When Deepika Padukone beat Ranbir Kapoor at box office

Deepika Padukone’s “Om Shanti Om” clashed with Ranbir Kapoor’s debut film “Saawariya” at the box office on November 9, 2007.Farah Khan’s directorial outperformed Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama, with “Om Shanti Om” grossing Rs 152 crore worldwide, while “Saawariya” earned a modest Rs 39.22 crore. As both films mark 17 years since their release today, we recall how Indian cinema witnessed one of its biggest box office clashes, with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone’s film releasing alongside Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor’s “Saawariya.”

Both films were highly anticipated for different reasons. “Om Shanti Om” benefited from the undeniable star power of SRK, while “Saawariya” attracted attention for being directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1848 short story “White Nights”, the film also marked the Bollywood debut of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor’s son, Ranbir.

While “Om Shanti Om”, Deepika’s first Hindi release, went on to become the highest-grossing Bollywood film at the time, surpassing “Dhoom 2”, “Saawariya” failed to make a mark at the box office.Made on a budget of Rs. 40 crore, Deepika led romantic drama grossed Rs. 152 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2007 and the highest-grossing Hindi film ever at the time of its release.

In contrast, “Saawariya” was a commercial failure. Upon its release, the film received mixed to negative reviews. While the soundtrack, production design, artistic vision, and performances were praised, the story, screenplay, and pacing faced significant criticism. Salman Khan made a cameo as Imaan Pirzada, and the film marked the last appearance of both Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para before their deaths.

Most recently, Deepika’s latest release “Singham Again” clashed with Kartik Aaryan’s horror-comedy “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.” Rohit Shetty’s cop drama has surpassed Anees Bazmee’s film at the ticket window. “Singham Again” has become Shetty’s 10th film to cross the Rs.100 crore mark, making it the fastest to achieve this milestone.

Appudo Ippudo Eppudo Movie Review

Appudo Ippudo Eppudo is the latest Telugu film that not many knew that it was being made in the first place. Nikhil, Rukmini Vasanth, Divyansha Kaushik, and Viva Harsha play key roles in this film which has been released today. Sudheer Varma directs this film which is a romantic crime comedy. Read our detailed review here.

Story

Rishi(Nikhil) is a wannabe race car driver in London. As he makes trials to go to the next league, he meets Tara(Rukmini Vasanth) with whom he shares a past. But Tara makes a move and decides to propose to Rishi. She plans a date and when is about to propose, Rishi’s ex-girlfriend, Tulasi(Divyansha Kaushik) enters the scene and messes things up. Amidst all this, she also brings a lot of trouble with a villain gang who is after a pen drive loaded with money. The rest of the story is about how Rishi comes out of the mess and wins his lady love.

What about on-screen performances?

Nikhil plays the main lead and like always, he gives a sincere performance. He looks handsome in the film and does well in all the romantic scenes. His scenes with Viva Harsha are good. Rukmini Vasanth made her Telugu debut and was okay. One gets a feeling that she was not utilized properly in the film. But still, she looks fresh and beautiful.

Divyasha Kaushik gets a very good role and does well in her character. It is her that brings twists to the film and Kaushik was quite impressive in her role. Viva Harsha is neat with his comedy. His scenes with the villain John Vijay in the second half are funny and bring a bit of relief to the proceedings. John Vijay who plays the main villain is irritating in his role.

He is not at all serious about his character. Ajay plays the regular villain’s role and he was good.

What about off-screen talents?

Sudheer Varma has directed the film and he has lost his Midas touch and made this film a big bore fest for the audience. There is nothing new he has showcased. The writing is very weak and does not have anything novel.

The so-called twists are also quite predictable in the proceedings and do not surprise. The first half is dull and does not bring anything new to the table. The so-called romance is also weak and has been neglected in the film.

The production values of the film are very good. The London visuals are great but the editing is very bad, especially in the first half of the film. The music is good and a few songs have been executed well. The main aspect of the thrill factor is completely missing in the film and bores the audience.

The main villain’s track is silly as John Vijay does not bring anything gripping to the table. The entire crime angle in the film has been underutilized.

Sudheer Varma’s narration is silly as he does not make use of any aspect properly. The romance, thrills, and twists, none of these aspects are handled properly in the film

What’s Hot?

Rukmini Vasanth’s looks

Nikhil’s performance

What’s Not?

Outdated story

Dull Narration

Slow Pace

Verdict:

Overall, Appudo Ippudo Epuudo is a very outdated romantic crime drama that feels lengthy and boring. Sudheer Varma once again disappoints with his narration which has nothing new to showcase making this film a silly watch this weekend.