Kambakkht Ishq Grosses Rs1 Bn In First Week

Despite mixed reviews for its weak storyline, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor starrer romantic comedy Kambakkht Ishq has grossed Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) at the box office in its first week.

Distributed worldwide by Eros with around 2,000 prints worldwide, Kambakkht hit more than 1,400 screens in India and about 600 overseas in a combination of prints and digital format.

Directed by debutant Sabbir Khan, it released across India as well as in Pakistan, Britain, US, Australia, Europe, South Africa, Fiji Islands, the Middle East and Malaysia, among others.

Released on July 3, the film opened to extraordinary advance bookings courtesy its unprecedented buzz and has brought a new lease of life for Akshay's flagging career after two major duds Chandni Chowk To China and 8X10 Tasveer.

"Kambakkht Ishq is doing exceedingly well in all the overseas markets. All major markets like US, Gulf, Australia and even Pakistan have shown extraordinary box office performance in first week," said Pranab Kapadia, president of Eros International in a statement released here Friday.

Kapadia looks after Eros' distribution in Europe and Africa.

Nandu Ahuja, the senior vice president who looks after distribution in the domestic market for the company, says after the overwhelming weekend collection, the movie is going steady.

"The film has remained steady during the week post the stupendous opening weekend. The film is continuing to show fabulous collections and we are sure the film will continue to enjoy a fantastic run," he said.

Co-produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Sunil A Lulla, the film was made on a budget of Rs 62 crore (Rs 620 million) including print and advertisement costs and has grossed around Rs 70 crore (Rs 700 million) in the domestic market and Rs 21 crore (Rs 210 million) overseas.

The music and digital rights of the film have fetched around Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million).

The film earned around Rs 19 crore (Rs 190 million) worldwide on its opening day.

Apart from the death-defying stunts by Akshay, the film also has much publicised cameos by Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.

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Kareena Kapoor Says.... Mens Are Dog !

Shocked? Please do not be as that is what Kareena Kapoor, the svelte, sexy bombshell of bollywood thinks of men in her upcoming mega budget flick Kambakht Ishq.

The sex goddess of tinsel town plays the character of Simrita, who is a supermodel and a hard core feminist. Kareena Kapoor’s character in the film not only hates men but also abhors falling in love with them. She locks horn with her co- star Akshay Kumar to prove the superiority of fairer sex in the film. However, soon the world turns upside down for Bebo when she falls in love with the handsome hunk Akshay Kumar. The film has been mostly shot in the US and other exotic locales by producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Sabbir Khan. The ambitious flick is slated for a world wide release on July 3 as the multiplex strike has already ended the stalemate between the producers and the exhibitors.

Sources close to production house say that Kareena Kapoor will look in a different avatar than her zero size figure in Yashraj Films’ ‘Tashan.’ In fact, the script required her to have a fuller body to be able to do justice to the role of supermodel Simrita and Kareena went for achieving a rounded body under her trainer.

As Kareena Kapoor elaborates on her body, ‘The role required me to be fuller and more style-conscious and I have done exactly that. It’s very challenging to change your body type but as an actor that’s what you want to do- always challenge yourselves.’

Insiders reveal that as Kareena Kapoor was playing a supermodel in the film, she had sixty pair of shoes to choose from everyday before starting the shoot. This was done by designer Aki Narula to make Kareena Kapoor think and behave like a supermodel before going for the shoot of the film every day.


Kareena has all praise for her co- star Akshay Kumar who plays the part of a stuntman in the film. ‘Kambakkt Ishq’ is the seventh time that Kareena and Akshay Kumar have been together in a film and so their on- screen chemistry in the film is superb.

It is for the first time that a bollywood film has been shot in Hollywood-at Kodak Theatre, Universal Studios and Water World - in a big way. However, Kareena Kapoor-Akshay Kumar starrer required the backdrop of Hollywood as part of the script and has not been thrown in just to have some effect on the audience.

Even Hollywood biggies like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh have played cameo in the film thereby making a truly international project. Sajid Nadiadwala had approached even Arnold Schwarzenegger to play a part in the film but he could not do so, as he held a public office in the US.

Though Schwarzenegger is not in the film, but Akshay Kumar will be seen performing some breathtaking stunts under Hollywood’s stunt director Spiro Razatos. Akki has also used the same bike which had been earlier used by Tom Cruise in ‘Mission Impossible’.

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Kareena Smooches Akshay

Kareena Kapoor is not only adding glam to her up coming flick kambaqt ishq by wearing a bathsuit, she has also indulged in a steamy liplock with co-actor Akshay Kumar in the movie.

Now our young Bebo was not quite comfortable with the idea of kissing her 40+ year old co-star, the reason was that Akki was elder sister Lolo’s leading man during her hey days and Kareena was only a 12-year-old little kid who would shy away from Akki whenever she accompanied Karisma to her shootings.

So it was equally awkward for Akshay too ‘coz she is just a kid in front of him. However the kiss was neccessary for the story and both of them gave their professional commitments a priority over their personal thoughts.

Apparently its a kiss to lookout for!

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Indebted To Sanju, Akki, Ashtavinayak!

The film has been making news, right from its inception. It stars some of the biggest names in the business: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta. Australia sensation Kylie Minogue makes her debut in a Bollywood film [she has scenes too, besides the song]. It has music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Abbas Tyrewala and sound recording by Resul Pookutty. All brands!
Most importantly, it's produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision, a production house that has earned tremendous respect for their fair dealings and larger than life movies: BHAGAM BHAG, GOLMAAL, MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA, JAB WE MET, KIDNAP and GOLMAAL RETURNS. It can't get bigger than that. BLUE is indeed hot, piping hot!
Now here's something that caught everyone by surprise. It's not directed by a Ratnam or a Dhawan or a Bazmee. It's directed by a rank newcomer - Anthony D'Souza - who hasn't assisted anyone before. "Actually, John [Abraham] put me on to Ashtavinayak. They heard the script [of BLUE] and arranged for a meeting with Dutt-saab [Sanjay Dutt]. The rest is history," Anthony tells me.
In fact, Tony, as Anthony is called, had penned the script keeping Sanju and Akshay in mind. "When Dutt-saab heard the narration, he asked me who'd play the other lead and I said, Akshay. Dutt-saab was too gracious, he said he was very keen to work with Akshay [they hadn't worked together after AMAANAT] and if need be, he'd call him up," Tony reminisces.
The very first meeting with Akshay also proved fruitful, with the actor agreeing to act in the film instantly. "All he asked was, will you shot the way you've penned it? I can never forget Dut-saab and Akshay's deed. Had it not been their 'Yes', BLUE would've been in cold storage," the first-time director smiles.
But their faceoff is legendary. In fact, it's said that Akshay felt cheated during AMAANAT [he got sidelined] and swore, never to work with Sanju again. "In fact, Akshay asked me to watch AMAANAT, to see how good their chemistry was in that film. Believe me, there was not an iota of bitterness. You know something, both would come on the sets half-an-hour early everyday, sit together and exchange notes. The bonhomie was electrifying, trust me," Tony clarifies.
What about John? The guy who put Tony on to the producers, isn't part of the film. "It was always Zayed. In fact, Dutt-saab especially called up Zayed and spoke to him about BLUE. As for John, he's sure to star in my next film. I owe him that," Tony smiles.

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