Now to catch up with what's been happening at the Box Office in the wake of the events of 9/11 and the grisly aftermath that has focused the eyes of the world in this region. Lollywood was directly affected by the post 9/11 scenario as normal life in the country came to a virtual standstill due to the extreme tension as well as the fact that there were anti American demonstrations all over the country which also targeted the "vice" of cinemas. Several cinema's were ransacked and set on fire especially in the Peshawar and Karachi region but cinema owners all over the country now felt the threat from Osama symapathisers. However despite these setbacks, the show hobbled on. Then came Ramadan, traditionally a period of lull before the eid rush when cinemas are only screening a solitary evening show if even that. Hardly any new product is released during this time though some small fry manage to get their low budget films released while there is a vacuum in cinemas before the Eid blitz when the biggest films of the year are usually released.
Here is the lowdown:

Mehr Badshah - opening on the coattails of the early summer smash Asoo Billa, this film met with what they call a "bumper" response in its opening week with collections being upwards of 95%. In the second week it was rock solid with 80% and managed to hold firm in the third week and the same mark. The film has managed to hover around the 75% mark in its 4th and 5th weeks making it, after Asoo Billa, the second money spinner Punjabi film of the year. Mehr Badshah which focuses on the Arain community opened in early September in the Sindh circuit where it took a decent 75% opening which very decent for a Punjabi film if not quite matching the heroics of Asoo Billa. The film has gone on to enjoy a solid run all over and the producers are already shooting a "sequel" of sorts (Mehr da Kharaak) which means using the same formula again. The film enjoyed a good run at the box office if not quite matching the heavy weights that were Asoo Billa and later on Sher-e-Lahore and Humayun Gujjar.

Badmaash - after performing wretchedly in Punjab the Saud, Sana, Noor starrer opened to an even worse response in the Sindh circuit - that it opened at all is a minor miracle, yet the film was a complete wipeout.

Humayun Gujjar - Another Shaan title role starrer opened with a bang in the Punjab circuit where its collections were around the 95% mark during its initial couple of weeks all over the circuit. Subsequently the film has been stable at 80% out stripping even the mighty Asoo Billa in the initial stages, the film has gone from strength to strength and is one of the biggest if not the biggest hit of 2001. In Karachi the film was "honoured" with being granted a cinema that is almost exclusively reserved for imported films. The song Allah Utte Duriyan by Naseebo Lal has become a rage. The movie has shifted to the Prince cinema in Lahore where it has continued to draw solid crowds and even had an upswing during the eid period despite being a movie that has been playing since the end of August or so. A whopping success and probably the biggest money spinner of the year.

Uff Yeh Beewian - Syed Noor's light comedy remake of the 70's hit manage steady if unspectacular business all over the country being patronized by the ladies. After a three month run the film has managed to keep investors afloat and has proved a modest money earner if not quite the elusive hit that Syed Noor has been hoping for.

Poor Shafqat Cheema's Ek Jagga Hore which is rumoured to be a fairly potent film has apparently been chopped to bits by the censors thus delaying it yet again. Conspiracy theorists reckon that Shaan is the unseen hand behind the films misfortunes!

Syed Noor's loose adaptation of William Wyler's excellent Collector was released during the volatile post 9/11 scenario and its first day coincided with a massive strike arranged by the bearded anti-American coalition. The film, Dil Deewana Hai thus got off the worst possible start and never really managed to recover. The opening week's figures were around 50% after which they tailed off quickly consigning the film to the heap of Urdu flops for the year.

Gujjar 302 - Yet another Shaan title role opened to steady business around the 70% mark in the Lahore circuit. It slipped to 60% in the second week but isn't a total disaster even if it doesn't qualify as a success either. This cheap film might manage to recover most of its costs but hasn't really caught on.

Sangeeta's Sher-e-Lahore which was shot in record time, was an attempt to put an end to her horror run by joining the bandwagon and casting Shaan in a Rahi style title role. As reported earlier Sher-e-Lahore had a fantastic initial response in Lahore and around the Punjab circuit where the racy songs (Jinno Kende Sher-e-Lahore) and Shaan's Rahi impersonation caught the imagination of the public in a big way as did Nirma's vulgarity. Sher-e-Lahore opened at over 90% and has maintained its business dropping to a very solid 80% by the third and fourth weeks. Subsequently the film has displayed tremendous legs and the owners of Capital cinema in Lahore decided to stick with it even through the Eid period. Madame Sangeeta has broken her jinx as she did with last years Sultana Daku. Sher-e-Lahore has turned into yet another Punjabi money spinner in 2001 and business in Karachi has also stunned pundits with crowds packing theatres to watch this smash hit. Sangeeta is all set to begin Dada Badmaash as her follow up to the smash hit Sher-e-Lahore, naturally with Shaan in the title role and the great Madame Sangeeta herself in the role of a Pathan which should be worth entry money alone.

Syed Noor has met with yet another stinging disaster with the Shaan, Saima, Baber Ali, Saud starrer Baaghi which flopped disastrously all over the country. The first weeks collections were barely above 50% and by the second week the film had plummeted further resulting in massive losses for all its investors.

Maakha Jat - Yet another film with Shaan in the title role hoping to cash in on the actors surge in popularity in his Sultan Rahi mode. Perhaps it was overkill or perhaps not enough overkill!!! This particular Jat has met with a tepid response. The 70% opening week was not bad but sub 50% in subsequent weeks has meant losses for the films investors. However losses won't be too traumatic as the film carried a very low price tag, not altogether surprising for a film of such dubious quality. By the way it has come to our attention that not only is the site calling itself HiPakistan.com avidly stealing reports from this website claiming them as their own but now there is another which has started the same plagiarism called hollybolly.com. Both sites have lifted our Box Office reports and presented them as their own work...but everyone knows that this is where they got their information from and we are actually flattered that people feel the need to steal our work! We take pride in the fact that we have yet to "steal" or deceive people who browse this website. Back to Maakha Jat - one of them leading film publications has gone on to blast the film as representing everything that is rotten about Lollywood. However according to various sources including Shama, Maakha Jat has managed a fairly profitable run in the Lahore region.

Shahenshah - even with Shaan in the title role this film has flopped miserably from its very first day. The film managed only 50% in its first week and dropped like a ton of bricks in the following weeks. The fickle public decided to give this one an emphatic thumbs down, while across the street at the Capital Sher-e-Lahore roars on. The film has now switched to Prince while Humayun Gujjar has shifted elsewhere.

Ek Jagga Hore finally made it to cinemas having been cut to shreds by the censors. It ran into trouble from the very opening day and checked in at a paltry 30% in its opening week after which it has made a hasty retreat from cinemas. Poor Shafqat Cheema's plans of making it as a hero keep on getting severely dashed - now perhaps he'll give the idea a rest.

Ik Din Sher Da was a cheapie made by renowned trashmaster and egomaniac Azam Jehangir with himself in the lead role. This film was pronounced dead on arrival - a total and unmitigated disaster. A miracle that Jehangir managed to secure Lahore's Naghma cinema for its opening, even if nobody attended the show! Meanwhile we are delighted to have snapped the fabulous artwork of the films posters well before it was consigned to the rubbish dump for ever and ever. The filmmakers were bold enough to release their atrocious film in the sindh circuit with laughable results. The film played to virtually empty halls and the reported figure of 25% is certainly on the more generous side.

All eyes were now on the forthcoming Eid releases of which one has withdrawn from the contest. Shehzad Gul decided to pull his Chalo Ishq Larain from Eid release claiming the film hadn't been completed in time due to this and that. Industry insiders claim that he got severe cold feet at the last moment and decided that his film wouldn't be able to stand up to the competition in the form of Shaan and Saima's dire Moosa Khan, Ghunda Tax and Badmarsh Gujjar.

As expected Shaan's much hyped Moosa Khan has emerged with the best figures after eid but its "quality" has been severely questioned and is said to easily be the worst of Shaan's efforts as a director thus far. The film has opened strongly all over the country with Punjab showing a strong 90% in the initial week but there is a suggestion that it wont maintain business because of its basic lack of quality. Having seen Moosa lately, it has to be said that last years Tere Pyar Main was several classes above the shoddy Moosa Khan. *** Latest figures suggest that the public has taken to Moosa Khan in a big way and the film has become a roaring hit with collections still in the 90% region after five weeks of release in Punjab and around 80% in the Sindh circuit. Amazing what the public are willing to embrace, and rather alarming.

Meanwhile in the Punjab circuit Moosa Khan has been given a given a run for its money by Parvez Rana's Ghunda Tax which has opened at around 95% and even Gujjar Badmaash has performed solidly and all three films are running neck and neck with Ghunda Tax perhaps with a nose ahead. The real winner will become evident as the films enter the third and fourth weeks of business. Moosa Khan however had a huge price tag of 3 crores per territory and investors have to earn a lot before they break even. *** The latest figures have shown that Ghunda Tax has set the Box Office alight in the Punjab region where record busting business has been reported and the song by Naseebo Lal Teri o Sachi Shaan Hae Maula has cast a magical spell all over Punjab virtually mesmerizing audiences. The song which has been picturized on Nargis and a dwarf comedian Kodoo has had audiences going loopy all over the circuit where the film is still at 90% after five weeks of release. Parvez Rana has followed up his smash Humayun Gujjar with another record breaking hit and it seems he is the man with the midas touch at the moment. Meanwhile Gujjar Badmaash has managed solid collections all over the circuit and is turning into a steady money earner. *** NEWSFLASH...Shama, long considered the industry "Bible" has reported that in fact it is Gujjar Badmaash that has had a stunning post Eid run and is leading Ghunda Tax but all sources have noted that Moosa Khan's figures are nothing short of staggering and that it advance bookings were terrific. Shama also doesn't consider Mehr Badshah to be a big success and claims it to have scored average business at best.

Sangram, the only film not to star Saima (Reema is in the lead) began well as it was the alternative to the out and out action oriented stuff with a take of just below 90%, but alas the figures started tumbling from the 7th day onwards and is showing signs of sinking rapidly. The film has managed to maintain at a reasonable level and though it can't really be classified as a hit film, it has managed to cover its costs and is an average performer.

Incidentally the infamous film Doulat supposedly starring Manisha Koirala and the Pakistani Sunny, Naseer Sunny finally arrived in Lahore's Mubarak cinema which had been lying unused for some time now for reasons best known to the owners. The cinema is in excellent condition from within yet they seem to screen movies irregularly and mostly really old stuff. However they decided to go with this controversial film which turned out to star Shaan and Saima but had no sign of Manisha. Anyway the film was a total mess and had no story and didn't make it into a second week. It hasn't surfaced anywhere else as yet and in unlikely to. What a total anti-climax after all that hype and all those huge billboards of Manisha painted all over town.....in the end it was a huge fraud after all, but the good thing is that the public didn't buy it (the same public who are going out in their droves to watch Moosa!).

It seems that 2001 has been the year or a resurgent Gujjar, Badmash type of Punjabi film. On the Urdu scene last years Tere Pyar Main continued its successful run well into the year but the only film that scored a major success during the entire year was Khoay ho tum Kahan, all other films flopped while Uff yeh Beewian managed average business. Meanwhile the Punjabi scene flourished with super hit status accorded to Humayun Gujjar, Asoo Billa, Sher-e-Lahore. Mehr Badshah did good steady business managing to make a neat profit even if it didn't have the box office fire-power of the three big guns.
The next update will contain a detailed analysis of Box Office performance for 2001.

Nasir Adeeb, smarting from the dismal performance of Aaj ki Ladki has been fortunate enough to be signed on to direct Ishtehari Ghunda, naturally with Shaan in the title role. Adeeb has also been signed on to direct Jagga Baloch after the initial first choice Rashid Doggar was rejected by superstar Shaan apparently in return for having himself been dropped from Doggar's Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed.

Sameena Pirzada has begun shooting for Shahraarat in which Reema and Baber Ali (in the Amir Khan style of Dil Chahta Hai!!) are featured as well as some new discovery. Nirma has also recently been added to the cast.

Apparently all has not gone well in Dubai during the shoot for Shehzad Gul's Chalo Ishq Larain. Reports have been filtering through that there was a massive tussle between Meera and Zara Shaikh which resulted in some serious sparks flying. After they returned Meera was heard telling people that Zara wouldn't be misbehaving anymore after the lesson she had taught her in Dubai!!

Syed Noor has announced two new films with Saima in the title role. First will be Billo Sherni and the other will by Kudi Panjaban.

Akram Khan, the man who has the Lollywood record of discovering no less than 6 heroines including Saima and Najma, is now set to film forthcoming Ayaash with Shaan in the title role. Good news indeed for sleazehounds.

Reports leaking out about Syed Noor's upcoming Behram Daku are buzzing around and the buzz is all good. Word has it that Noor stands an excellent chance of reversing his recent horror run with this film starring Shaan, Saima and Moammar Rana.

Nargis has been packing them in at Naaz cinema which has been refurbished and turned into a theatre. She has signed for 20 lacs to perform for the whole year and last weekend tickets for her Bhangra Night special were sold out and being sold in the black market for 3,000. Almost a thousand people packed the theatre which has a capacity of closer to 500, but there were people sitting on the floors and on the steps and absolutely everywhere to catch a glimpse of the dancing sensation of Lahore. Nargis continues to sign films as well and managed to carve out a nice little niche for herself as the top dancer in town.

After the stinker that Moosa Khan unfortunately turned out to be, Shaan (and Neelo) have threatened the world with Osama - The Motion Picture and now even the script for Kargil is being hastily prepared by Shaan. Someone please explain to this man that you cant catch bullets in your bare hands in reality like he did in the demented Moosa Khan.

E-mail OAK your Lollywood comments and questions