This week's big Thursday has proved a blockbuster and the box office has exploded to match the Diwali fireworks Prem Ratan Dhan Payo sold tickets at slightly higher rates than Happy New Year and opened in more screens. The screen count, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, is over 5600 worldwide

 

 

This week's big Thursday has proved a blockbuster and the box office has exploded to match the Diwali fireworks.

"After completing the film, I had a relatively off day and so I decided to look at the accounts. It's then that I realised that Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is a very expensive film and if it doesn't make a lot of money, all this would amount to nothing."

That was director Sooraj Barjatya speaking about his expectations from new film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in Mumbai recently and it looks like he has been nervous for no reason. The film, starring Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor, has not faltered in the 'Dhan' department and has already broken records on its first day. (Read Review)

According to Box Office India, PRDP closed day one with box office receipts in the region of Rs 40 crores net. This makes it the biggest first day in Bollywood history beating Shah Rukh Khan's Happy New Year which was last year's Diwali offering. It's also the biggest single day of all time, edging past the first Sunday figures of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and PK which were about Rs 38.50 crores net.

Box Office India also notes that PRDP sold tickets at slightly higher rates than Happy New Year and opened in more screens. The screen count, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, is over 5600 worldwide.
 

The film released a day after Diwali keeping the first day collections in mind. Sources say that the makers were looking at a big start at the box office and decided a Diwali day release wouldn't do justice to the film's budget considering that evening shows on Diwali don't do very well.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, which stars Salman in a double role and reunites him with Mr Barjatya 16 years after Hum Saath Saath Hain, is the 49-year-old actor's second film this year after Bajrangi Bhaijaan. It has been panned by critics and there will come a day when reviews will matter to a Salman release. However, this film is not that film.

Trains Delayed In Chennai

Trains Delayed In Chennai After Heavy Rain Overnight; Schools, Colleges Shut

48 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state since November 9, most of them from Cuddalore.

Chennai:  Trains were delayed and schools and colleges were closed on Friday as heavy rain lashed Chennai for the fifth straight day, bringing the city to a virtual standstill.

Many roads are flooded with the city receiving 14.9 cm of rainfall since last night. Occasional heavy rain is predicted through the day. The MeT department has forecast another spell of heavy showers next week following the formation of a new trough of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.

Heavy rain through the night has submerged rail tracks, resulting in delays in arrival and departure of trains at the Chennai Central Station. Only five out of nine trains that were scheduled to leave the station were able to depart to their destinations, affecting thousands of passengers.
 
Schools and colleges are shut in the city following the Met department's forecast. This is the third time that a holiday has been declared for educational institutions in the city since November 9, when a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal crossed near the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, resulting in heavy rain and consequent flood in many parts of the state. Cuddalore district, 180 kms from Chennai, was the worst hit.

Office-goers had a harrowing time this morning as they were faced with knee-deep water in many areas. Hassled residents posted pictures of waterlogged roads on Twitter, making #chennaiRains a top trend this morning on the micro-blogging site.
 
"When chennai has more water ways than Venice and more waves on the roads compared to Bay of Bengal. #chennairains," posted @vasudevan_k.

"Don't know about flying cars but we need hover floating convertibles in Chennai soon ... #chennairains," wrote @amdbabu.

48 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state since November 9, most of them from Cuddalore.

Modi in UK

Modi in UK: His first taste of hostility in London fails to dampen 'Good Mood' Modi

 

Not many know how many zeros there are in £9 billion but that was the bottom line as Day One of the Modi visit to the UK moved from a long meet at 10 Downing Street to dinner and hopefully, to some relaxed downtime.
Like the curate’s egg, it was good and bad in parts. Modi kept a stoic face as hundreds of protestors pockmarked the area reserved for ‘free expression’ outside the PM’s residence and chanted against 'Intolerant India'. Most heard were the slogans, "Modi, Modi! Shame, shame" and "Modi, Modi! You can’t hide; you committed genocide." Modi maintained a facade of clam but this new sensation could have been unnerving.