John's clutter-breaker film is a profit maker

29 Aug 2013

Bollywood has much reason to rejoice. After the blockbuster status of Chennai Express , it is Madras Cafe which is getting the audiences in the right numbers.

Could it be the Tamil Nadu connection in the titles? While the first days' collections of Madras Cafe were a decent 5-crores, the collections showed a substantial rise on the second day and an even steeper rise in ticket sales on Day-3.

No mean achievement for a film that requires a certain amount of historical and intellectual grounding to be appreciated by the audience.

Enthuses trade analyst Taran Adarsh, " Madras Cafe is truly a super film that caters to the thinking viewer. Shoojit has handled the subject brilliantly. The word-of-mouth feedback is terrific. And I am sure the film will grow with each passing day." John Abraham and Shoojit Sircar who are now planning to collaborate for a social comedy titled Hamara Bajaj, intend to throw a celebratory bash for what they see as a triumph of intellect over purely elemental sensations.

Says John joyously, "So far the audiences were appreciative of John Abraham as a body. Now they've accepted the mind as well. That's a good feeling. I had full faith in the audience. I knew when they said they want something different they meant it. The encouraging response to Madras Cafe gives JA Entertainment reason to make meaningful films." John feels the critics played a large hand in getting the audiences interested. "The media has supported Madras Cafe in a big way. Everybody associated with and participating in the film seems to have his or her heart and mind in the right place." Adds Taran Adarsh appreciatively, "John is getting better with every film. First Shootout At Wadala , now Madras Cafe ...Kudos to John for backing projects like Vicky Donor and now Madras Cafe ." Ajit Adhare the COO of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, co-producers of Madras Cafe , says, "The consistent success of our genre-defining content, the latest being Madras Cafe, shows that the Indian audience is clearly maturing and warming up to different narratives and treatments." The success of a plot-driven film like Madras Cafe automatically reduces the dependence on the star system.

Says Ajit, "It is a welcome trend. It is helping to improve the economics of filmmaking. Good content is good business. And that is the best headline for a studio."