Trigger Warning: This article contains references to alcohol.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is an Indian filmmaker credited for helming several box-office sweeping movies, from Mission Kashmir to 12th Fail. In his extensive career, the director has learned enough lessons that keep him motivated even when things don’t go as planned. Hence, when his 2020 romantic drama received mixed reviews from critics and didn’t do great business, he was motivated by the kind words of Titanic maker James Cameron who stated that VVC’s film reminded him of his favorite movie in the world, Doctor Zhivago.

During an interview, Vidhu Vinod Chopra told PTI that he didn’t see Shikara’s failure because when James Cameron saw the film in New Zealand, he walked up to him and said, ‘This film reminds me of my favorite film in the world, Doctor Zhivago. For reference, Doctor Zhivago is the 1965 epic historical romance film set in war-struck Russia much like his movie that is made in the backdrop of the Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir.

VVC’ further revealed that even though the ace Hollywood filmmaker Cameron is an occasional drinker, he sat with Chopra in a cinema hall for a drink. He stated that three bottles of wine were arranged for them and they drank till the early hours of the morning. At that time, Cameron was in the midst of shooting the sequel to Avatar. “That for me is success. Your success or failure comes from you. You need to do your best, if your best is not good enough, don’t worry, do it again,” Chopra told the publication.

While having this interesting conversation, the Parinda director also said that he has plans to re-release Shikara next year with its original title, Love Letter from Kashmir. For those unaware, Shikara is produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and is loosely inspired by Rahul Pandita’s novel, Our Moon Has Blood Clots. It stars Aadil Khan and Sadia Khateeb.

Disclaimer: If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same

The Alia Bhatt-led Jigra has seen low results in its opening weekend with estimates indicating collections in the range of Rs 16.50 crore. The film opened at Rs 4.50 crore on Friday, then jumped to Rs 6.50 crore on Saturday, followed by similar results in the vicinity of Rs 5.50 crore on Sunday. Jigra benefitted by Dussehra on Saturday, and a minor drop on Sunday was always on cards due to the holiday factor.

Jigra Scores A Low Weekend Of Around Rs 16.50 Crore Net

The eyes are now on the Monday test, as the film must hold and eventually showcase some sort of trend at the box office. Jigra marks the first collaboration of Alia Bhatt, and Vasan Bala, and is an action thriller, catering to urban audiences. The top three national chains – PVRInox and Cinepolis – collected Rs 11.80 crore over the three-day period, contributing 67 percent to the total business. A large chunk has come in from the multiplexes, and the film has done little outside the metros, due to the genre limitation.

The Alia Bhatt Factor Aided The Prospects Of The Movie Over The Weekend, However Little

The biz of Jigra would have been even lower if not for Alia Bhatt, as the 3-day figure has got the benefit of her presence, though it’s not changing the fate of the film in any manner. The Monday hold is crucial, though a miracle is unlikely to happen in this case, as the 3-day trend is not so encouraging.

Jigra Is A Safe Film Monetarily

The good thing for Jigra is in fact that despite the not-so-good performance at the box office, no one will lose money due to strong backend deals from digital and satellite players.

Here’s a look at day-wise box office collection of Jigra

Friday: Rs 4.50 crore

Saturday: Rs 6.50 crore

Sunday: Rs 5.50 crore (Estimates)

Total: Rs 16.50 crore

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