First show at Huma Adlabs had to be cancelled when nobody turned up, while only 12 tickets were sold for the first show at Bandra theatre Gaiety; sales picked up in the evening, much to theatre executive's relief
First show at Huma Adlabs had to be cancelled when nobody turned up, while only 12 tickets were sold for the first show at Bandrau00a0theatreu00a0Gaiety; sales picked up in the evening, much to theatre executive's relief
The first day, first show of a film is usually house-full, especially if it stars big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan. 
The first show was cancelled in Huma Adlabs after nobody turned up to watch the film
Aarakshan's first show at Gaiety cinema in Bandra, however, saw just 12 tickets being sold, sending the multiplex's executive editor, Manoj Desai, into a tizzy.
At zero, the count was even more abysmal at Huma Adlabs in Kanjur Marg, where the first show had to be cancelled.
"The extremely low turnout for the first show had me worried, but later, we were able to sell 610 tickets out of the total of 974.
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This was a good response considering that the film had no advance booking. Police personnel were also stationed to ensure the screenings went off peacefully," said Desai.
Echoing Desai's views, Big Cinemas' Chief Operating Officer Ashish Saxena said, "The turnout was low for the first show, but it started picking up by evening. Even though none of the shows were house-full, the overall review was satisfactory."
Experts' take
"In some places, the film opened to 60 per cent occupancy while the turnout was very low in others. Even though the film is decent, the chances of it garnering huge profits are weak as it is a docu-drama.u00a0
So, if the Supreme Court doesn't rule in the film's favour, its producers could lose about Rs 8-9 crore," said Amod Mehra, trade analyst.
"It's unfortunate that three states have banned its screening, so it loses the chance to make the most of the long weekend till Monday, August 15.
SC ruling in its favour could give a considerable boost to the collections of the film," Komal Nahta, editor, Film Information.
Viewers' opinion
Alok Singh (25) who had gone to Bandra to watch the film, said, "The controversy and political tensions surrounding the film made me want to come and watch it."
Sandeep Rai (24) said, "I am an Amitabh Bachchan fan, so I make it a point to watch all his films on the first day, first show. The controversy didn't stop me."
MBA aspirant Sunil Tengale (26), who was anxious to know the contents of the film said, "I liked the film, as reservation is a current topic in the country. The examples shown in the film are quite realistic."
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