The collections of Ugly Aur Pagli for the last three days has been Rs 3,17,000. All the shows for The Mummy are housefull

Apoorva Lakhia’s Mission Istaanbul and Ganesh Acharya’s Money Hai To Honey Hai have already proved to be damp squibs at the box-office. This weekend the Bollywood trade circles had their eyes on Pritish Nandy’s Ugly Aur Pagli. The movie was the most awaited film for many reasons; firstly, the combination of Pritish Nandy and Mallika Sherawat had proved lucky earlier in Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Secondly, Mallika Sherawat’s last film, Welcome, was a hit. And last but not the least, it was well publicised and a solo release. Obviously, Ugly Aur Pagli was expected to make a decent opening at the box-office. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

J Popat, GM of the late NN Sippy’s Janata Films Distributors, reveals, "Ugly Aur Pagli opened to only 30-40 per cent profit at most of the single screens and multiplexes. PNC couldn’t cash in on Mallika’s sexy image. People were looking forward to some steamy scenes, but there was only one song that showed her in skimpy clothes. Instead of 99 slaps and one kiss, it should have been 99 kisses and one slap. Mummy 3 too didn’t open to a full house. Kuselan had an unexpected opening at single screens and multiplexes. It is doing good business."

Abhijit Mhamunkar, film critic, says, "The poor opening of Ugly Aur Pagli is definitely a wake up call for Mallika Sherawat. It was her solo release after a long time. The film managed to garner a mere 30-40 per cent opening whereas The Mummy 3 that released on the same day managed to get a bigger opening even in its Hindi dubbed version. For a small film like Ugly Aur Pagli, the word of mouth holds importance as audiences these days rely more on that. The critics have universally panned the film. The weekend saw some increased footfalls but again on Monday the response slumped. But there are chances of the film doing well in the home entertainment circuit. Also, with biggies like Singh Is Kinng, Bachna Ae Haseeno and God Tussi Great Ho lined up in the following week, viewers may be planning to give this a miss."

Bhumika Tewari, AVP programming for Fun Cinemas, says, "It was a disappointment to see Mission Istaanbul, Money Hai Toh Honey Hai and even Ugly Aur Pagli getting an opening of 35 per cent. On the other hand, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and The Dark Knight showed a consistency at the box-office collection especially over the weekends."

Girish Wankhede, PRO and corporate communication of Cinemax, says, "The collections of the first three days at Cinemax of Ugly Aur Pagli are 65 per cent. Let’s wait and see if it sustains on Monday. While The Mummy 3 has been 45 per cent, Kuselan is 15 per cent so far."

Manoj Desai of the G-7 Complex in Mumbai gave his version of the story, saying, "The collections of Ugly Aur Pagli for the last three days has been Rs 3,17,000. All the shows for The Mummy... are housefull."