Bollywood all time gossip thread-continues here.. - Page 96

The Film Is Mine, the Losses Yours

Ashutosh Gowariker had some important visitors at his Bandra office last week, a few days after the release of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, by when it was clear that the film was an unmitigated box-office disaster. It appears the head honchos from PVR Films, his producers, had decided to pay the director a visit to discuss the possibility of his "helping them out" to reduce a portion of the losses that they were likely to incur on the film.

Gowariker's production budget was reportedly Rs 36 crore on the film, to which PVR is believed to have spent an additional Rs 9 crore on prints, publicity and marketing, bringing the film's total budget to a whopping Rs 45 crore. According to industry estimates, the producers are likely to lose up to
Rs 30 crore on this period film, even after revenues from the sale of satellite rights and home video rights are calculated. No wonder the desperate producers landed up at Gowariker's office, urging him to "share" part of the film's losses by offering to return some portion of the approximately Rs 16 crore he's believed to have made from the film as his writing, directing and co-producing fees.

From what I hear, the director brought his wife Sunita Gowariker, who heads the production side of things at his company, into the meeting. After hearing out the team from PVR patiently, Sunita is believed to have blamed the failure of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey squarely on PVR. "The film is great. It's your marketing that has failed us. If I were you, I'd let your marketing department go," she's believed to have said.

Gowariker didn't return any part of his fees.