over whenever I see Surya as Sanjay Ramaswamy in the movie. One look at my avatar and one can see why I drool over.

Aamir's new Ghajini look
His much awaited remake of the south hit Ghajini has been in the news right from the time it was announced, be it for Aamir's new bald look or for his unusual pairing with relatively new heroines Asin and Jiah Khan.

The film was in the news again last week after its director, A.R.Murugadoss was arrested in Chennai for alleged violation of copyright laws. Apparently, Salem Chandrashekhar, the producer of the Tamil movie Ghajini had lodged a police complaint that Murugadoss was making the Hindi remake of Ghajini without his permission.
A.R. Murugadoss (who also directed the original Tamil version) was later released on a personal bond. Hope that matters between the (original) producer and director sort out soon and there are no further hiccups in the remake of Ghajini.
There is a popular saying in Bollywood that 'Whatever Aamir 'Perfectionist' Khan does, he does not follow any style, because whatever he does, simply becomes a style in itself'.

It looks quite ironical that it was the same Aamir who had gone full fledged with his locks in Mangal Pandey: The Rising. And now it is the same Aamir who has gone bald, though the common factor remains that both of these 'hairstyles' were not an overnight decision. Aamir had spent lots of time working out on these looks.

So, please do not be surprised if you suddenly find the young men going bald. Because you know that the reason is not the summer, or the dandruf and definitely not the lice, but it's called the refreshing 'Aamir slice'!!!

Hi Kavitha,
I think this new look is for the movie. So he must have shaved his head.

Regards.

Originally Posted by puni88

Hi Kavitha,
I think this new look is for the movie. So he must have shaved his head.

Regards.

yep yep its all fr the movie!
Lets see if there will be any interesting changes in the remake!