A leading exhbitor (name withheld on request) told SpotboyE, this morning, "People have come out in my chain of cinemas and demanded refund. And when I didn't give them refund, they started looking for people who could buy their tickets at reduced rates."
Another exhibitor, who does not wish to be named either, said that people watching Shaandaar in his theatres are now tearing the upholstery in his chairs.
Manoj Desai, owner of Gaiety-Galaxy-Gemini, said that he is shocked that Pyaar Ka Punchnama has fared better than Shaandaar in his theatres. "I really didn't expect such a performance from the man (Bahl) who gave us Queen. The janta is grossly disappointed."
A source from Fun Cinemas said, "People have come out after 20-30 minutes from our chain and returned the tickets, saying that they don't even want that piece of paper in their pocket anymore."
The contempt and disdain with which the movie has been rejected called for a chat with the experts in movie business to know what has gone wrong with this much-awaited product whose lead actors- Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, went berserk with their publicity campaigns.
Image Source:sirfleo
A leading distributor said, "Publicity nahin, content kaam karta hai. Shaandaar is perhaps the most irritating film in the last 20 years. The frustration increased with the passing of every minute. There was no effort on the director's part to redeem the film at any stage."
Looking back, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, "Shahid and Alia gave a nice opening on Day 1, but if this movie had not released on Dussehra, it would have garnered a lesser sum. The common man didn't identify with the concept of destination wedding which Phantom Films, for some inexplicable reason, were so keen to drive home."
Another trade analyst Komal Nahata endorsed Mehra's views.
Added Mehra, "Phantom Films have no clue about commercial cinema, they should attempt only art cinema."
A leading official from Inox (on request of anonymity) chose to have the last word, "Khallas."
Visualise the l-o-n-g faces of Shaandar producers- Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Madhu Mantena (Phantom Films).
Meanwhile, we hear, Shahid and Alia are in a state of shock. While Shahid's picture on Twitter that he is now getting ready for Rangoon exemplifies that he is merely putting up a brave front, Mahesh Bhatt's chirpy daughter has gone completely silent.
Thumbnail Image Source: twitter/shahidkapoor